News, West Midlands
It was almost two years ago that the Crooked House pub was ravaged by fire.
The famed 18th Century venue in Himley, near Dudley, was known as “Britain’s wonkiest pub” due to its distinctive tilt. But the slant was lost when two days after flames gutted the building, the shell was demolished overnight. It was an unexpected levelling that angered the local community who were left to view rubble where history once stood. Or at least leaned.
Staffordshire Police treated the blaze as arson and arrested six people in connection with the incident, releasing them on bail.
Two years on, campaigners continue to fight for the return – slant included – of what they dub the “most famous pub in the world”. And until the Black Country icon is rebuilt, they say they will not give up. But what drives them on when only bricks remain?
Campaigner Jennifer Allen had visited the pub since childhood and said it had meant “quite a lot” to many.
“As it was burnt down, I was one of the first ones down there, along with my elderly dad,” she said.
“We’ve got family that live in Canada, Australia, and growing up as a child, whenever they visited, it was a place where we always used to take them.”
There was plenty to see. The slant – caused by subsidence linked to mining – created the illusion that coins, if dropped inside, appeared to roll “uphill”.
But for Ms Allen, the venue was more than that. “It was a special place from my childhood,” she said.
Those are the stakes, then. But how might the return happen? It’s there where things remain less simple.
in February last year, South Staffordshire Council served an enforcement notice on the pub’s owners ATE Farms Limited, ordering them to restore the pub within three years.
An appeal against the move was lodged the following month by the owners, who had purchased the Crooked House from Marstons in July 2023. A public inquiry was then set to decide the outcome of the standoff.
But that inquiry has been delayed.
According to the council, the planning inspectorate accepted the owners’ request for postponement and said it was preferable to deal with the appeal following any potential separate court action relating to the fire.
The inspectorate noted, however, that the delay should not go on indefinitely, although a projected start date, from the council, of spring this year came and went without activity.
Ms Allen, one of the moderators for the Save The Crooked House Facebook group, said people were disappointed with the delay.
But the pause, she said, would not deter campaigners from the push to get the pub rebuilt “brick by brick”.
Whether it can – or should – be done, was the subject of this article here.
In the meantime, Ms Allen said: “We’ve all got a story about the Crooked House and what it meant to us.
“It’s a historical building that we should have protected. So it does need to come back.”
South Staffordshire Council said it “remained committed” to resolving the matter and any further updates would be added on its website.
“We are still awaiting a decision from Staffordshire Police regarding their ongoing investigations,” the authority added, “and any action by ourselves is held in abeyance until such time as their investigations are concluded.”
Paul Turner, from Wombourne near Wolverhampton, has been fighting for the pub to be rebuilt since the campaign began.
He said the Facebook group for that purpose had grown “massively” and now had more than 37,000 members from “all over the world”.
“We’re not giving up at all,” he said.
“The intention [is] to get it rebuilt. We owe it to people.”
Mr Turner said some observers remained cynical, but despite the delays, campaigners didn’t intend to let their movement fizzle out.
“This is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “This is something that is going to take a long time, the legal processes never happen quickly.
“We’re confident that we can keep on going and get this done.”
The building, which emerged in 1765 as a farmhouse, had a children’s play area and beer garden and was also used as a wedding venue.
That gives Mr Turner hope the pub has the potential to become a tourist attraction if rebuilt, complete with a visitor centre and souvenirs.
“We’re going to be in a situation where we could have an unbelievably successful tourist attraction,” he said.
“I see it as being built.”
A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said: “The six people that were arrested have been released from bail and are now released under investigation.
“Our investigation is ongoing and a file has been submitted to the CPS.”
