Essex Country Fire & Rescue Service were called to the Grade II-listed World’s End pub in Tilbury, Thurrock, at around 3.40pm on Wednesday 23 September.
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Crews tackled the blaze at the timber-framed two-storey pub from the ground and above, bringing it under control by 6.30pm.
Firefighters remained at the scene on Fort Road into the evening to check for hotspots before declaring the area safe. The pub was empty at the time of the attack.
Historic pub
A man in his 20s was arrested the following day on suspicion of arson and remains in custody for questioning while investigations continue.
Independent licensee Dermot McGuinness has been at the helm of the Worlds End, which dates back to the 1600s and has been listed since 1974 according to Historic England, for the past three and a half years.
He told The Morning Advertiser (The MA) there was “nothing salvageable” at the freehold pub after the inferno.
“It’s a sad time for a bit of history,” he continued.
“It is a devastating issue that some youngster has just decided to go out and burn the place, and people don’t realise who’s affected by this.
Devastating impact
“People making their comments on Facebook, and there are a lot of comments on it, they don’t realise the effect this fire has had on people. It’s not just me, there’s a lot of people down there grieving the loss of this building...it’s been there 300 odd years.”
While the pub had been closed for the past few months for personal reasons, McGuinness said it had previously been a “proper local”, adding it was particularly popular with dog walkers.
Essex Police has appealed for anyone with information to come forward, quoting incident 918 of 23 September, or to contact Crimestoppers anonymously.
Alternatively, information can be submitted via the Essex Police website or by using its online live chat service, which is available 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.
