Fire-wracked mansion house to be 're-imagined'

A 16th Century mansion house, former school and NHS maternity unit in Devon is to be "re-imagined" rather than restored, says the trust which owns it.

Poltimore House, north of Exeter, was in the process of being restored, but was virtually destroyed in a fire just over two years ago.

The Poltimore House Trust had wanted to return the building back to its former glory, but, as it was uninsured at the time of the fire, it would cost nearly £20m to redevelop, it said.

Trust leaders said they were now looking at other ways of using what remained of the Grade II listed structure with a five-year target and budget of up to £4m to bring it back into public use.

David Snell, deputy chair of the Poltimore House Trust, admitted that fire "was a dreadful thing to happen and so much history was lost".

He added that the house was "uninsurable" and was therefore "uninsured" at the time of the fire, and so the trust was not focusing on reconstruction.

"We have nowhere near the funds needed to rebuild, so we are now consulting with the public to seek ways to use the structure of the house and the grounds behind it," he said.

There are several possibilities being considered, including creating a large enclosed walled garden, an education centre or a performance space.

Before any of that happens, the trust said it needed to clear the site of debris, and that was expected to cost £500,000.

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