'Devastating' fire extinguished at medieval house

The fire began in the basement of the 800-year-old St John's House in Romsey

Firefighters have extinguished a blaze at an 800-year-old house after a fire began in its basement.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said six fire engines were deployed to King John's House in Romsey at about 02:45 GMT on Saturday.

The fire service said a temporary road closure was put in place before the fire was fully extinguished at about 09:30 GMT.

A council leader said he understood the building's interior had been "really badly damaged" but that its structure appeared intact and would be able to be restored.

Firefighters managed to fully extinguish the blaze by 09:30 GMT on Saturday

King John's House is a medieval home believed to have been built around 1250, and houses a museum.

The fire service said its crews tackled the blaze in the basement using two jets and two hose reels before using ventilation fans to clear the smoke.

Nick Adams-King, leader of Hampshire County Council, said the majority of the building was "old timber" and it "wasn't surprising that it was badly damaged".

He said Test Valley Borough Council were at the museum on Saturday to make sure it was secure, and work would begin to restore the building as soon as possible.

"It is one of the two main tourist destinations in Romsey, so it is a huge loss, short-term, to the town", he said.

"Everyone to whom I've spoken have said they're devastated... we don't know how long it's going to take to fix... I would say it's going to take months".

Councillor Adams-King added a "full survey and assessment" of the building was due to be carried out "in the next couple of days".

A message on the museum's official website said nobody was injured in the fire and the house would be closed until further notice.