The Morning After

I passed by Clandon House before coming home from work.  The firemen were still putting out flames at 6am. I'm back blipping this in an attempt to catch up on missing journals.  The scene seems even sadder now. No roof, shattered glass, the odour of devastation.  A crew of 80 had worked through the night. One of the firemen was my chimney sweep and another a local who I know well. They were tired having been on site all night.  They told me of the amazing feat to try and removed as much from the house as possible before they could no longer go in.  To save paintings and tapestries from the walls, I was told, they were cut from the walls with Stanley knives.   

Fire drills were held often and they had a 'grab list'.  Volunteers from the National Trust worked with the Firemen to remove as much as possible and the amount saved is miraculous given the speed in which the fire raged through the building.  

My video and photos have been on the BBC, local and national newspapers. Yesterday, a freelance journalist was rather rude about amateurs  and less happy when friend, who works for the Onslows who still own the land that surrounds the house, heard him and granted me exclusive access to a private field. With a big grin on his face my friend told me to send the photos in quick. I couldn't believe the video was shown first on the 9 o'clock news!