A massive fire at Paris’s Notre Dame cathedral has caused shock around the world.
Here is a look at similar disasters to befall buildings of historic importance, and the steps taken to rebuild, here in the UK and abroad.
Windsor Castle
Part of the building, one of the Queen’s official residences, was wrecked by fire on November 20 1992.
The fire started in the first floor Private Chapel, in the Upper Castle Ward, and Prince Andrew was among the team which attempted to salvage valuable works of art during the blaze.
A £36.5 million repair project involving 1,500 building workers saw the 14th-century building reopen in 1997.
York Minster
A lightning bolt is believed to have sparked a fire in the building’s south transept on July 9 1984 which completely destroyed the roof.
More than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze, which caused £2.25 million in damage. The restoration work was completed in 1988.
Coventry Cathedral
The medieval Parish Church Cathedral of St Michael burned when the Luftwaffe bombed the city on the night of November 14 1940, killing more than 1,000 civilians.
Its ruins were preserved as a reminder of the folly and waste of war, while a new cathedral was built alongside.
Glasgow School of Art
The west wing of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s famed building was damaged by fire on May 23 2014.
A multimillion-pound restoration project was nearing completion when a second, more destructive, fire tore through the school on June 15 2018.
National Museum of Brazil
A fire which broke out at the building, in Rio de Janeiro, in September 2018 destroyed most of its 20 million-strong collection.
The fire quickly spread through the building and President Michel Temer said that “200 years of work, research and knowledge were lost”.
However around 2,000 artefacts were recovered from the ashes, including the 11,500-year-old skull of Luzia, the oldest human ever found in the Americas.
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