The owner of a historic mansion gutted by fire has described the incident as a “devastating setback”. Emergency services were called to the Grade II* listed Rheola House in the Neath Valley on the afternoon of August 18 to find the 10-bedroom property well alight.
Owner speaks out after blaze
Jason Brook, CEO of The Brook Group, which owns the property, has now spoken out about the incident and the damage caused. Two years ago the company called the property “one of our most ambitious schemes”.
After purchasing the estate, the company had planned to turn it into a 295-bed hotel with a bar and restaurant, swimming pool spa, leisure and sports complex and further retail and commercial developments.
Mr Brook said the company had worked hard to make changes at the estate to try to make the plans a reality. He said: “We have faced multiple challenges since our involvement with Rheola, and for this to occur after we had finally resolved many of the issues that had prevented us from taking our proposals forward is desperately upsetting.
“The damage to the main house is extremely significant. We will now be taking professional advice on the consequences of the fire and will liaise with the appropriate authorities to determine the next steps.
“Our sincere hope is that, despite this devastating setback, we will be able to emerge from this tragedy and continue with our plans for the Rheola Estate and its future.”
Tribute to firefighters and police action
He paid tribute to the firefighters who attended and “fought bravely and tirelessly” to contain the fire. “We would first like to recognise and pay tribute to the firefighters who attended the scene and fought bravely and tirelessly to try to contain the fire at Rheola House,” he said.
“The house is in a remote location, which makes the efforts of fire crews in these circumstances even more challenging, and we are extremely relieved that all of the emergency service personnel who attended are safe.
“We would also like to commend and applaud the swift actions of South Wales Police which has lead to the apprehension of five people who have now been charged.”
Five charged with arson
Five teens from Neath, Swansea, and Merthyr have now been charged in connection with the incident. Kyle Renzoni, 18, of Cadoxton, Neath; Ellis Harding, 19, of Gendros, Swansea; Yian Foster, 18, of Resolven, Neath Valley; Evan Traynor, 18, of Waunarlwydd, Swansea, and a 17-year-old boy from Dowlais, Merthyr - who cannot be named due to his age - have all been charged with arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.
Rheola House - built between 1812 and 1818 - was one of Wales' most treasured properties and was designed by the famous architect John Nash whose work includes designs for London's Marble Arch, Regent Street and Regent's Park, the redesign of Buckingham Palace, and the remodelling of Brighton's Royal Pavilion.
The Rheola Estate spans across 110+ acres and proposals included 295 lodges, restaurants, sports complex, commercial zones and the redevelopment of Rheola House into a boutique hotel. The house was awarded the higher level star listing by Cadw as “an important early 19th century country house in the picturesque tradition”.
