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

A ground floor blaze broke out at a Grade ll-listed pub dating back to the 14th century in Erdington. The fire at The Lad in the Lane pub, which has been shut since 2019, began at around 11.44pm on Wednesday, November 6.

Dozens of firefighters were called to the historic site - considered by some to be the oldest watering hole in Birmingham - in Bromford Lane. Police also attended the scene.

The blaze was extinguished within two hours. Fire crews left the scene at 1.53am following an inspection.

READ MORE: Lad in the Lane blaze live as fire breaks out one of Birmingham's oldest pubs

On the incident, a fire control spokesperson told BirminghamLive: "We were called at 11.44pm to reports of smoke and a fire from The Lad in the Lane, a disused pub in Bromford Lane. We had six appliances there and they confirmed it was a ground floor fire.

"It was extinguished and an inspection was carried out with police along with the property owner. We left the scene at 1.53am."

The disused pub, disputed as Birmingham's oldest, was believed to have been built towards the end of the 14th century. Scientists dated the pub back to 1400 after analysing timber frames of the public house.

The Old Crown in Digbeth, still open, 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.

We visited The Lad in the Lane recently and spoke to locals who expressed their sadness about the state of the building which had fallen into disrepair. Helen Morgan, landlady at the pub between 2011 and 2013, told us before the blaze: "It’s a terrible shame. The pub has been there since the 14th Century and it’s sad. It was a proper community pub.

“You used to have a burger van outside, function rooms and a massive beer garden. It used to be really busy, especially on the weekends with the football going on. When Aston Villa had home matches, the pub would be where the away fans visited. People would visit from Newcastle and Leeds.”

John Rowley, a businessman in Erdington, who frequented the pub for over fifty years, added: "It was a first-class pub and well-run for decades. It had a lounge, a smoking room and a beautiful garden at the back where people would play bowls.

“It’s extremely sad to see the pub in such a derelict state. That seems to be the way that a lot of historic pubs have gone now."

We have contacted West Midlands Police for comment on the overnight blaze.