Demolition starts on Shropshire pub destroyed in blaze
Demolition work has started at a Shropshire pub that was ravaged by fire.
The Tayleur Arms in Longdon upon Tern, near Wellington, will be flattened.
Once the building has been demolished surveyors will move on to the site to establish whether the pub can be rebuilt.
The building suffered an estimated £1.2 million of damage following the fire on March 19.
Landlord Richard Harvey said he had been contacted by Enterprise Inns prior to the diggers moving in.
Workmen are expected to be on site for around three weeks and an architect is expected to be brought in to design a new building.
Mr Harvey, 42, and his wife Eve, 45, launched a Facebook page Rebuild the Tayleur Arms after owners, Enterprise Inns, indicated they wanted to save the 300-year-old pub.
Mr and Mrs Harvey escaped the fire in their night clothes, along with their 14-year-old son Elliot and some guests who were staying the night.
The rebuild project could take more than a year, but the property is covered by insurance.
Following the fire, a spokesman for Enterprise Inns said the building was in an "unsafe condition" and would need to be pulled down. He added rebuilding the pub was one of the options on the table.
