Poltimore House to host festival to support rebuild

Carol Jobling from Friends of Poltimore House said Poltimore House is "a beacon of our resilience and determination"

A festival at Poltimore House should go ahead in May despite a major fire.

Poltimore Music and Arts Festival's return after five years had been intended to help raise funds for the next stage of renovations.

Organisers said ticket sales would instead support the rebuilding of the historic manor house after the fire.

Since there is an exclusion zone around the house, the festival will take place in the 13-acre grounds.

The fire, on 9 April, destroyed two decades of restoration work, which had seen the main entrance hallway, the library, surgery and other key internal spaces brought back into use.

"Although we are absolutely devastated to see 20 years of our painstaking restoration work go literally up in flames, we are humbled by the support and offers of help that are coming from the local community and beyond," Carol Jobling from Friends of Poltimore House said.

"Poltimore House isn't just bricks and mortar, it's a beacon of our resilience and determination."

Organisers said ticket sales would support the rebuilding of the house

The festival will take place on 25-26 May and will support essential fundraising for the repair and renovation of the house, which dates back to the 1560s.

Nick Hall, director of one of the organisers of The Music in Devon Initiative, said they have been "astounded" by "the sheer level of support" since the fire.

He said: "There have been offers of help for all aspects of the festival's infrastructure to help it go ahead and raise funds that are needed more than ever to cover the damage caused by the fire."