Half of the ground, first and second floors of the building were damaged, while the roof of the now abandoned tavern was also destroyed.

London Ambulance Service crews assessed four men at the scene.

Witness Amzy, 18, who did not want to share his last name and lives near the pub, told the PA news agency: “I was driving back from Costco along Madeira Road when I saw a police cordon on the road that It joins Cricket Green, and there was a huge amount of traffic at the time as all the cars were turning.”

The university student continued: “When I got a closer look at what was happening, the pub on fire, it looked like the ceiling beams were sticking out from the side.

“It was always aesthetically pleasing to see how an old-style pub survived this far. I’m an architecture student, so it interests me even more.

“I saw flames coming from the building that appeared to have been burning for some time, as firefighters shot a stream of water through a hose.

“I was quite distraught to see such a valuable building go up in flames, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who was disheartened to see that.”

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.