Wonky 18th century pub, The Crooked House, mysteriously burns to the ground after new owners take over

[editor]

Well, what a surprise.

A famed 18th Century building once known as "Britain's wonkiest pub" has been completely gutted by a fire.

Smoke was reported coming from The Crooked House at Himley, near Dudley, at about 22:00 BST on Saturday.

Pictures from scene showed the property, which drastically subsided in the 19th Century, engulfed by flames.

Last month, it was confirmed the owners, Marston's, had sold the popular Black Country landmark to a private buyer for "an alternative use".

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said no-one was believed to be inside the building at the time and no injuries had been reported.

Author Miranda Dickinson, from Wolverhampton, said: "This is so sad. The Crooked House was a Black Country landmark, recently controversially sold and now suddenly gutted by fire.
"Such a horrible end to a much-loved building."

The Crooked House: Fire rips through famed 'wonky' pub

The popular Crooked House at Himley, near Dudley, is completely destroyed by a blaze.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Surely it’s arson and the culprit is obvious?

 

[Spymaster]

Surely it’s arson and the culprit is obvious?

You should be a judge!

 

[CNT36]

Surely it’s arson and the culprit is obvious?

Fuck off, I was miles away.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

You should be a judge!

Or a bent cop.

 

[MapWatcher]

Very suspicious

 

[Yossarian]

Too bad, now I'll never find out if the pub's angles look totally normal after eight pints

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Shame they levelled the floor. Wonky and pissed darts could have had interesting results.

 

[kebabking]

Too bad, now I'll never find out if the pub's angles look totally normal after eight pints

View attachment 386118

They did, dear reader, not...

 

[maomao]

Was it a nazi pub? Could be another notch in pk's petrol can.

 

[Yossarian]

Barely a week since the announcement that it had been sold and would not reopen as a pub - if it turns out the new owners were behind the fire, I hope they get ordered to rebuild it wonky brick by wonky brick

'A great shame' as Crooked House pub set to be redeveloped for 'other use'

Landmark Black Country pub The Crooked House has been sold for alternative use and is unlikely to open its doors to drinkers again.

www.expressandstar.com

 

[WouldBe]

Shame they levelled the floor. Wonky and pissed darts could have had interesting results.

 

[WouldBe]

Did they? Only level floor when I went was in the extension.

 

[two sheds]

It's grade II listed so any shenanigans and they could be forced to rebuild it. Tregothnan Estate (Lord Falmouth) apparantly gutted a pub in a village along from me and then found out it was grade I listed. I heard they would be forced to rebuild but I'm not sure whether they eventually did.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Did they? Only level floor when I went was in the extension.

Looked like from the photo that Yossarian posted.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

The floor isn’t perpendicular to the arch if you take a look.

 

[kebabking]

The floor isn’t perpendicular to the arch if you take a look.

I don't think anything is perpendicular to anything in there - or was, anyway..

 

[Magnus McGinty]

I don't think anything is perpendicular to anything in there - or was, anyway..

Fair point. The building could have sloped independently to the floor I guess.

 

[mx wcfc]

Surely it’s arson and the culprit is obvious?

Either that or the local CAMRA extremists.......

 

[two sheds]

Not sure whether I've been to that one - certainly been to one where marbles rolled uphill along the window sill

 

[WouldBe]

Fair point. The building could have sloped independently to the floor I guess.

Nothing was square at all. You felt pissed without having had a drink.

 

[WouldBe]

Not sure whether I've been to that one - certainly been to one where marbles rolled uphill along the window sill

That happened there. Seen it said before about a marble (large ball bearing) rolling up the bar but it was along a dado type rail by the window opposite the bar.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Nothing was square at all. You felt pissed without having had a drink.

It’s like a fun house, with alcohol. Shame I’ve only just heard of it and live nowhere near anyway.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

The Blue Brick - another historic old Black Country pub, once popular with steelworkers - also burnt to the ground recently after being closed as a pub and bought by property developers:

Fire breaks out at derelict Brierley Hill pub

A FIRE broke out at an empty Brierley Hill pub last night.

www.stourbridgenews.co.uk

 

[two sheds]

Owners have all the rights, they should have some fucking responsibilities too.

 

[blossie33]

Very sad....and suspicious
We've been chatting about it on the Birmingham and Black Country thread.

 

[blossie33]

There's a video here about the pub for anyone interested in some of it's history..

 

[two sheds]

Same thing happened to a really nice pub a couple of miles away from me - bought by developer, mysteriously burned down and then got developed.

 

[StoneRoad]

Very sad....and suspicious
We've been chatting about it on the Birmingham and Black Country thread.

As I said on the BBC thread, I was immediately suspicious about this fire.
Whether or not arson can be proved & pinned onto the new owner, "he" should be forced to re-instate it exactly as it was.
Having thought further about it should then be confiscated and given to a locally run CIC to operate as a community centre ...

Too much of a coincidence, and has many similarities to the fate of the Bonded Warehouses on Newcastle Quayside.
Those were also listed, and due to be "redeveloped" ...

 

[two sheds]

Yep they had a responsibility to insure the place properly.