Wythenshawe Hall is a Grade II* listed manor house in south Manchester which dates from the early 16th century. In March 2016, the hall was victim to a fire, which tore through the building’s medieval core, causing significant damage to the main hall, the roof and bell tower. Buttress was appointed to assess the extent of the damage, the condition of the remaining fabric, and to propose a strategy for stabilisation and eventual repair and restoration. Immediate action was taken to stabilise the building’s condition, allowing it to dry out to prevent further deterioration to the surviving medieval timber frames. Environmental monitoring systems were installed in each room, allowing the team to consistently monitor and adjust the environment. Bespoke remedial approaches were used to strengthen at-risk features. All decorative elements that were too damaged to be salvaged were stored and recorded, and the Conservation Plan, written previously by Buttress, was updated. Core to the approach to every step of the project has been our conservation philosophy; bespoke to the building, its significance, and responding to the fingerprint left by the fire. Key spaces badly damaged included the ground and first floor principal rooms of the hall with decorative wooden panelling, ornate plasterwork ceilings, leaded lights and wall paintings. The roof space and clock tower were largely destroyed. The building was re-roofed in slate, new structural oak frames crafted to replace those lost and external lime plaster walls reinstated. Material choices were informed by the historic fabric and suitability to building type and period. Some inappropriate replacements such as concrete tiled roofs and Perspex windowpanes were reversed, and appropriate replacements designed. Internal works have included restoring wooden panelling, cleaning the charred surface and re-polishing. Decorative plasterwork ceilings have had centuries of paint peeled back and lost detail replicated in lime plaster. Wall Paintings have been assessed by specialists and stabilised. Stained glass windows melted by the fire have been hand crafted, replacing lost panels with new, incorporating as much original glass as possible. A simple colour palette unifies the building, informed by paint analysis and gives more flexibility to the use of spaces moving forwards. All conservation repair and reinstatement have been honest to the fire damage, finding a compromise between conservation of ‘as is’ and restoration to ‘what was’. The nature of the building, its ability to remain in use and therefore to further protect its intrinsic value and heritage significance is all part of the decision making and informing the project.