An electrical fault probably caused a fire which destroyed Dartmouth's historic Tudor centre.Eight businesses and up to 15 flats in the Devon port were destroyed or severely damaged in the fire on Friday. Among the buildings destroyed in Fairfax Place were 16th Century Tudor buildings with English Heritage Grade I and Grade II listed status.
It is possible some of the buildings may have to be demolished, while others could take six months or more to rebuild or refurbish. Commenting on the impact of the fire, English Heritage said the immediate priority was safety and establishing the structural integrity of the buildings. English Heritage will work with the local authority to help to assess the damage to the original fabric of the buildings and begin the process of identifying what can and cannot be salvaged from the fire.
.gif)
As one of the first investigators on this site let me assure you that the external facades to both principal buildings involved were saved. They will probably need to be disassembled to facilitate the rebuild but I am confident that the restoration will be highly successful.
ReplyDeleteThe same cannot be said for the business comunity in this friendly, close-knit and historic town. There have been rumours and groundless assumptions that have effected relationships between lifelong friends and colleagues.
It stands as a good example of the need to appreciate the wider issues. For the early release of information by Authorities.
Delay and prevarication only serves to feed and entrench rumour and conspiracy theory.
I was called upon to attend a further site investigation this month. There has been no progress with regard to any rebuild or restoration but the internal demolition is now almost complete. It now seems that there may be some long term dipute in regard to liability and costs. This will inevitably delay further the restoration process. I will endeavour to keep the group informed.
ReplyDelete