Remake of Saxon hall lost in blaze

A recreation of a Saxon hall near Stourport, visited by thousands of schoolchildren, was gutted by fire today.

The blaze in the barn-like structure officially opened by botanist Professor David Bellamy was discovered at about 8am this morning.

Fire crews from Kidderminster, Stourport and elsewhere in the county were called to the scene the Bishops Wood Environmental Centre at Crossway Green but the construction, which took four years to complete, was completely destroyed. Implements and tools used in Saxon and Viking role-play sessions were also lost.

The cause of the blaze is not yet known. Head of the centre John Rhymer said staff were already talking of how it might be rebuilt and items replaced.

Mr Rhymer said: "Thousands of schoolchildren from the county and further afield from across the West Midlands use the centre for outdoor and Saxon and Viking studies.

"The centre was officially in 1994 and the Saxon Hall, which took four years to create was completed and officially opened by Time Team television presenter Phil Harding nine years ago.

"Built from timber, it was well away from the main building."