A devastating fire has engulfed Gennings Park, a historic house in Hunton, Kent (Picture: UKNIP)
A British country mansion believed to be the inspiration for Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice has been destroyed in a huge fire.
Gennings Park, in Hunton, Kent, has partially collapsed after a fire ripped through the early 18th century building.
The fire broke out 9pm yesterday prompting 50 firefighters to attend the scene.
Owner Andrew Lawrence was inside the house when the fire started.
He told the BBC: ‘A smoke alarm went off and we thought it was maybe a false alarm.
‘I looked outside and there were flames coming through the roof.
‘With the easterly wind it just fanned the flames.’
No injuries were reported but a technical rescue team was required due to the collapse of the building’s roof.
The roof of the building collapsed in the fire (Picture: UKNIP)
Owner Andrew Lawrence was inside the house when the fire started (Picture: UKNIP)
The fire was concentrated on the first floor and in the roof space of the property, presenting challenging conditions for the firefighters.
Historic England say Genning’s Park is ‘thought to be the setting’ for Jane Austen’s novel.
The author was a frequent visitor to Kent and had family living in the county.
An investigation into the cause of the fire continues.
In August, a fire destroyed another much loved building – Britain’s wonkiest pub The Crooked House.
It was gutted by the fire just days after it was sold by a private buyer.
One side of the Crooked House, which operated as a pub for almost 200 years, was 1.2m lower than the other due to a subsidence issue in the 1800s.
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