The 1948 Rayburn No. 2 was discovered in the kitchen of East Hill Farm in Barnstable, North Devon, where four generations of the Bray family have continually enjoyed the warmth and timeless elegance of Britain’s original central heating range cooker.
The competition was entered by Matthew Bray – a third generation farmer – when he visited the Rayburn website to investigate buying a new model for the East Hill Farm’s extension. Knowing that the family’s current model had been in situ for many decades, he provided Rayburn with the relevant details, including a photo, and became the nationwide winner.
As a prize for entering, Matthew has received a brand new model of his choice and he opted for an oil- fired 699K. The new Rayburn is capable of heating a property with up to 20 radiators, providing plenty of domestic hot water and the cooking capabilities that can only be found with a Rayburn central heating range cooker.
Apart from being one of the oldest cookers in existence, the Bray family’s Rayburn is also one of the oldest boilers in operation. The back boiler of the No. 2 is still supplying hot water to the bathroom and taps, and will continue to be used for this purpose when the family build a new ground floor washroom later this year.
The new 600 Series Rayburn delivered to Matthew Bray will be used in the farmhouse extension currently under construction. He explained: “We are in the process of building a new dwelling on the side of the farmhouse, which will be a new home for me, my wife and two sons. The 600 Series will be the central focus of the new kitchen and will undoubtedly be used just as often as the old one. If it goes on for as long as its predecessor we’ll be very pleased indeed!”