Fire at Grade II-listed Overstone Hall in Northamptonshire was started deliberately

A fire which gutted an historic Grade II-listed historic building was started deliberately, according to fire investigators.

Five fire engines from Northamptonshire were sent to Overstone Hall after smoke was seen rising from the roof on the morning of 17 March.

Fire investigation officers returned to the scene three days later to try to determine the cause of the blaze and found signs of forced entry into the building, which is derelict.

They have determined the most likely cause of the fire is that it was started deliberately.

Overstone Hall is a Grade II-listed building on the outskirts of Northampton with 119 rooms.

It is surrounded by 35 acres of parkland and grounds.

In 2001, a huge blaze fire destroyed 50% of the building and over the last 15 years, the other half has deteriorated, suffering vandalism and the impacts of bad weather.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue service asked anyone with information about the incident to call police on 101, quoting reference number 23000162520, or FireStoppers on 0800 169 5558.

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