Residents in the Berkshire village of Inkpen and Combe are facing mounting tension over heating costs as winter approaches, relying heavily on kerosene oil for hot water and home heating beyond the reach of gas mains. While many rural homes feature an open fire or wood burner, kerosene remains essential for most, with costs more than doubling since the onset of the US-Iran war.
Rising Fuel Costs and Consumer Vulnerability
According to the Guardian, 1,000 litres of heating oil—which typically lasts between 10 and 12 weeks—currently costs £1,219, compared to just £549 a year earlier. Villagers watch these prices climb without any of the consumer protections provided to standard gas customers. Whenever the price per litre drops, such as during the June ceasefire, the local village WhatsApp group immediately lights up with activity.
To cope with the expenses, some residents utilize back boiler systems, which are water tanks placed behind a fireplace to heat and circulate water to taps and radiators. Having access to firewood makes it possible to heat a home at no cost. However, gathering wood has historically caused friction, such as when locals lost their traditional privilege to take wood from the estate following a dispute with the gamekeeper.
Historical Tensions Over Firewood
Walks through the local area pass the former residence of the estate gamekeeper and the site of the estate woodsman’s cottage near Wadsmere Common, where storm-felled ash branches—ideal for burning—lie on the ground. Beside the stone pile of the long-gone cottage where the last resident, known as “Granny” Bulpitt, once lived, winter fuel has long been a source of local conflict.
In 1840, after the common and down were enclosed, Granny Bulpitt’s father-in-law, who served as the estate bailiff, reported villagers who continued collecting firewood. Because the estate owners, King’s College, Cambridge, viewed the wood as profitable commerce, villagers plunged into fuel poverty fought back in court and won their case with the support of the Times.
In retaliation, the estate evicted five tenant families into a severe January snowstorm and demolished their homes. Following Granny Bulpitt’s death in 1903, the college allowed her house to fall into ruin, leaving her former lane uninhabited except for local ghost rumors, while winter fuel remains a contentious issue to this day.
