Firefighters from across Oxfordshire tackled a large 'well developed' fire in a vacant country manor overnight.
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue crews from nine stations tackled the fire which had ripped through Bignell House in Chesterton near Bicester since just before 01.30am today (December 31).
The fire service said crews have been working to contain the fire to less than 50 per cent of the property after initial crews from Bicester, Kidlington, Rewley Road (Oxford), Deddington and Woodstock were faced with a 'well developed' fire involving the first floor and roof of part of the building.
The fire service said crews will be on scene for most of the day and no-one was injured or involved in the incident.
Fire crews at Bignell House in Chesterton (Image: Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue)
The crews were able to protect a large part of the vacant building through their 'hard work', the fire service said.
Specialist support vehicles included the command unit from Slade Park in Oxford, a water carrier from Wheatley, and incident support unit and welfare unit from Eynsham and a hydraulic platform from Rewley Road Fire Station in Oxford.
Fire crews at Bignell House in Chesterton (Image: Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue)
Relief crews from a number of additional stations have supported the ongoing incident and aerial thermal imaging support via drone has been supported by Thames Valley Police as part of the ongoing incident resolution.
According to a listing on Rightmove, Bignell House is situated in 19 acres of land is said to date back to the 1860's and formed part of a considerably larger property that sat in 1,454 acres of land.
The Doomsday book mentions Bignell as a separate hamlet, forming one of Kirtlington's four estates.
The property - which is no longer on the market - was designed by William Wilkinson, the architect behind the Randolph Hotel and St. Edwards School, Oxford and took six years to construct. Today, only the nursery wing, which was added to the main house in 1892, remains.
The listing adds: "Tucked away, at the end of a long gravel driveway, the house has a circular drive providing plenty of parking, along with a double garage.
"There are two tennis courts (one hard court and one lawn), a Paddock, lakes and islands, fed by the Gaggle Brook, an ornamental pond and Victorian rock pool.
"Surrounded by parkland and mature trees, views from the property are breathtaking."
Fire crews at Bignell House in Chesterton (Image: Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue)
"The property requires considerable work but still retains some of its original character.
"The drawing room has beautiful intricate decorative ceiling and wall mouldings, wooden floors and panelling and a feature stone open fireplace.
"This room, along with the dining room and morning room all enjoy large floor to ceiling windows offering stunning views over the gardens.