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A quick intoduction to the equipment a beekeeper needs
Here in West Sussex you will find that the hive that is used predominantly is the National. Simple expedience would dictate that, if you consider the ability to buy and sell second hand equipment then it is probably wiser to stay with the national. Having said that I do use a (one) Langstroth and there are many of the traditional WBCs around - so the choice is yours. For the sake of the discussion below I will assume we are talking Nationals.
The last thing you want to do is to stand your brand new bee hive directly on the ground. It will rapidly get damp and rot very quickly and the bees inside will not do well. The basic rule is make the founation firm and raise the hive clear of the ground, preferably in a manner than allows rain water to run away quickly. This can be achieved in a number of ways using wooden stands, sleepers, metal stand, milk bottle trays etc. However, my choice is for a simple cheap paving slab from a DIY outfit and a coouple of breeze blocks. Add to this a couple of small strips of wood to lift the hive clear of the flat upper surface of the breeze block and you have the best of all worlds (in my view). It will also keep the weeds down.
Some operations that leave you in wonder. Take a look at some storage for supers in Alberta, Canada. For more excellent photographs, follow the link.
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