Leopard pub fire: Venue ‘core’ to Stoke-on-Trent's history

A former landlady of the pub, damaged in a suspected arson attack, says it was the heart of Burslem

A pub damaged in a suspected arson attack is "core" to the history of Stoke-on-Trent, experts said.

Emergency services are working to establish the cause of the fire at The Leopard in Burslem, which caused significant damage to the roof.

Josiah Wedgwood and James Brindley met there to discuss building the Trent and Mersey Canal in 1765.

Alasdair Brooks, of the Re-Form Heritage charity, said it was "rooted into history and heritage".

The Leopard, he said, was also the basis for The Tiger pub in the books of Stoke-on-Trent novelist Arnold Bennett.

Mr Brook, chief executive of the charity which owns Middleport Pottery, said it was a "rare survivor" of the period when Burslem, and the other towns of Stoke-on-Trent transformed into "industrialised centres of pottery production which essentially took over the global trade in ceramics".

Smoke was visible from some distance away

He said he would "be open to having a conversation" with stakeholders about preserving what is left of the building, once the damage was assessed.

Sharon Crisp, who ran the pub for 11 years, leaving before the start of the pandemic, described it as the "heart of Burslem".

"I beamed every day that I walked down those stairs to open my bar and be with everybody, I just absolutely loved it," she said.

"It was also somewhere where I brought my grandkids up from babies...all our memories are there."

Chris Stokes, who formerly ran ghost tours at the Leopard, added it was "irreplaceable".

Four men from Stoke-on-Trent, aged 23, 30, 33 and 51, were arrested at the scene on suspicion of arson and burglary and later released on bail.

The pub had been derelict in recent times and earlier this month, Staffordshire Police said, two men were charged with growing cannabis in the building.

Road closures remain in place around the scene.

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