Historic house damaged by fire

Historic house damaged by fire

Parts of the building date back to the 16th Century

An historic house has been badly damaged in a suspected arson attack in Burnley.

The blaze began late on Friday evening at the Holme in Cliviger.

The building, parts of which date back to the 16th Century, suffered severe damage to the ground floor and staircase.

Vandals have been blamed for the fire at the former nursing home.

Local historian Roger Frost said it was "a great loss for people in Burnley".

The Holme is well known in the Burnley area as the traditional home of local landowners, the Whitaker family.

The historian Dr TD Whitaker, author of the first local history book The History of the Original Parish of Whalley, also lived there.

In the 1970s the house was transformed into a country club and later became a rest home.