AN appeal which could decide the fate of the historic 18th Century Duke of Marlborough pub in Studley is set to start on Tuesday.

The public inquiry will be held at Studley Village Hall, High Street, as developers McCarthy and Stone look to overturn a Stratford Council decision to refuse a planning application for sheltered accommodation on the site.

The now empty pub has been at the centre of a battle to save it for almost a year.

Stratford Council has twice refused planning permission for the flats, claiming they would be too overbearing on High Street.

Parish council chairman Bill McCarthy had also tried to get the old pub listed but to no avail.

The pub has recently been the target of two arson attacks.

Parish Council clerk Dot Mitchell said members of the public could watch proceedings at the village hall from about 9am onwards.

The parish council has lodged an official objection to the plans. The inquiry may last for two or three days.

The "Marlborough Head" inn was recorded as being in existence as early as 1765 and is thought to have once been a hunting lodge for the Churchill family.