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Blaze guts £900,000 Coalport house
Friday 12th August 2011, 11:29AM BST.
Fire crews at 200-year-old Sweney Cliff House, Coalport
A 200-year-old Shropshire house has been completely destroyed in a fire. Sweney Cliff House, in Coalport, thought to be worth more than £900,000, was gutted by the blaze which started at about 11.15pm yesterday
The eight-bedroom home was formerly known as Rock House, and was thought to have been built by William Horton, an ironmaster from Sutton Maddock.
Crews from across the county, including Telford, Much Wenlock, Tweedale, Wellington, Newport and Albrighton, battled the blaze and were still damping down this morning.
Water to douse the flames was pumped via hoses directly from the River Severn.
A Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “We were called to a property fire near Coalport Bridge at about 11.15pm yesterday.
“No-one was in the property and no-one was injured. We believe it may have been being renovated.
“It is not known what caused the fire.
“There are still hotspots in the timber frames of the building which could fall into the basement and start a new fire so we are continuing to damp down.”
The force could not use an aerial platform because the vehicle was too large to fit down the driveway to the property.
A Coalport resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “I was woken up about 1.30am by the noise of the generator outside.
“The house was up for repossession. It’s been empty for about six months. It’s a real shame.”
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