A blow lamp used to remove old paintwork from dormer windows during renovation work set fire to Coleshill House in September 1952. Within just four hours the magnificent 17th century building was reduced to a burnt out shell. All that remained were eight huge chimneys, three of which had recently been renovated at a cost of more than £2,000. Work on Coleshill House began in 1647 when Sir George Pratt began to rebuild his property, which had been, somewhat ironically, destroyed by fire. But it was his cousin Sir Roger, an architect of some distinction, who called in renowned royal architect Inigo Jones to cast his eye over the site. Sir Mark Pleydell recorded that Sir George’s house was “raised one storey, when Pratt and Jones arriving caused it to be pulled down and rebuilt.” Coleshill was the first house to be built for a ‘minor’ gentleman in the classical manner. The plan of the house combined convenience with advanced designs of architecture. Innovat...