Adam Southwold Fireplace in Oak & Cream with Blenheim Electric Fire in Black, 43 Inch

The media could not be loaded. I have read very mixed reviews about this fireplace suite. Much of it good but enough bad ones to cause me some concern. Mostly because of damage found on the item on delivery plus some buyers waiting weeks for it to arrive well after the promised date. After doing my research, I did not order from the cheapest seller. I could have saved around £40 elsewhere but the their reviews wern't good to be honest so I chose the seller that had the best all round feedback. The suite arrived a day earlier than promised (so I actually had it next day) in 2 large boxes, one with the fire and one with the mantel piece and hearth. I unpacked and checked all items and thankfully no damage or faults whatsoever. The assembly was a doddle and all parts fitted together well. The fire itself requires no assembly with only feet to fit to the bottom if using as a stand alone fire. The feet wern't necessary to fit as the fire slotted into the surround perfectly. The front of the fire (grill) is actually plastic and not metal but that hasnt bothered me because once all fitted together, you wouldnt know. The surround and mantelpiece has a very nicely finished oak veneer which is ready to wax, stain or paint. I think I will use clear wax to seal it and leave the lovely looking grain to show through. The hearth is colour coated MDF but finished to a high standard and the in-fill boards around the fire are fibreboard but again, finished very well. They have thoughfully included a slot for the cabling in the centre at the rear of the hearth which is all hidden away and also has chamfers on the rear bottom corners on each side, again to allow the cable to pass out to the left or the right. The fire itself has 3 switches. One to turn on the flame effect the second for the low heat setting and the third for the higher heat setting. There is also a rotary thermostat knob to help control the room temperature. The heat is more than enough for our 15ft x 13ft room but the whole thing was bought purely to use as a focal point with the flame effect giving a cosy glow in the winter months. The house is centrally heated so the hot blower is just a back up. All in all I am very pleased with the whole suite and is truly excellent value for money. I have included a photo and a short video to show the flame effect. I will report as to the fires reliabilty in due course. In short the whole suite is built to a budget but looks far more expensive than it is. I would definately buy one again.