Interview | STYLE
Keeping the home f ires burning 2022 is a big year for AJ Wells and their flagship company, Charnwood. It marks 50 years of keeping fires crackling in hearths across the country, a herculean task they manage from their bustling factory in Newport on the Isle of Wight.
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harnwood. The very name conjures welcoming images of wood burning stoves glowing merrily with dancing flames. Combine this with sleepy family pets stretched lazily out to soak up the warmth and you’ve got a quintessentially British scene, perfect for any brittle winter’s day. With cosy images like this as their lifeblood, it’s no wonder this once small Island company has become one of Britain’s most treasured family businesses. With 2022 being their 50th anniversary, this is the perfect time to explore how they got where they are today. The AJ Wells group of companies are all a product of their time. They have shifted direction to find the
By R ebecca Lawson Ma i n photo Ju l ia n Wi nslow
opportunity in the darkest periods, but to understand how the company has grown into the behemoth it is today, we need to travel back in time. 1972 – The Troubles and the Cold War were both in full swing, Tottenham beat Wolverhampton in the first ever UEFA Cup final, and Edward, Duke of Windsor, passed away 35 years after abdicating from the throne. With all this upheaval in the outside world, Alfred Wells and his two sons quietly founded the company that, in 2022, would become Britain’s oldest manufacturer of wood burning stoves. The story didn’t start with stoves, however. The family began by repairing tractors in a small brick workshop in Niton, nestled on the hills that line
the south coast of the Isle of Wight. Ced Wells, current Creative Director and grandson to Alfred, explains, “Throughout the history of the business, we seem to have been able to find opportunity in crises. The first was when the oil shortages of the 70s forced prices to shoot up. At the same time, Dutch Elm Disease led to millions of trees being felled. People had to heat their homes somehow, so everyone wanted to buy a wood burner. The problem was that the only wood burners available were great big things not suitable for residences, so we moved away from repairing tractors and worked to create a smaller stove that would fit into lounge rooms.” Thus the iconic Charnwood Beacon was born.
Above: The Wells family dog Wellington starred in 1980s marketing campaigns
January and February 2022
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