The restoration of a historic Wiltshire house has been given the go-ahead by Wiltshire Council after it was severely damaged in a fire earlier this year.

Kingston Place in Bradford on Avon was hit by a “devastating” blaze in May when faulty electrical equipment set the building alight and destroyed the roof, as well as the first-floor ceilings and cornices.

Now, the council has approved a planning application seeking permission for the restoration of the former rectory.

READ MORE: Kingston Place: Fire ‘started accidentally’ fire service says

Kingston Place after the blaze. (Image: Trevor Porter) According to the application, the fire “raged through the building” and despite over 60 firefighters tackling the flames with water from the nearby River Avon, it was not completely extinguished until the following evening.

A report by a fire investigation specialist was submitted along with the restoration and provided some insight into the incident.

It read: “A major contributory factor to the scale and extent of the damage was a lack of effective compartmentation, the construction of the roof and access to the roof space.

“The original roof space was just a single open void across the building.

“This allowed the fire to spread uncontrolled.

“Access to the roof space for firefighters was difficult, severely hampering firefighting operations, ultimately leading to the collapse of the roof.”

The current owners had substantially refurbished Kingston Place between 2017 and 2019, but described the damage caused by the smoke, fire and water as “extensive”.

The application also noted that the loss of “irreplaceable chandeliers” had been “devastating” to the family, but the ceiling will be rebuilt and the decorative coving recreated.

It stated: “The whole of the first floor will need to be re-plastered, due to fire, smoke and water damage.

“On the ground floor, the Boot Room walls, where the fire started, would need to be re-plastered.

“Furthermore, many of the other ground floor plasterwork, including some of the decorative mouldings, will need to be removed, re-plastered, restored or replaced.

“This is due to soot, and water, as a result of the fire.

“Mould damage, which we believe was caused by the use of river water to extinguish the fire is increasing since the property has been exposed and cannot be curtailed, or tackled until the dwelling is sealed, which will be achieved initially by replacing the ceiling joists with new floor joists to provide a temporary weatherproof flat roof.”

The scheme also sought permission for a flat roofed area between the two pitched roofs to facilitate a staircase allowing greater access to the roof space.

A “flat roof glass lantern and conservation style roof light” is also due to be inserted within the roofscape to illuminate the stairway internally.