Fire partly destroys Grade-II listed London pub

A heritage-listed pub has been damaged in a blaze that began on Friday night.

Three floors of the Grade II-listed Burn Bullock in Mitcham, south-west London were damaged in the fire, which also destroyed the building’s roof, the London fire brigade said. Twelve fire engines and about 80 firefighters were deployed to tackle the fire.

Thanking the emergency services in a post on X, Merton council’s leader, Ross Garrod, said an investigation into the blaze would take place.

Edward Foley, an independent councillor for the nearby ward of Merton Park, said the building had been empty for a decade and had fallen into disrepair. He said firefighters were still damping down the fire when he visited early on Saturday morning.

Foley said: “It’s just such a shame that this historic building has gone, it’s been a concern for residents. It’s very sad, it’s a lovely building that’s fallen into disrepair, covered in graffiti.”

He said “people had feared something would happen to the pub” for “quite a while”.

The left section of the three-storey building dates from between the 16th and 17th century and the front between the early and mid-18th century, according to Historic England.

A witness, Amzy, 18, who did not want to share her surname, told the PA news agency that they were driving on Madeira Road when they saw the fire. “When I got a closer view of what was happening, of the pub burning, it looked like the roof timbers were showing on the side.

“It was always aesthetically pleasing to see an old-style pub survive this far – I’m an architecture student, so it interests me even more.”

Amzy described firefighters aiming their hoses at flames rising from the building “which looked like it had been burning for a while”. “I felt quite distraught to see such a nice valued building go down in flames, and I’m sure I’m not the only one that was disheartened to see that,” she said.

The neighbouring Mitcham Cricket Club said the historic pub had been “disgracefully neglected for years”.

Thanking the fire brigade, the club wrote on X: “A black day for Mitcham. Named in honour of our former player and its former landlord. Disgracefully neglected for years. The original Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers was formed by Tom Smith in an upstairs room here. Firefighters are doing their best to save what they can.”