Fire at Britain's 'wonkiest pub' the Crooked House treated as arson

Police are treating the fire at the historic Crooked House pub as arson, although the cause is currently unknown.

Staffordshire Police said they “believe the fire may have been started deliberately” and are now leading the investigation.

Fire experts visited the scene yesterday (9 August) with a specialist accelerant detection dog to try and discover the cause of the blaze.

The Crooked House in Himley, Dudley, was gutted by a fire on Saturday evening (5 August), just two weeks after it was sold by pub group Marston’s to a developer.

Police said they had “spoken to, and continue to engage, with the owners” but added that any speculation about the cause of the fire was “extremely unhelpful” and could hinder the investigation.

South Staffordshire Council said this week it was consulting with its legal team after the building, known as “Britain’s wonkiest pub” was apparently demolished without permission, two days after the fire.

Detective chief superintendent Tom Chisholm, head of specialist crime, said: “We understand the significance of this much-loved building and the upset and anger felt by many so want to reassure you we’re doing all we can to understand more about what happened, and who was responsible.

“There is lots of misinformation circulating within communities and online and this is unhelpful. We’re trying to provide accurate and timely updates, but as I am sure you can appreciate, there is a lot of work and liaison with a number of partners which needs to be completed and this takes time.

“There are also certain things that police and fire do not have the powers to deal with, the decision around partial demolition of the building for example, when the scene was handed back to the owner.

“We are working hard with our fire colleagues to understand the cause of the fire and are in contact with the landowner, we will keep you updated with any further significant developments.”

The Crooked House was built in the 18th century and became a tourist attraction after mining in the area caused the building to partially sink, allowing visitors to roll coins and marbles uphill along the bar.