Stansted Mountfitchet's Norman-style castle and village has been hit by a blaze which caused £50,000-worth of damage to a thatched building on the site.

The fire, last Wednesday evening, destroyed the tourist attraction's thatched surgeon's house.

Fire crews who arrived to fight the blaze were initially aghast to see a pair of charred feet in the smouldering remains.

But owner, Alan Goldsmith, was able to reassure them. The feet belonged to a former Madame Tussaud's wax animatronic model.

"It's business as usual for us because our thatched buildings are well away from each other, and although a part of the adjoining wooden palisade was severely burnt the fire was prevented from spreading by the swift action of the firefighters," said Mr Goldsmith.

Fire broke out in the structure at around 9.40pm and was spotted by a farmer in his fields who alerted the fire service.

Mr Goldsmith said he was sitting in the castle's offices when he heard the sounds of sirens and looked out the window to see firemen running up the hill towards a fiery glow.

Two pumps tackled the blaze, but could not enter the wooden walled castle grounds. Fireman had to pump water from their vehicles in the nearby car park.

A number of 14th century artefacts were destroyed in the blaze including surgical equipment of the kind owned by a Norman barber.

"Whether it was arson or a faulty wire is being investigated, fortunately nobody was in the building at the time and that's the main thing," said Mr Goldsmith.

Mr Goldsmith said it was the first time since 1215 when King John razed the original motte and bailey castle to the ground that a structure within its grounds had been hit by fire.

Since Mr Goldsmith dreamed up the idea of recreating the Norman castle and enclosed village it has won a number of tourist awards and many thousands of schoolchildren from all over the country have paid educational visits.

Alan Goldsmith with Holly the deer outside the charred wreck of the surgeon's house.

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