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 Artworks safe after Russborough House blaze 2/8/2010 - 7:35:08 PM Valuable pieces of art escaped damage when a blaze broke out in one of the country’s finest stately homes, it was confirmed tonight. It is understood investigators are probing if an electrical fault sparked the inferno in the west wing of the 18th century Russborough House in Co Wicklow. Several fire crews went to the house, near Blessington, at about 9.30pm and fought for about three hours to bring the fire under control. Although the west wing was extensively damaged, and part of the roof collapsed, all valuables had been removed from the site as renovation works took place. “The whole west wing is being restored so everything had been taken out,” said a spokesman. “The work is roughly a third of the way through, so was stripped down at the moment.” Initial examinations of the damage suggested an electrical fault from wiring in the roof may have sparked the blaze. A Hollywood film crew led by Oscar-winning film director Steven Soderbergh had finished shooting scenes at the stately home about 48 hours before the fire broke out. Knockout, which stars Ewan McGregor and Michael Douglas, is filming in Ireland for three weeks. The mansion, which was built in 1741 and houses valuable fine art, antiques and silverware, has been targeted in several notorious robberies. In 1974 an IRA gang, including British heiress Rose Dugdale, stole paintings valued at IR£8m and in the mid-1980s Dublin criminal Martin Cahill stole IR£30m of paintings from the house. Owners Alfred and Clementine Beit gifted the building to the State in 1978 but continued to live there until their deaths in 1994 and 2006. It attracts one million visitors a year, and staff said the fire damage would not affect summer opening times from May onwards. Russborough is home to much of the original Beit Collection, a substantial selection of paintings returned in April 2008, having been in the National Gallery for the previous six years. The refurbishment of the west wing was due to be complete by Easter this year with management hoping to offer it for short term holiday lets. |
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