Clandon Park House fire: Speakers' Parlour 'almost intact'

The decorative plaster ceiling in the Speakers' Parlour is being propped up to protect it

One room of Clandon Park House, most of which was devastated by fire, has survived "almost intact".

The fire at the Grade I-listed, National Trust mansion near Guildford, Surrey, on 29 April, gutted the house.

The Speakers' Parlour on the ground floor has suffered less damage, with a decorative plaster ceiling now being propped up to protect it.

A chimneypiece designed by the house's architect Giacomo Leoni in the 1720s has also survived.

The room celebrates three members of the Onslow family - the former owners of Clandon - who were speakers in the House of Commons.

"The Speakers' Parlour remained almost intact after the fire," a spokeswoman for the National Trust said.

Objects retrieved from the room include an ornate chandelier, a large Turkish carpet dating from the 19th Century and delicate gilt etched glassware.

Clandon Park House was gutted in the fire on 29 April

The Speakers' Parlour ceiling is one of the most magnificent in the house, the trust says

The fire began in the basement and spread quickly to the roof

The National Trust said a "significant amount" of the mansion's collection had been saved from the fire.

However, it is still not known what caused it or whether the house can be restored.

Rupert Onslow, the eighth earl, said: "I stood on the back lawn and saw all 36 windows flickering orange and watching roofs coming down.

"Without the windows it looks like you can see into the soul of the building."