Case Study Cooking up an experience at Dimplex Opti-myst combines realism and safety for reconstruction of a medieval kitchen

Glastonbury Abbey, dating to the 7th century AD is one of ’s Customer Profile: earliest, most important abbeys. Located in the heart of , and by the 14th century the second wealthiest abbey in Britain, the Glastonbury Abbey site boasted power and tremendous building works. Under the rule of Location: Henry VIII, Glastonbury became just one more victim of the Dissolu- Glastonbury, somerset tion of the , with its church buildings pulled down and the dispersed from the site. Sector: Heritage Amongst the great ruins stands the one surviving example of medi- Partner: eval power and wealth, the ’s Kitchen, part of the magnificent Mendip Fireplaces Abbot’s house begun by John de Breynton in the 14th century. Today, (Somerset) Ltd the Abbot’s Kitchen is open to the public and used extensively for ed- ucational visits by local school children. It provides a core curriculum Products: offering, enabling children to learn why the building is so important Opti-myst Silverton SVT20 and how medieval cooking took place inside. Specification / Features

“We are delighted with the fires; they are practical, safe and in- Opti-myst Silverton SVT20

credibly realistic – many of our visitors can’t believe that they Realistic Opti-myst flame and smoke are not real flames!” effect Janet Bell, abbey director Removable glowing ash bed The interior of the Abbot’s Kitchen, which is one A pair of Dimplex Silverton fires sit side-by-side of the best preserved in Europe, recreates the in each of two large Inglenook fireplaces, repre- Remote control kitchen when it was in use during the Medieval senting open fires sitting underneath a spit-roast period, with cooking fires, spits, pots, utensils and cauldron of boiling broth. A fifth fire is used Low energy LED special effect and foods. It also hosts temporary display and to create the illusion of a working bread oven lighting supporting information for school and other vis- and all fires are clad with charred logs for added itors. effect. Requires assembly As part of a major programme of conservation Jeremy White from Mendip Fireplaces (Somer- work on the kitchen, five Dimplex Silverton set) Ltd said: “It was an easy decision for us to No heat Opti-myst fires have been used to have help to suggest the Dimplex Silverton model when we portray this period representation of a Medieval were first approached for this project. Dimensions abbot’s kitchen. Height - 305 mm “There is no other product on the market which Width - 684 mm Combining the realistic Opti-myst three-dimen- can create such a realistic flame effect without Depth - 355 mm sional flame and smoke effect with all the safety posing any safety issues and that was obviously credentials needed for a popular visitor attrac- key for a busy tourist attraction. It is testament tion, the Dimplex Silverton fires were supplied by to the flexibility of the Opti-myst range that they Mendip Fireplaces (Somerset) Ltd after architects can be used in this way and I know many people working on behalf of the Abbey approached the think they are real fires when they see the ‘flames’ store. and ‘smoke’.”

The Silverton is an electric fire basket design with Janet Bell, abbey director, said: “We are delighted individual logs for added realism. It has low en- with the fires; they are practical, safe and incred- ergy LED lighting, a removable glowing ash bed ibly realistic – many of our visitors can’t believe and remote control. that they are not real flames!”

Dimplex is the market leader in electric heating appliances and systems. The extensive Dimplex product range spans domestic and commercial heating products, award-winning electric fires and surrounds and one of the widest ranges of renewables solutions available from a single manufac- turer in the UK - all supported by unrivalled customer service and aftercare support.

Tel: 0800 028 6122 Email: [email protected] www.dimplex.co.uk