We’ve put these two lovely little spirit stoves together since they both come from the same era (circa 1890) and were both made by the Midland Lighting Co. of Birmingham who specialised in making cooking stoves, lamps and kettles from 1887 through to 1905. The Seamless Stove has a registration number 170420 which indicates that it was made in 1891 and we suspect the Two Flame was made at, or around the same time. They both bear the ‘ in lux way’ motto which was Midland’s trademark. Both stoves run on methylated spirit and whilst the Two Flame has a removable top allowing for a full flame or simmer capability – hence the name – the Seamless is either on, or off, with the lid working as the extinguisher. This type of stove was often used for camping and picnics though another use was in hotels where the stoves would be used to keep food warm at the table – the gentle heat being ideal for sitting under a metal container. It’s also worth remembering that the world’s first paraffin pressure stove, the Primus, wasn’t invented until1892, so spirit stoves were still state of the art in the 1890’s. Mick Tighe bought the Two Flame on e-bay for £4 in 2014 and his pal, Don Matheson, gave him the Seamless as a present around the same time.