Phoenix

Two weeks before Christmas 2011, fire ripped through this 13th century pub in the medieval village of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire.

Reports - not exaggerated - suggested that it would be burnt to the ground: old timbers, a thatched roof, wooden frame - how could it survive?

An amazing performance by the Fire Brigade and miraculous teamwork by the staff and suppliers meant that the inn was able to re-open on 23 December, and this is how it looks today, with the rebuilding and renovation just starting. It will take about a year, but there will be "business as usual" in the meantime.

Rising Phoenix-like from the flames, indeed...