The Grove Inn Holbeck: Beloved Leeds pub will reopen after fire and asbestos discovery

The Grove Inn in Holbeck was forced to close in November after being damaged in a fire, prompting police to launch an arson investigation. 

A man was arrested and the incident remains under investigation, West Yorkshire Police said.

The blaze exposed asbestos in the building, which has delayed repairs to the much-loved pub.

A cleaning crew has started work on the property this week, which will uncover the extent of the asbestos and the work needed to restore the traditional pub.

The pub’s owner, Simon Colgan, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “The cleaning company will check out all of the valuable items, even to the extent of doors being taken away and restored, as well as the stain glass panels. 

“The remit is to get it back to normal, so if you didn’t know there was a fire, you wouldn’t be able to tell. It will go back to exactly how it was. 

“Until you uncover it, you don’t know the extent of the damage. But we know it will be quite an expensive repair.”

Founded in 1832, the Back Row pub is well-known for hosting live music, with a packed schedule including folk nights.

Most gigs have been moved to the Grove Inn’s sister pub, the Duck and Drake, until it’s able to reopen.

Regulars have rallied around Simon and his team since the closure, but some have expressed concern that the pub has been boarded up.

Simon added: “When it happened, I had to build myself up to see the damage. I did have a moment where I thought - can we ever put this back to what it should be?

“But I have every confidence we will go back to that. It was a terrible time over the Christmas period when everyone was hoping to be there. 

“Thankfully, we have the Duck and Drake and we’ve been able to move a lot of the bands there to accommodate them. It’s not a total loss, but clearly we want it reopened as soon as possible. 

“The support has been astonishing. As soon as people heard about what happened, the phone went off and social media went crazy - offers of help, people wanting to do fundraisers. 

“It has been fantastic and it just shows the value the pub has held, and how people have supported it, for so long. It’s an iconic part of Leeds.”