Fire crews from three brigades were called out to deal with a fire at historic Dobroyd Castle, Todmorden, this morning.

West Yorkshire Fire Service said the fire was reported at 6.18am and that a large fire had enveloped the sports hall and spread to surrounding buildings.

Appliances from Mytholmroyd, Todmorden and Northwest fire brigade were in attendance with two large jets being used.

A Todmorden firefighter said he was not expecting crews back until this afternoon and fire investigators were trying to find out what had caused it.

Legend has it that the castle was built between 1866 and 1869 after a rich industrialist, John Fielden (Jnr) fell in love with local woman, Ruth Stansfield and asked her to be his wife.

She is supposed to have replied was that she would marry him if he built her a castle.

Firefighters outside Dobroyd Castle, Todmorden after a blaze was brought under control this morning (Sunday 14 August) at the 19th century mansion which currently houses the Robinwood Activity Centre.

The castle was duly built and the couple lived there for some years and Mr Fielden died there aged 77 in 1893.

The family sold it eventually and since then it has had a variety of uses.

The Home Office used it between 1942 and 1979 as a place for teenage boys to learn manual skills such as building or carpentry alongside the rest of their curriculum.

Later on it was run as the privately run Castle School for 20 boys with emotional and behavioural problems who were educated there.

Following its closure in 1989 the castle lay unused for six years.

Then in a bizarre twist it was bought for £320,000 by Buddhists of the New Kadampa Tradition in 1995, whereupon the building became the Losang Dragpa Centre.

More recently Robinwood Activity Centre Ltd. acquired the castle and grounds for £2.2 million in 2008 and by March 2009 had transformed the Castle into an activity centre.