Inquiries into manor fire go on

The cause of the fire is not thought to be suspicious

A fire that badly damaged a historic manor house is not being treated as suspicious, say investigators.

About 100 firefighters were needed to deal with Friday's fire at Wardington Manor, near Banbury in Oxfordshire.

Villagers formed a human chain to save a valuable collection of books and furniture from the building.

A spokeswoman for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said that the actions of the fire crews also prevented greater damage inside the manor.

Cause unknown

She told BBC News Online: "We managed to save a lot of it. We did not spray that much water so there has not been a lot of damage.

"There's some damage to the content but a lot of it was rescued."

Two crews remained at the scene of the fire throughout Saturday to ensure it did not reignite.

The cause of the fire remains unknown but further investigations were to be carried out.

Half the roof was destroyed in the fire while the manor's ground and first floors were left largely undamaged.