Hopes mansion will spring back to life

A fire-ravaged mansion house in the grounds of the West Midland Safari and Leisure Park is undergoing a multi-million pound rebuild and is expected to re-open for business next Easter, it was claimed today.

Only the four walls and chimneys remained standing after fire ripped through Spring Grove House, a 250-year-old building standing in the park at Bewdley, on Christmas Eve in 2006.

It is believed the fire was started by an electrical fault. Staff managed to rescue some artefacts as the blaze took hold and those saved from the fire are being re-used in the building.

Park bosses pledged to rebuild the property and work has continued ever since.

Work on the multi-million pound project has been going so well that contractors have been able to move on to the internal work. As part of the plans, park bosses applied to Wyre Forest District Council for permission to demolish part of the ruins of the north wing to construct a two-storey extension to install toilets, a lift shaft and smoking shelter.

Landscaping and internal alterations also formed part of the plans.

Rebuilding has been a major task, but, because work is progressing so well, park bosses believe the building should be ready for business by Easter next year.

They plan to market it for business conferences and meetings from Mondays to Fridays and for corporate fun days at weekends. Ivan Knezovich, managing director of the Safari Park, said: "We are delighted with the standard and progress of the build and this will be a truly spectacular location for events.

"We shall be targeting the corporate market and we are creating a fantastic venue for business of the future."

Last year the Safari Park faced problems with staff needing to be relocated after the massive fire.

The park also suffered from problems caused by storms and flooding, but attendance figures picked up with more than 500,000 people visiting the world-class attraction.

This year the park has a new Cheetah exhibit which is drawing crowds to the park and is expected to boost visitor numbers even higher.