Thanks (with one obvious exception) for the replies.

I've been sort of offered a Stovax Sheraton in need of refurbishment,
which on the face of it looks plausible if the price is right. I won't
be using a back boiler. I'm intending to use it as a backup to our
bottled gas central heating boiler (no mains gas out here). Next
winter if I can avoid using the boiler so much, maybe it'll cost me
less than the £400 quid I spent on gas in December just in keeping the
house warm.

Then there's the question of fuel - where do stove users on the list
get theirs from? I suppose it would be handy to make friends with a
few tree surgeons. I've considered turning half my garden into an ash
coppice, but from what I've read on the amount of land needed, I'd be
very far from self-sufficiency, though it might make a contribution.

Cheers
Richard