he Crooked House, the legendary pub identified for being Britain’s wonkiest, has been demolished in an “unacceptable and possibly unlawful” act.
South Staffordshire Council is holding hearings after the 18th Century pub was gutted by fire on Sunday and then knocked down on Monday.
The authority is wanting into potential breaches of the Town and Planning Act and will now take enforcement motion.
A crowd of greater than 200 gathered outdoors The Crooked House on Monday to observe the demolition, with some accumulating bricks from the positioning.
Former landlord Tom Catton instructed the BBC: “To go from a standing pub to a pile of rubble within less than 48 hours is just crazy because surely, if there’s a fire, it needs to be investigated and looked at.”
This is the state of affairs to this point.
The Crooked House was inbuilt 1765 at its web site in Himley, in South Staffordshire, initially as a farmhouse earlier than turning into a pub within the 1830s.
Its title and look are owed to close by mining — the positioning is surrounded by quarries — which has seen an impact often called subsidence trigger a sloping of the earth within the space.
This led it to turn out to be often called Siden House — ‘siden’ being a Black Country time period for wonky — earlier than taking its Crooked House title in 2002. At its peak, the pub may pull in nationwide and even worldwide crowds, and pound cash could possibly be seen to roll alongside the bar towards the path of gravity.
An enormous quantity of labor has improved the constructions of the pub to make it secure to make use of through the years, regardless of the wonkiness, with home windows even positioned at an odd angle for these sitting inside.
Historic England acquired a request in July 2023 for the pub to be given listed standing. It had not been granted on the time of its destruction.
It had been incorrectly reported in some news shops that the pub is grade II listed.
Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries purchased the pub within the Forties and ensured it was structurally secure. The pub has modified arms since then and has additionally been managed by varied landlords.
The Crooked House has, till very lately, nonetheless traded as a pub however, inside a couple of months, a number of occasions led to its demise.
It was broken earlier than the fireplace, as in June, the pub was damaged into and the intruder triggered an estimated £10,000 value of injury to the bar, kitchen, and bathroom areas.
The pub mentioned on the time that the wrongdoer had been arrested however the housebreaking was mentioned to have been a nail within the coffin.
Marston’s, a pub and resort operator, put the pub up on the market in January.
“The Crooked House has been sold. Unlikely to... open its doors again,” a Facebook message from the pub’s account learn in July.
“Marston’s have sold the site to a private buyer for alternative use, that is all we know. This is just to update the page so nobody makes any wasted journeys to the site.”
The assertion added: “Unfortunately, due to the damage done after the break-in and now Marston’s sale of the site, I have been told I can no longer trade or operate at this site. This happened so quickly and is as much of a shock to myself than it is to everyone else.”
The Guardian mentioned the brand new proprietor was referred to as ATE Farms Ltd — the identical firm which owns the 15-hectare (37-acre) quarry and landfill web site subsequent to the pub.
Records present that ATE is owned by 34-year-old Carly Taylor, who's behind many companies.
The Crooked House was engulfed in flames on Sunday night time, simply days after the sale to ATE went via.
The roof of the pub was seen to be lacking within the aftermath and the insides had been gutted.
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, mentioned there have been “a lot of questions”.
“Today, all we can say is what a tragedy, and I sincerely hope this iconic Black Country landmark can be restored and preserved.”
But his want didn't come to move as bulldozers had been seen flattening the pub on Monday. More than 200 locals turned out to see the positioning diminished to bricks and ashes.
The occasion has led to confusion and anger.
“I’ll let everyone else make their own conclusions on the recent events,” the pub’s Facebook publish learn.
“This is absolutely terrible news. So, so sad,” Tracey Boffey wrote on Facebook.
Beth Turner added: “I’m so devastated to see this. I’m so sorry for you all after all your effort and hard work.”
Staffordshire Police mentioned: “We understand the strength of feeling in the community is high at this moment and the sadness felt amongst those who have a strong emotional attachment to this place.”
As to what's going to occur subsequent, the council is investigating, as is the police.
Roger Lees, the chief of South Staffordshire, mentioned: “At no point did the council agree to the demolition of the whole structure, nor was this deemed necessary.
“This council finds the manner in which the situation was managed following the fire completely unacceptable and contrary to instructions provided by our officers.”
Meanwhile, a petition to rebuild the pub has 7,000 signatures and a public gathering might be held on Tuesday night time on the web site.
Andy Street has mentioned he needs the pub to be rebuilt brick by brick.
The Mayor mentioned: “We will not let the Crooked House be consigned to history.”
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