As large building machinery started arriving on the site of the Crooked House pub on Monday night, fears for the remains of the much-loved building grew – with locals wondering what might happen to it under the cover of darkness.
But one group of people used to staying up all night are Black Country Paranormal, who stepped in to guard the site perimeter and make sure all remaining bricks made it to the morning.
“You can’t blame people for being suspicious after what has happened,” said Dan Parkes, 37, a local paranormal investigator who joined the group on the night. Parkes was still going strong at the site at 11am on Tuesday, 13 hours after he arrived.
The wonky pub was historically rumoured to be haunted, including by a pub barmaid named Polly, prompting the interest of the paranormal society, who spent the night monitoring spiritual activity as well as warding off any further physical damage.
“We did some paranormal investigating, and we did capture some stuff. But my main purpose here right now is to make sure there is no further destruction because if we’re trying to get this rebuilt, we don’t want these bricks here being turned to dust,” said Parkes.
“The wanton destruction we’ve seen has angered me so much, and the people around here are very robust, very honest, we don’t take any nonsense.”
Metal fencing has gone up around what remains of the pub in Himley, Staffordshire, which was damaged in a fire and then knocked down two days later, prompting a national outcry.
While local people carried out their round-the-clock guard of the pub perimeter, the building’s new owner, Carly Taylor, and her husband, Adam Taylor, who is closely linked to the sale, were pictured on holiday at a luxury villa in Corfu, where they allegedly told reporters they were trying to get away from the “lies and bullshit in England”.
On Monday a demolition company moved large machinery on to the Crooked House site, and South Staffordshire district council said its officers asked for work to cease while a “comprehensive schedule of works” was submitted and reviewed.
“We are very pleased that we now have agreement that the bricks will remain on site, and that the foundations and slabs will remain to assist our future investigation,” the council said in a statement. “There will be activity on site over coming days to remove hazardous waste and to make the site safe, and this will be closely monitored,” it added.
Protesters camped outside the Crooked House said they had been assured bricks would be salvaged and packed up, and the council will have to approve the removal of any materials.
“I think there’s so much misinformation online, but there’s just a major lack of trust,” said Hayley Mason, 36, a schoolteacher from nearby Upper Gornal who is staging a sit-in on the road leading to the site.
“It wasn’t my intention to do this, but it got to the stage where I had just had enough. If they start coming down with diggers I am sitting in front of them. And I’m staying put for the foreseeable. Something just doesn’t feel right.”
“I think people are worried about what is going to happen to the foundations and the footings – as soon as they touch them, there’s no chance of a rebuild here,” added Kerry Goodman, 36, a fellow protester. “Whatever they do, we want them to do it with care, we don’t want them flinging bricks about.”
Dion Kitson, an artist from Dudley, was also at the scene, erecting a number of placards at the entrance to Crooked House Lane, which leads to the pub, including one declaring that “Happy hour is over”.
He was hoping to retrieve a number of signs he had previously placed in the rubble that had gone viral online with slogans such as: “This is not what I meant when I said down it.”
“People want those signs because they went so far and if people want to pay money for them, that money can go towards the cause,” he said. “I just think what happened is outrageous. This is about class, and this pub was a personification of the working-class people of the Black Country and the spirit of the area. I’ve never seen such an outpouring of anger over it.”
He said he was hoping to organise a benefit gig with local celebrities such as Lenny Henry and Noddy Holder to raise money for a rebuild. “This feels like one of those talking points that could actually make change, and become a catalyst for landmark law change,” he said.
Roger Lees, the leader of South Staffordshire district council and local councillor for Himley, said: “The council is continuing to work behind the scenes with the relevant organisations and it’s important our focus is on a robust and thorough investigation. I would ask that we are given time to do so and I can reassure the public that we are doing everything in our power to investigate the matter thoroughly.”
• This article was amended on 23 August 2023 to clarify that Dan Parkes is not part of Black Country Paranormal.
