Alternative accommodation for Warwick households

On 5 September 1694 the Great Fire of Warwick destroyed 460 buildings in five hours and left 250 families without a home. Most of the centre was rebuilt in the decades after, which is why so much of the town dates from the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Today a burst pipe, a storm or a kitchen fire is more likely than a town-wide blaze, but the effect on one household is just as disruptive. Families from Emscote, Woodloes Park, Chase Meadow or Myton Green usually want to keep the same schools and the same journey to work.

Humber Hub is about 11 miles by road from Warwick, Stoke Lodge and Stoke House about 12 miles and Sullivan Heights about 14 miles, with the A46 dual carriageway running between the two. That keeps the routine workable while the repairs are done.

A few medieval timber-framed buildings escaped the flames, mostly around the edges of the old centre. The town rebuilt its landmarks in stone, among them the Collegiate Church of St Mary and the Shire Hall. Insurers and loss adjusters can book for the household, with the claim reference on the invoice.

If the work overruns, the stay is extended with a new pro-forma for the extra nights, up to twelve months in all.