Licensee tells of Hawley Arms hope

The licensee of a pub to the stars gutted by a fire hopes it will be back in business in six months time.

A huge blaze destroyed dozens of buildings in Camden Town in North London last weekend including the Hawley Arms, which has become a popular hangout for the likes of musicians Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty.

Licensee Ruth Mottram told The Publican she was devastated by the fire, but is relieved the Greene King-owned pub has not been condemned.

She said: "On one side we are just so grateful that they are not going to pull it down but on the other it will take a long time to get it back - at least six months but they can't be sure at the moment.

"It is so sad though because we put our heart and soul into building it up and just like that it is taken away."

The fire started in one of the area's famous markets and spread to the pub and other buildings nearby.

It destroyed the garden and upstairs living quarters and the downstairs bar was also seriously damaged.

Ruth added: "The fire was on the other side of the street and nowhere near the pub and we did not think it would spread.

"Our staff reacted brilliantly and nobody was hurt at the pub and amazingly nobody was hurt in all of Camden."

She is now hoping her second pub - The Wilmington Arms in Farringdon - will see them through the next six months.

The cause of the Camden Town fire is still being investigated.

A Greene King spokeswoman said: "We are in the process of investigating the extent of the damage and cannot confirm yet when the pub will re-open. We will of course make sure that we keep the local community and regulars up-to-date with information as we have it."