Jeremy Taylor, 28, sentenced to four and a half years after DNA links him to fire at Wythenshawe Hall in Manchester

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

An arsonist who caused £5m worth of damage to a Tudor mansion has been jailed for four and a half years after being caught by a single match.



Shopworker Jeremy Taylor, 28, set fire to newspapers he stuffed around drainpipes and doors at Grade II-listed Wythenshawe Hall, a 16th-century timber-framed manor house.

Taylor was high on cannabis and alcohol and “feeling sorry for himself” at the time, Manchester crown court heard.

After starting five fires at the building, which had survived for five centuries, he headed home nearby in the early hours of 15 March last year.

The flames spread through the entrance hall, to the first and second floors and out through the roof, destroying the bell tower.

The taxpayers’ bill for repair and restoration work is estimated to be up to £5.2m.

After the flames were extinguished two days later, fire and police investigators found three matches. DNA on one of them matched Taylor to the crime scene.

The defendant, who lived near the hall in Wythenshawe with his family, suffered a “storm of abuse” from locals after his arrest, the court was told.

The hall, built in 1540, was gifted to the city of Manchester in 1926 by a philanthropist. It was staffed by volunteers and used to teach local schoolchildren about their history and heritage.

Taylor smiled and waved to his partner in the public gallery as he was jailed after admitting arson at a previous hearing.

The judge praised the fire scene investigators, saying: “This turns on one match. They are to be commended on their fine work.”

Passing sentence, Martin Rudland told Taylor: “This was a single act of selfish folly. I have no doubt that intoxicated through alcohol and the use of cannabis, which loosened your inhibitions on that night and made you feel sorry for yourself, are the root causes of you starting that fire.”

David Toal, prosecuting, said at 3.45am the fire alarm at the hall was activated and 10 minutes later the first fire engines arrived. Five fires had been started but the flames mainly took hold around the main entrance.

Investigators found burnt and screwed-up newspapers as well as three used matches nearby. Forensic analysis linked Taylor to the scene through DNA, Toal said.

Police found on Taylor’s phone a text message from a friend that read: “You’re on the news lol” . The SMS had been sent the day after the blaze, after Taylor had confessed he had “done something stupid”.

The defendant initially pleaded not guilty and denied involvement in the incident, claiming he may have discarded the match after smoking as he walked through the grounds on his way to work.

He changed his plea on the first day of his trial last month.

Daniel Travers, defending, said Taylor, who had a job and steady girlfriend and had not been in trouble with police since a juvenile a decade ago, was “deeply ashamed” of his actions.

He said the defendant had smoked cannabis since he was a child and was under the influence of the drug along with drink that night.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The fire-damaged interior of the 16th-century building. Photograph: Vantage Point/Manchester/PA

Wythenshawe Hall was the home of the Tatton family for hundreds of years. Its history includes being besieged by parliamentary forces during the civil war. The property and its grounds house a museum and art gallery.

Outside the court, Insp Luke Breakspear, from Greater Manchester police, said: “This was a mindless act that intended to destroy a historical building that has great significance to the people of Wythenshawe.

“People were shocked by the needless damage caused to a piece of our local and national heritage … Taylor’s senseless actions could have taken an innocent life and I am just thankful no one was hurt.

“I hope the community feel justice has been served today and I am satisfied that Taylor is now where he deserves to be. Wythenshawe Hall is a beautiful building and hopefully in the near future we will see it open its doors again to the people of Manchester.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The roof and upper floor of the property were badly damaged in the blaze. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty

Gary Logan, senior prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Jeremy Taylor, for reasons known only to himself, caused extensive damage to one of the oldest and most loved buildings in Manchester that will cost in the region of £4.75m to repair.

“His actions almost destroyed the 16th-century building and put at risk the lives of firefighters who attended to extinguish the blaze.



“Throughout the case until the day of the trial, Taylor denied starting the fire, but the CPS worked closely with the police to build a strong case against him, including CCTV and telephone evidence which proved he was in the area at the time of the fire.

“His DNA was found on a match next to the scraps of singed newspaper which were found at the scene.”