British Fires has received The King’s Award for Enterprise. Two recent Australian homes show why its flame picture wins people over.
In 2026, Focal Point Fires, the company behind British Fires, received the award for International Trade after strong growth in overseas sales. Australia is one of the markets behind that growth. The King’s Award for Enterprise is one of the UK’s most respected business honours. You can’t buy your way onto the list. It’s judged on results.
The company started in 1983 on England’s south coast, near the New Forest. British Fires followed in 2019 with one goal: build the most realistic electric fire on the market.
Why the flame looks real
Every New Forest fire sold in Australia comes with Deluxe Real Logs made from genuine English oak. The logs are cut and charred, then placed by hand. Look closely. You can see the grain and the bark.
On the New Forest 870 to 2400, Air Curtain Technology sends warm air out through the top of the fire, allowing the log bed to sit deeper behind a clean glass front that finishes flush with the wall. No frame, no vents in view.
The Black Edition gives a richer picture by replacing the mirrored back with dark glass. It also adds crystal clear anti-reflective front glass by Schott, an Australian specification.
Two recent Australian homes
Chifley, NSW. The owners of this new family home had planned on an ethanol fireplace. Then they compared the options side by side, looking for the one that actually looked like a real fire. They chose a New Forest 1600.
Greenwith, SA. Frame, electrical, stone, fire. That was the order of works. A low linear British Fires fire sits in a stone-clad feature wall beside the TV. With no flue or gas line to plan around, it went in as part of the build.
Why designers and builders specify it
A British Fires fire needs power. There’s no flue, chimney or gas line to accommodate, which opens up apartments, townhouses, renovations and new builds where a traditional fireplace was never an option. You can run the flame on its own all year round. Each fire also includes a 1.5kW heater for gentle warmth in front of the fire when you want it.
The New Forest range runs from 870mm to 2400mm wide, with single-sided, corner and three-sided versions available alongside the compact 650 Square. For narrow walls, there’s the portrait-format Knightwood. The Ashlett is made to fit existing fireplace openings.
Nothing like a British fire.
Find your nearest British Fires retailer at britishfires.com.au/where-to-buy