What is the best wood to burn?
The best firewood is simply dry firewood. Here is how to spot logs under 20% moisture, what the Ready to Burn label means, how to season…
A seaside town with a lot of chimneys
Whitley Bay grew quickly once the railway arrived in 1882, turning a small coastal village into a busy resort and commuter town. Much of its housing dates from the late Victorian and Edwardian decades that followed: terraces, bay-fronted family houses and the paired upstairs and downstairs flats known as Tyneside flats. Older Monkseaton, inland to the north-west, still keeps its village core, while inter-war and post-war suburbs fill out Whitley Lodge, West Monkseaton and Hillheads.
Most period homes here were built with a fireplace in several rooms, so a working chimney is often already in place. The question is usually whether it is fit to use, and what the rules allow you to burn.
Smoke control in Whitley Bay
North Tyneside Council has made 61 smoke control areas, which together cover the majority of the borough, and the council's mapping shows smoke control orders covering central Whitley Bay. In practice, assume a smoke control area applies unless your address check says otherwise.
Inside a smoke control area you can burn wood only on a Defra-exempt stove, using the fuels the manufacturer approves, or burn authorised smokeless fuel. Councils can issue civil penalties for excess chimney smoke, so we recommend exempt models as standard here. Our smoke control explainer goes into more detail.
Choosing the right stove
- Wood burners remain the most popular choice. Many current models are Defra-exempt and meet Ecodesign standards. See our wood-burning stove installation page.
- Multi-fuel stoves give you the option of approved smokeless fuels as well as logs, useful if you lack log storage in a terrace or flat.
- Replacements for older stoves and gas fires that are being taken out of period fireplaces are a common job in this kind of housing.
Room size matters too. Front rooms in Edwardian houses can be generous, but many terraces and flats have smaller living rooms where a compact stove works better.
Tyneside flats and shared stacks
Tyneside flats are found across North Tyneside. Two homes sit one above the other, with side-by-side front doors, and their flues usually run together in one chimney stack. If you live in one, a few extra points apply:
- Your flue may pass through or beside the other flat, so its route and condition need checking along its full length.
- Work on a shared stack, such as fitting a liner or a new cowl, can affect your neighbour. Who owns the stack, and whether you need their agreement or that of a freeholder, is worth confirming early.
- An upstairs flat may have less flue height above the stove, which affects draw and stove choice.
In most cases the answer is a stainless steel chimney liner, which seals your flue and sizes it correctly for the stove.
Seafront exposure
Homes near the Promenade, the Links and the cliffs towards Cullercoats take the full force of easterly winds. Strong gusts across a roof can cause downdraught, pushing smoke back into the room. We look at stack height, nearby buildings and terminal type, and may suggest an anti-downdraught cowl where the survey points to a need. Salt air is also hard on external metalwork, so twin-wall flue parts and cowls are chosen with the coast in mind.
Homes without a chimney
Many later houses, extensions and some flats have no chimney at all. A twin-wall flue system can run inside or outside the building. On an exposed coastal wall, fixings and bracket spacing get extra attention.
Conservation areas
Monkseaton is a designated conservation area, and St Mary's Island and Cullercoats nearby are too. A new external flue or changes to a chimney there may need planning permission, and listed buildings may need listed building consent. Check with North Tyneside Council's planning team, and we will flag anything relevant at survey.
How it works
- Enquiry: send us a few details about your home.
- Survey: we inspect the fireplace, flue, hearth and ventilation, and check smoke control status.
- Recommendation: a suitable stove and flue setup, with any shared-stack or planning points explained.
- Written quote: clear and itemised. Every home is different, so we always survey first.
- Installation: including a carbon monoxide alarm, which is required in England when a new or replacement solid fuel appliance is fitted.
- Handover and certification: we show you how to use the stove, and the work is certified through a competent person scheme such as HETAS, or signed off by Building Control.
Arrange your free quote
From a Tyneside flat near the seafront to a family house in Monkseaton, contact Northcrest Stoves for a free survey and a written, no-obligation quote.
