Brummies 'sadness' after blaze breaks out at historic Lad in the Lane pub in Erdington

Brummies have raised concerns about a "beautiful" pub building in Erdington after a blaze broke out at the historic site last night. The fire happened at the 14th century Lad in the Lane pub, based in Bromford Lane, at around 11.45pm on Wednesday, November 6.

Around 30 firefighters tackled the blaze at the Grade ll-listed building. The fire was extinguished within two hours.

The pub, which closed its doors in 2019, and has been empty ever since, was still standing this morning after the blaze. It didn't appear to be seriously damaged from the outside.

READ MORE: Blaze breaks out at historic Lad in the Lane - one of Birmingham's oldest pubs

West Midlands Fire Service said the blaze was extinguished within two hours and that no-one was injured during the incident.

We recently reported how the site had fallen into disrepair. The former watering hole is considered by some to be the oldest pub building in Birmingham. Scientists dated the pub back to 1400 after analysing timber frames of the public house.

The Old Crown in Digbeth is generally considered the city's oldest pub with claims of it dating back to 1368. But there is no sufficient evidence to determine this.

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BirminghamLive readers have had their say today after the blaze broke out. Sarah Eades commented underneath our story on Facebook: "Such a beautiful building that just needs restoration. It would be incredibly sad to see it destroyed by fire. So much history potentially lost forever."

Anne Moghraby said: "Strange as only read about it's history last month." Ana Patricia Lewis added: "Such a wonderful pub."

On the blaze, a West Midlands Fire Service spokesperson said: "Shortly before 11.45pm on Wednesday, we responded to Bromford Lane, Erdington. Five fire engines and two 4×4 brigade response vehicles responded, crewed by around 30 firefighters from Erdington, Ward End, Perry Barr, Aston and Sheldon fire stations.

"The first crew reached the scene within two minutes of being mobilised. This was a fire on the first floor of a void pub.

"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished two fires, believed to have been started deliberately, with two hose reels. There were no casualties or injuries.

"Gas and electricity was isolated. Police colleagues were in attendance to assist with managing a cordon. We left this scene shortly before 1.55am, after securing the gates to the property."

We have contacted West Midlands Police for comment.