No art damaged in Russborough House fire

THE FIRE that engulfed part of Russborough House in Co Wicklow damaged none of its valuable art collection, its owners have confirmed.

Fire-fighters managed to keep the blaze in the west wing of the house away from the main part, which contains the remainder of the world-famous Beit collection.

Most of the collection was removed to the National Gallery for safekeeping after it was targeted by criminals for a second time in the 1980s, but a substantial selection of the original collection was returned to the house two years ago.

The Alfred Beit Foundation, the trust that owns the 18th-century house, issued a statement yesterday saying nobody was injured and no paintings were damaged in the fire. The extent of the damage and the cost of repair is not yet known.

The fire started in the west wing of the building, which was closed for renovation.

It was being turned into two luxury apartments for let. They were due to open this Easter.

Garda forensic experts were on the scene yesterday.

The cause of the fire has not been established but one possibility is that it is related to the renovation work.

Local Cllr Jim Ruttle, who visited the house yesterday morning, said it was the “least possible damage in the circumstances” because all the furniture had been moved from the west wing to allow for the renovations. He said, however, that there would be substantial water damage from the attempts to put out the fire.

“It was fortunate that the fire did not spread to the main part of the building. Local people are shocked, but there is a certain sense of relief that we could have lost the whole thing,” he said.

He hoped the main part of the house could be opened in time for the start of the tourism season in May.

Russborough House, which is just outside Blessington, attracts 30,000 visitors a year.

The fire, which broke out at 9pm on Sunday, started in the roof. It took fire-fighters more than three hours to get it under control.

Thirty-five fire-fighters from Kildare and Wicklow fought the blaze, which was only dampened down yesterday at 5am.

Most of the roof and the top floor of the west wing were damaged.

The bottom floor was used last week for filming by Hollywood director Steven Soderbergh for the movie Knockout.

The west wing contained the residence of Sir Alfred and Lady Beit, who moved there after handing ownership of the house to the foundation in 1978.

Lady Beit stayed there until her death in 2005.

The Irish Landmark Trust, a charitable organisation that helps to market historic buildings to visitors with the aim of easing maintenance costs, expressed confidence that the damage could be repaired.

Architect James Howley, who redesigned the west wing, said he was “very shocked” by news of the fire.

TROUBLED HISTORY: HOUSE TARGETED FOR ART WORKS:

THE OWNERS of Russborough House call it the “most beautiful house in Ireland”. It is also one of the most luckless. The house is as famous for the calamities that have befallen it as it is for its celebrated Palladian style exteriors, its art collection and its grounds.

Four times it was targeted by thieves, resulting in its best-known art works being removed to the National Gallery for safekeeping.

Diamond heir Sir Alfred Beit and Lady Beit moved to Russborough House in 1952, which was big enough to hold the art collection he had inherited from his father.

They lived a tranquil existence there until the house was targeted by an IRA gang in 1974, led by another member of the British upper classes – Dr Rose Dugdale, who had been radicalised in the student revolution of 1968.

The IRA gang pistol-whipped Sir Alfred and his wife and took 19 paintings valued at IR£8 million, including the only Vermeer in private hands.

They hoped to secure a ransom and the release of IRA activists and sisters Dolours and Marian Price. The paintings were recovered at a home rented by Dugdale in Co Cork and she was jailed for nine years.

Russborough House was targeted again in May 1986 by Martin Cahill, the criminal known as the General.

He and his gang set off the alarms, waited for gardaí to inspect it and, when they left, they raided the house, taking away 18 paintings.

The incident was dramatised in John Boorman's film The General.

In 2001 Bellotto's View of Florenceand Gainsborough's Madame Baccelliwere stolen. Both were recovered a year later. Five paintings were stolen in 2002 when thieves rammed the front door.