A MAJOR fire-prevention project is set to get under way at an historic Ribble Valley hall after a stately home in Surrey was gutted by a blaze last month.

The owners of Browsholme Hall, near Clitheroe, are to set aside £20,000 to compartmentalise the roof to help halt the spread of any fire and buy the fire service more time to save the property.

The move comes days after fire ravaged Clandon Park House in Guildford leaving the Grade I-listed building a shell of it’s former self.

The National Trust-owned property dates back to the 18th century and investigations are still underway to establish the root cause of the fire.

Firefighters from Clitheroe and Longridge visited Browsholme Hall over the Bank Holiday weekend to carry out tests to see how fast they could respond to a potential call out to the hall and to get the hoses from the lake to the hall.

It also comes after Samlesbury Hall was forced to close for a day last month after a surge of electricity knocked out it’s power.

The fire service has said that if it was not discovered when it was then a fire could have started.

Browsholme Hall owner Robert Parker, 60, said: “The fire in Guildford reminded me that I have to do everything that I possibility can to make sure that the hall is as safe as possible.

“It is one of the most unique structures in the area and it is important that it is preserved for future generations.

“The work that I want to be carried out is to split the roof internally into separate compartments to help slow down the rate of progression if a fire was to start.

“At the moment is takes around 30 minutes for fire crews to respond to a call and get into the hall.

“We want to make sure that we give them as much time as possible to contain and put out the fire before any serious damage is done.”

Parts of the Grade I-listed building date back to the early 16th century and has been owned by the Parker family for 14 generations.

Councillor Bridget Hilton, Ribble Valley’s deputy mayor, said: “It sounds like a very sensible and responsible thing to do which I would fully endorse.

“It is obviously in the interests of saving lives and preserving the hall.”