Heritage experts consider return of Burslem pub following large fire
The future of the building, which had been Grade-II listed remains uncertain
Heritage experts are investigating how a fire-ravaged historic pub can be brought back into use. The Leopard in Burslem was left gutted by a devastating fire in 2022, and the future of the Grade II-listed building remains uncertain.
Plans to turn the pub into shops and 17 flats were submitted and later withdrawn by building owner Daneets Developments. But now Re-Form Heritage, the owner of Middleport Pottery, is carrying out a viability study into restoring the pub and exploring options for its future use.
The study will help Daneets Developments decide whether to restore the building in partnership with another organisation, or transfer ownership to another party. And Re-Form will consider whether it can take on the regeneration project, which is likely to require a ‘significant’ amount of grant funding.
The study, funded by Historic England and the Architectural Heritage Fund, is due to be completed this summer. Members of the public are being asked to give their views on the future of The Leopard as part of the study, and a drop-in event was held at Burslem School of Art on Thursday.
Zoe Sutherland, heritage officer at Re-Form, urged people to have their say on the Leopard. She said: “As the city’s heritage development trust, we have had conversations with Historic England and the building’s owners, around our concerns for the future of the building. That led to Historic England and the Architectural Heritage Fund providing us with funding for a viability study.
“This will allow us to get a more detailed understanding of the Leopard, what makes it special, and how people feel about the building – and that is what today’s event is about. For a heritage project to be successful, it has to conserve the heritage of the site, it has to be financial sustainable, and it need to fulfil a community need. It’s about finding the meeting ground between those three things.”
Attendees at Thursday’s event put forward various ideas for how the Leopard could be brought back into use, with some suggesting it could be re-opened as a pub, or a hotel. Other people stressed the Leopard’s importance to local and national history – the pub was the venue of a 1765 meeting between Josiah Wedgwood and James Brindley, who discussed building the Trent and Mersey Canal.
Ms Sutherland added: “One of the interesting things to come out of the event is the idea that Burslem seems to be lacking a space where the community can come together, and so that’s something which we could look into.”
Stoke-on-Trent City Council leader Jane Ashworth was among those who attended the event. She welcomed Re-Form’s involvement in the project.
Cllr Ashworth said: “I’m delighted that Re-Form are working with the owners of the Leopard and looking how the building can be brought back into use. They have a great track record for this sort of thing in Stoke-on-Trent.
“The most important thing for me is getting the front of the building restored as soon as possible.”