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01
Apr
The Cricketers pub fire: one year on
A year ago today, a well-known pub near Knaresborough was ravaged by fire.
Six fire crews were called to The Cricketers on Thistle Hill in Calcutt just after 4am on April 1, 2025.
As the detached building continued to smoulder well into the afternoon, residents recalled hearing explosions through the night and waking up to the sight of bright orange flames – with one woman describing it as “like something from War of the Worlds”.
No one was killed or injured, but the building was completely gutted.
North Yorkshire Police that afternoon said officers and firefighters believed the fire had been started deliberately, and a woman was arrested on suspicion of arson.
She spent several hours in police custody, before she was released on bail.
The Stray Ferret has repeatedly asked the police for updates in the investigation since the incident, but no charges have ever been brought.
Following our most recent update request this week, a police spokesperson told us:
The suspect remains released under investigation at this time.
North Yorkshire Police said those released under investigation are updated by officers, whereas those who are on bail must return to the police station on a specific date and can be subject to certain conditions.
Police last year issued an appeal for witnesses and information about the fire. The force urged anyone who might be able to assist the investigation to call 101, quoting reference 12250057010.
North Yorkshire Police this week told the Stray Ferret the appeal still "remains active”.
The Cricketers
Pub sold
Pub group Marston’s owned The Cricketers at the time of the fire.
Marston's listed it for sale in June. It was marketed without a floorplan and the company sought offers in excess of £100,000.
Marston's this week confirmed The Cricketers has since been sold - and said any prospect of it reopening is in the hands of the new owner.
A spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:
The property was sold in September 2025 to a buyer from the local community. As the site is no longer in our ownership, any future plans for the building now sit with the new owner.
The Cricketers pub yesterday (March 31, 2026).
It is not known who the new owner is.
But a year on, The Cricketers remains a shell of a building and little detail surrounding the fire has been released. With the community at the time seemingly united in a sense of loss, what happens next to Calcutt's only pub remains to be seen.
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