No answers a year after fire at former stately home

There are still no answers a year after a fire destroyed a Grade II-listed former stately and children's home.

An arson probe was launched after the fire at former Shotley Park Residential Care Home, Shotley Bridge, County Durham on 5 October 2025.

Durham Police said it carried out a "thorough investigation" into the blaze, but eventually closed the investigation amid "evidential difficulties".

Peter Wright, who lived in the building when it was a Dr Barnardo's children's home, said a year on he still could not bring himself to visit the place where he grew up and his brother's ashes were scattered.

The listed former stately home dates back to the 1800s.

It was a Dr Barnardo's children's home between 1947 and 1986 and was most recently used as a care home, which closed in 2023 because of high costs.

"I refuse to go back down there. I don't want to upset myself because that's the place that I was brought up," Wright, 68, said.

"It was a happy home, we had a lot of happy memories."

The Consett resident said he wanted to see the site rebuilt but was not optmisitc about its future.

Planning permission was granted in 2024 to turn the building into a hotel.

Durham Police said it had reviewed CCTV footage and spoken to witnesses.

Officers questioned a 16-year-old boy in November, but the force confirmed he had been released with no further action.

"The investigation has since been closed pending any new information as, due to evidential difficulties, there was no realistic prospect of conviction," a spokesperson added.

Durham County Council said it would continue to monitor the property to ensure it was safe pending a decision on its future use and any necessary works.

"We attended the property following the fire and arranged for the building to be secured by the owner," council building safety and housing standards manager Ted Murphy said.

"Fencing and warning signs were subsequently put up to prevent unauthorised access."

A Historic England spokesperson added they had provided informal structural engineering advice to the local authority and the owner on the building's condition following the fire.

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