‘Major questions to be answered’ after Crooked House pub demolished

A landmark pub destroyed in a fire over the weekend has been demolished amid an ongoing investigation.

The Crooked House in Himley, Dudley, which dates to 1765 and was known as “Britain’s wonkiest pub”, was gutted by a fire on Saturday (5 August), just two weeks after it was sold by pub group Marston’s to a private developer.

The property had been on the market since January and the identity of the new owner has not been revealed.

No one was inside the building at the time of the fire, and no one was injured.

The area was cordoned off on Monday while demolition vehicles worked on the burnt-out shell of the pub.

Photos shared on social media showed the former tourist attraction reduced to a pile of bricks.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street and restaurateur Alex Claridge, night time economy advisor for the West Midlands, have written to South Staffordshire Council calling for the Crooked House to be rebuilt “brick by brick”.

The pair asked that any application by the pub’s new owners to change its use be blocked.

In a separate letter to emergency services, Street and Claridge said “clearly there are major questions to be answered” about the fire.

“We are also intrigued by the fact that your officers faced blocked access when trying to get to the scene,” the letter said.

A Marston’s spokesperson said the sale of the pub had been “well publicised” and was completed two weeks ago.

“We are shocked and disappointed to learn about the fire which has caused so much damage to a landmark building which is so well known in the area,” they added.

Staffordshire Police said officers and fire investigators were working to establish the cause of the fire.

Detective inspector Richard Dancey said: “This incident has caused a great deal of speculation locally and we understand the significance of the building within the local community.

“We would like to remind the public that our investigation is ongoing, and we are reviewing all of the available evidence available alongside fire investigators to determine the cause of the incident.”

The Crooked House had been a popular attraction since it was made structurally safe and opened as a pub by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries in the 1940s. Mining in the area had caused the building to sink in the early 19th century and one side of the pub was 1.2m lower than the other, allowing visitors to roll coins and marbles uphill along the bar.

Staffordshire Police said anyone with information about the fire could get in touch by calling 101 and quoting incident 761 of 5 August, or by using Live Chat on its website. To report anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Image: Staffordshire Police