Burnt boathouse will return to Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle's historic boathouse will be rebuilt after being destroyed by fire from the flaming trebuchet show.
Warwick boathouse fireWarwick boathouse fire
Warwick boathouse fire

Sparks from the castle’s flaming cannonball display fell onto the roof of the building last April in a blaze which left the building in ruins.

But new manager Nick Blofeld has assured a winter rebuilding is on the cards after the “tragic accident” which saw the normally retardant thatched roof go up in flames.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“One of the projects we are working on is to get the boathouse back and we are very pleased about that,” he said.

“The sad thing is a thatched roof is normally so wet and dense that it would not be hurt by flames, they simply could not spread.

“But in this case it was so dry that there was nothing we could do. The fire brigade arrived on scene within minutes but said there was just nothing we could do to save it.”

Around 300 spectators were watching a demonstration of the weapon - described as the world’s largest working machine of its kind - when the fire started.

The trebuchet fire show is now back for visitors, and work to restore the building will begin in November.