A building at the former home of Princess Diana has been targeted in a suspected arson attack, her brother Earl Spencer has said.
Firefighters rushed overnight to the scene of a blaze at one of the farmhouses on Althorp Estate, which houses the Grade I-listed stately home in which the late Princess of Wales grew up.
Sharing photographs of a large fire on social media, the Earl said he was “stunned” to learn that the farmhouse “was apparently burnt down by vandals last night”.
Noting that the building was unoccupied at the time, the late princess’s younger brother said: “So very sad that anyone would think this a fun thing to do.”
Northamptonshire Police said on Wednesday afternoon they were investigating a suspected arson at the derelict farmhouse, which sits five miles from the grade I-listed Althorp House.
The force said in a statement: “The fire, which was reported in the early hours of this morning, is believed to have been started deliberately. However, the exact cause is yet to be determined.
“Due to the secluded location of the building, officers would like to hear from anyone who may have seen any activity near to the farmhouse prior to the fire being discovered shortly before 1.30am today.”
Firefighters were called to the blaze at the late 18th century Dallington Grange farmhouse on Mill Lane, in Kingsthorpe, at around 1:30am on Wednesday, said Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service.
They arrived to find the two-story property “fully on fire”, and at the height of the blaze, four fire crews used hose-reel jets to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading.
In a statement issued shortly after midday, the fire service said one crew remained on scene with a water bowser to continue dampening down any remaining hotspots.
The estate’s head gamekeeper Adey Greeno wrote on social media: “The farmhouse that we lost to a deliberate act of vandalism last night has now had to be razed to the ground for safety reasons”, adding: “So sad. The world we live in.”
Althorp Estate has been the family home of the Spencer family for five centuries, including Princess Diana, who was buried in the grounds of the estate following her death in a Paris car crash in 1997 at the age of 36.
Alleging that “there have been longstanding problems with illegal access and vandalism at the house”, a spokesperson for Althorp said the site at Dallington Grange had been scheduled for redevelopment.
They said: “The farmhouse was built in the late 18th century, and has been completely destroyed by the fire, but the surrounding outbuildings are undamaged. Our priority is to secure the site and make it safe.
“As far as we know, no one was injured and we are very grateful to Northampton Fire Brigade and the estate team for dealing with the fire so effectively.”
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