It depends what you want / need it for. Additional heating for occasional cosy nights in with Ant & Dec and a box of Guylian - the romance of an open fire might be the one for you. Not a legal romance though: you're meant to use smokeless fuel on an open fire, which is about as romantic as a Pot Noodle. That said, one sniff of local air on an autumn night will tell you that many are in flagrant (boom! boom!) breach of the law. Anything else in terms of practicality, heat etc = stove. They still look nice.. especially if you find the right moulding / surround.