A devastating fire at Britain’s wonkiest pub is being treated as arson, as a local mayor called for it to be rebuilt “brick by brick” after it was gutted and demolished.
The Crooked House in Himley in the West Midlands was destroyed by the blaze which broke out at around 10pm on Saturday.
It was confirmed last month that the owners, Marston’s, had sold the renowned 18th-Century building to a private buyer for “alternative use” less than two weeks before the blaze.
A local mayor has said there are ‘major questions’ to be answered over the blaze— (Jacob King/PA Wire)
Flowers and a card left on the sign outside the remains of The Crooked House pub— (Matthew Cooper/PA Wire)
Carly Taylor and her husband Aadam had purchased the property shortly before locals submitted an application to Historic England for the pub to be given protected listed status.
A popular landmark in the Black Country, its leaning walls created a number of optical illusions such as pennies and marbles appearing to move uphill along the bar.
Have you been affected by this story? If so email holly.evans@independent.co.uk
Fire crews were alerted to reports of smoke coming from the empty building, with firefighters battling for an hour to bring the flames under control.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said no one was believed to be inside the property and no injuries have been reported. Pictures from the scene reveal the extent of the damage, with footage emerging of the ruins being demolished.
Below we look at the history of the premises as investigations into what happened continued.
The historic landmark was built in 1765 and is a popular tourist attraction— (Nick Maslen/Alamy/PA Wire)
History of The Crooked House
Originally built as a farmhouse in 1765, one side of the building began to tilt due to mining in the area during the 18th century.
It became a public house in the 1830s and was initially called The Siden House, before being renamed the Glynne Arms after the local landowner, Sir Stephen Glynne.
The pub was condemned as unsafe during the 1940s and was scheduled for demolition until Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries stepped in to purchase the building. Using buttresses and girders, they were able to secure the structure while also retaining its lopsided appearance.
It became known as The Crooked House and became a tourist attraction as well as a popular wedding venue site.
Pub sold and ‘unlikely to open its doors again’
A fire has completely gutted the building— (Jacob King/PA Wire)
The pub was closed earlier this year and sold by Marston’s to ATE Farms Ltd, which lists Carly Taylor as its director, with a guide price of £675,000. She and her husband are the current or former directors of 18 companies, including Himley Environmental, which operates a landfill site next to the pub.
Thousands of locals signed a petition to keep the pub as a public house, but a statement from their Facebook page confirmed it had been sold for an “alternative use” and was “unlikely to open its doors again”.
Historic England received a request for the pub to be given listed status protection just a week before it burnt down.
This level of protection would require property owners to seek permission from the local council to change the physical features of historical buildings and landmarks.
The organisation The Georgian Group was also examining the historic pub for listed status prior to the fire.
‘Major questions’ over blaze
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has called for the building to be rebuilt ‘brick by brick'— (Jacob King/PA Wire)
Staffordshire Police have confirmed they treating the blaze as arson in a joint investigation with fire services and the council.
The force said officers were reviewing “all of the available evidence” into the blaze, which was tackled by 30 firefighters, and stressed that speculation was “extremely unhelpful”.
A cordon was in place while inquiries were ongoing but due to the unsafe structure of the building, officers were pulled back on Monday. The burnt remains were then demolished by the owners, without permission from the council.
Roger Lees, leader of Staffordshire Council, said planning officers had visited the site but had not agreed to the demolition, and stated it was “completely unacceptable and contrary to instructions provided by our officers”.
Multiple reports on social media stated that mounds of dirt were blocking access roads to the pub, with West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and night-time economy adviser Alex Claridge saying there were “major questions” over the cause of the fire.
In letters to South Staffordshire Council and the emergency services, the two men said they “make it clear we are not inferring” that The Crooked House was deliberately set alight, and said they were “intrigued” by the fact officers faced blocked access while trying to get to the scene.
An application had recently been made for the pub to receive listed status— (Jacob King/PA Wire)
The two men wrote: “Whilst we do not yet know the cause of the fire or the outcome of any investigation being conducted by Staffordshire Police or Staffordshire Fire and Rescue, it is clear that we should not allow such a tragic act to be the end of The Crooked House.
“We, therefore, ask that you consider ensuring the property is rebuilt brick by brick (using as much original material as possible) before any further discussions about the future of the site take place.”
A petition has received over 13,000 signatures with the aim of “restoring this piece of history” and restoring the pub to its former glory.
People inspect the rubble and remains of the former pub— (PA)
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.”
