DESTRUCTION OF CREWE-HALL.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2717, 2 April 1866, Page 6

DESTRUCTION OF CREWE-HALL.

CBKWB-HiXL, Cheshire, the seat of Lord Crewe, has been destroyed by fire. It appears that shortly after Lord Crewe and the visitors in the mansion had retired to rest the attention of hi« Lordship was arrested by a strong smell of fire, and he rang for his valet, to whom he communicated his suspicions. The servants were aroused and an examination was made of the premises, but the seat of the fire was' not then discovered, and the domestic*] were about to retire, when on a second alarm being raised a nre was ascertained to be raging on the top part of the eastern wing. Messengers on horseback were instantly despatched to Crewe and Nantwich for assistance, and a telegram was forwarded to Chester requesting the immediate help of the fire-brigade from that city. Meanwhile two small engines, belonging to the hall, were brought out, and attempts were made to arrest the flames, which, fanned by the strong breeze then blowing, quickly enveloped the eastern wing of the building, but from some unexplained cause they could not be used. It is supposed that in the excitement of the moment the means of turning on the water, which is communicated to the house from the lake, was overlooked, and consequently the fire continued its career of devastation entirely unchecked. At the moment that the telegram reached, Chester, requesting the aid of the fire brigadea portion of that body w.as engaged in attempt ing to extinguish a fire jn a ihop in Northgatestreet, but with as litt)e delay as possible MrSuperintendent GobMt and a party of his men in charge of an engine started for the scene of the conflagration. Engines from Nantwich and one from the railway works at Crewe also arrived on the spot, but the latter was unable to render effective service until extra lengths of hose had beeen procured. From the moment ■the fire was discovered its progress was extremely rapid ; and before anything like combined efforts were made to arrest it, the flames spread along the marble hall, picture gallery, drawing-room, and the chapel on the north side of the mansion, the ceilings and walls of which were adorned with most valuable paintings, and enveloped them all. A magnificent stained glass window over the communion table was also completely destroyed. The picture gallery contained'a very fine collection of paintings by ancient and modern artists, several of which were exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1862 ; and, though some of ] : the valuable contents of this part of the mansion were saved, we regret to learn that many of the best pictures were entirely destroyed, which will be the more deplored because the loss is irreparable. The grand staircase, with the costly statuary which adorned it, is also involved in the ruin. The fire continued to burn with uncontrolled fury throughout the morning, and by midday the hall, with the exception of a very small portion, was a mass of ruins, nothing but the tottering walls remaining to indicate where but a few hours previously had stood one of the most stately mansions in England. The erection of the hall, from the designs of Inigo Jones, was commenced in 1615, but it was not completed till 1636; in 1837 the present Lord Crewe restored the structure at a cost of £50,000, so that it was comparatively a modern erection. At the time of the outbreak of the fire Lady Houghton, sister to Lord Crewe, and other distinguished visitors, were staying at the hall ; and it is matter for congratulation that its timely discovery enabled all the inmates to effect their escape before either life or limb was jeopardised, j Jt is said that provision was made against fire by hydrants placed at certain distances round the house, supplied with water from the lake, and also by taps in the rooms communicating with an immense reservoir on the top of the house ; but whether the domestics were panic-stricken or had forgotten these arrangements, will probably be matter for future inauiry. It appears that the taps were not lought of till access to them was cut off by the flames, and during the early part of the conflagration the hydrants were also forgotten. The damage is estimated at upwards of £100,000, but we understand that the hall was insured for about £40,000 in the Exchange, Phoenix, and Sun Fire Offices. It is due to the labourers, farmers, and inhabitants of Crewe who were present at the fire to say that they exerted themselves in the most praiseworthy manner to arrest the flames ; but the conflagration defied all human power, and only ceased when all the combustible material of the hall had been consumed. Great sympathy is felt with Lord Crewe by the inhabitants of the district. — Times.