Historic house saved from bulldozers

Firefighters could not save the house from damage

Conservationists have won their campaign to save a 16th Century house from demolition after it was damaged in a fire.

Kathleen Jones, 93, was killed in the blaze at Bryn-y-Parc in Park Street, Denbigh, in March this year.

No building of this quality can be demolished without conclusive evidence that there is no other feasible option

Statement from the Ancient Monuments Society

A report to the local authority has estimated it will cost £733,000 to restore the building to its former glory.

On Wednesday, Denbighshire county council refused permission for executors of the three-storey house to demolish it.

Historians have argued that parts of the six-bedroomed house remain intact and the structure should be saved at any cost.

The Ancient Monuments Society have said the application to destroy the house, which was remodelled in 1870, was the first of its kind in three years.

Kathleen Jones was killed in the fire

In a report to Denbighshire County Council, the organisation stated: "The fire was an appalling tragedy.

"The loss of the renowned sitting room features, and the overmantel with its heraldry is a major blow.

"However, substantial sections of the building have survived and no building of this quality can be demolished without conclusive evidence that there is no other feasible option."

Detailed review

The applicants who wanted to demolish the building claimed floors and roof structures would need to come down.

Internal partitions and their staircase would also need to be repaired.

However, The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings stated that a detailed analysis is required into the full repair bill.

They claimed the house could not be pulled down purely for financial reasons as it may be possible to apply for a grant from Welsh monuments society CADW.

Planning bosses at Denbighshire said there was no compelling evidence for the demolition to go-ahead.