A former pub in Bristol caught fire last night, Thursday, April 25, filling the sky with smoke as crews battled to extinguish the flames that tore through the building. Avon Fire and Rescue was alerted to the fire at 9.45pm yesterday evening at the former White Hart Lodge pub.
A number of fire engines rushed to the scene of the fire on Bath Road, Brislington. Crews from Hicks Gate, Temple, Bedminster, Southmead, Portishead, Avonmouth and Kingswood battled the flames at the historic Grade II-listed building.
As emergency services arrived at the scene, the flames had already spread across three floors of the property. A spokesperson for Avon Fire and Rescue said: "On arrival, firefighters found a fire across the ground, first and second floor of a three-storey building."
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Pictures from the scene shows a number of fire engines at the scene, with smoke filling the sky. One eyewitness said: "Bristol White Hart pub, Bath Road, on fire."
Firefighters used high pressure hose reels, 45mm jets and a turntable ladder as a water tower to extinguish the blaze. 11 firefighters wore breathing apparatus for safety. There were no reported injuries. Police and ambulance were also in attendance to assist fire crews. The cause of the fire is not known at this time. An investigation will take place to determine the cause.
White Hart Lodge has a history stretching back to the early 18th century, where it was used as a coaching inn that was extended in the mid-19th and the mid-twentieth centuries. The building was given a Grade II-listing in 1977 and it remained as a community pub until the early 2000s. It was then taken over by the Bristol Performing Arts School in 2010, which was its main use until the school moved to Warmley in 2021.
Last year, plans were revealed for the old pub to be turned into a care home. Meadowcare Home put together a plan to extend White Hart Lodge to create 80 beds and key-worker flats as well as the renovation of the existing listed building.
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