Oxford's fire-hit Randolph Hotel set for £6.5m makeover

The fire is believed to have been sparked by a flambéed beef stroganoff

A five-star hotel in Oxford damaged in a major blaze has submitted plans for a £6.5m refurbishment.

A fire at the 150-year-old grade II listed Randolph Hotel was sparked by a flambéed beef stroganoff in its kitchen, ripping through three floors.

The hotel was closed for more than two weeks after the 17 April blaze but only about 5% of the building was damaged.

As part of revamp of the hotel in Beaumont Street, all bedrooms will be refurbished and a champagne bar added.

All the external scaffolding is expected to be removed by this autumn

Manager Michael Grange told BBC Radio Oxford: "I think it will be great fun and will be very popular.

"With the opportunity the fire has given us, we are improving the product and hotel itself making it better than it ever was.

Collapse fears

"Even though it was disappointing about the fire, ultimately we will have a much better operation and product."

The hotel re-opened on 6 May but scaffolding has been in place since the fire to protect the roof gable ends from collapse. It is expected to be removed this autumn.

Original bricks have been salvaged and are being used to repair the damaged turret to make it look as "authentic" as possible.

If plans are approved by Oxford City Council, work on the interior of the Victorian Gothic building is expected to be complete by February 2016.

At the height of the blaze, 14 fire engines were on the scene as crews battled the blaze whilst thick black smoke spread across the city.

More than 80 people were evacuated, though there were no reported injuries.

The hotel was a regular feature in the TV series Inspector Morse, where it appeared as one of the detective's favourite haunts.

Hundreds of onlookers watched the scene unfold in Oxford's city centre on 17 April

Smoke spread across the city from the fire at the five-star hotel