In 1988 a fire swept through Ince and gutted the house. What could have been the end of nearly 350 years became, instead, a careful rebuilding.
The architect Anthony Jaggard, of John Stark & Crickmay, worked with English Heritage to restore the original arrangement of the principal floor. A new cantilevered staircase was built, with a balustrade by Richard Quinnell. A fireback cast for the new house carries the date 1991.
Remarkably, the Chinese wallpaper survived the fire. It was restored by Allyson McDermott, and a marine frieze lost in the fire was recreated by Wheatley Ornamental Plasterers. When the work was done, the front lawn was terraced to open up views of the river.