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

[existentialist]

We had one, too.

A burnt-out pub is up for auction

The Wern Inn has also been used as a holiday chalet

www.walesonline.co.uk

 

[Duncan2]

So did we- what a pity there are unlikely to be any statistics on the incidence of historic pubs being razed to the ground by mysterious fires

 

[muscovyduck]

Had/have one in one of my old towns - the locals knew what was up and kept an eye on it, probably helps its just about in eyeline of the fire station! Multiple fires caught early and the building still stands. Infuriating that these types aren't in prison for arson

 

[editor]

Brings to mind Brighton's West Pier suffering two mysterious fires while the Palace Pier looked on, whistling.

 

[neonwilderness]

A band who had been booked to play there on Saturday night (before being cancelled last month) have an unfortunate name

Band with unfortunate name responds to 'awful coincidence' over cancelled Crooked House gig

A country duo booked to play at the iconic The Crooked House on the night it burned down has described it as an "awful coincidence".

www.shropshirestar.com

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" ...

Same with the former Stereo nightclub further along. I've lost count of the number of fires there in the last few years!

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Certainly a more inventive publicity stunt.

 

[skyscraper101]

Brings to mind Brighton's West Pier suffering two mysterious fires while the Palace Pier looked on, whistling.

Yep, and the sinking of that famous giant floating restaurant in Hong Kong just days after it left town headed to an 'undisclosed location'

Hong Kong: Iconic floating Jumbo restaurant sinks

The Jumbo restaurant capsized in the South China Sea days after it was towed out of the harbour.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Landmark 'wonky' pub demolished - BBC News

The Crooked House pub, once known as "Britain's wonkiest", is demolished two days after a fire.

www.bbc.co.uk

It’s been bulldozed. Are property developers allowed to just bulldoze a potential crime scene?

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

It's a lot of ifs; but if plod can be arsed to investigate properly, and if they can pin it on the not so subtle culprit, and if they can prove that the mound of earth under the bridge preventing fire service access was the same culprit, I reckon the judge on the case needs to get creative when it comes to sentencing.

No prison necessary, just the developer/arsonist and his accomplices rebuilding it by hand - brick by crooked brick. Community service at its finest.

 

[two sheds]

West Midlands mayor calls for Crooked House pub to be rebuilt ‘brick by brick’

Andy Street issues plea after Britain’s ‘wonkiest pub’ reduced to rubble after being gutted by fire

www.theguardian.com

Let's hope so.

 

[existentialist]

I have to say that the conversation between the police/investigating authorities and whoever bulldozed the site should be an interesting one...and surely this property developer can't stay under the radar for ever. I notice that someone local is calling for any change of use to be blocked by the local authority, and perhaps it will only be when some kind of application is filed that the culprits can be identified.

 

[Wilf]

West Midlands mayor calls for Crooked House pub to be rebuilt ‘brick by brick’

Andy Street issues plea after Britain’s ‘wonkiest pub’ reduced to rubble after being gutted by fire

www.theguardian.com

Let's hope so.

I saw that and got the impression the letter was sent more in hope than expectation. There was no reference to having had 'productive discussions' etc.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

"Anonymous developer".

Simple - if they can't be traced, it's being handed over to the Council as their land. Let's see who complains about it.

 

[platinumsage]

Landmark 'wonky' pub demolished - BBC News

The Crooked House pub, once known as "Britain's wonkiest", is demolished two days after a fire.

www.bbc.co.uk

It’s been bulldozed. Are property developers allowed to just bulldoze a potential crime scene?

The biggest problem here is Historic England not having bothered to list it.

 

[two sheds]

I saw that it was Grade II listed.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

It's abundantly clear that the burned-out building was an arson crime scene. It's going to be very difficult to pin the arson on the developer, despite how obvious it is.

But, surely the demolition is of itself a separate crime? Namely obstructing a criminal investigation, deliberate interference with a crime scene, something along those lines? Much easier to prove, someone has operated the demolition machinery and I'm sure they won't want to take the fall for whoever gave the instruction.

 

[Brainaddict]

If the site was bought recently surely the owner is in the Land Registry? Some journo must have checked by now, so perhaps it is some anonymous company registered overseas or something. But it seems odd we don't have a name yet.

 

[existentialist]

If the site was bought recently surely the owner is in the Land Registry? Some journo must have checked by now, so perhaps it is some anonymous company registered overseas or something. But it seems odd we don't have a name yet.

Yeah, it could be some kind of shell company. ISTR that the firm that knocked down the pub in London (and were made to rebuild it) were some kind of offshore outfit. And they got enforced, so here's hoping...

 

[Wilf]

It's abundantly clear that the burned-out building was an arson crime scene. It's going to be very difficult to pin the arson on the developer, despite how obvious it is.

Whoever it is will almost certainly have a history of similar dodginess. Though that itself may not be enough to get enough evidence.

 

[platinumsage]

I saw that it was Grade II listed.

No, it wasn't.

 

[platinumsage]

If the site was bought recently surely the owner is in the Land Registry? Some journo must have checked by now, so perhaps it is some anonymous company registered overseas or something. But it seems odd we don't have a name yet.

They've a backlog meaning it can take months to update new owner details.

 

[existentialist]

Whoever it is will almost certainly have a history of similar dodginess. Though that itself may not be enough to get enough evidence.

If they're identified, but not held to account, I hope that a mysterious fire burns down their home.

"How do you like them apples?"

 

[two sheds]

No, it wasn't.

Where are you getting that?

UK's wonkiest pub burns down weeks after sale

Famed 'wonky' pub, The Crooked House, caught fire on Saturday night, just weeks after being sold by Marston's Brewery to a private buyer.

www.thedrinksbusiness.com

"A Grade II-listed building that was formerly The Crooked House pub caught fire on Saturday night, just weeks after being sold by Marston’s Brewery to a private buyer."

 

[platinumsage]

Where are you getting that?

UK's wonkiest pub burns down weeks after sale

Famed 'wonky' pub, The Crooked House, caught fire on Saturday night, just weeks after being sold by Marston's Brewery to a private buyer.

www.thedrinksbusiness.com

"BirminghamLive also contacted Historic England to clarify the situation. It confirmed The Crooked House was not listed."

Is The Crooked House a listed building?

A huge fire has left nothing but a shell of 'Britain's wonkiest pub'

www.birminghammail.co.uk

You can also check yourself:

Search the List: Map Search | Historic England

Explore over 400,000 listed buildings and historic places on the National Heritage List for England.

historicengland.org.uk

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Yeah there’s been confusion sewn by mixed reporting but it appears it wasn’t listed unfortunately.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

"BirminghamLive also contacted Historic England to clarify the situation. It confirmed The Crooked House was not listed."

Is The Crooked House a listed building?

A huge fire has left nothing but a shell of 'Britain's wonkiest pub'

www.birminghammail.co.uk

You can also check yourself:

Search the List: Map Search | Historic England

Explore over 400,000 listed buildings and historic places on the National Heritage List for England.

historicengland.org.uk

The building seems to be one of those buildings that everyone assumed was listed and obviously needed to be listed but we now discover wasn't actually listed. Shameful, but still doesn't permit arson or wanton demolition.

If the site was bought recently surely the owner is in the Land Registry? Some journo must have checked by now, so perhaps it is some anonymous company registered overseas or something. But it seems odd we don't have a name yet.

Very. In the vacuum all sorts of speculation is occurring. Marstons could always just tell us who they sold it to though surely?

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Surely they’d need planning permission for whatever they’ve decided to replace it with which presumably the council could be awkward about?

 

[editor]

Fucking wankers

 

[belboid]

Surely they’d need planning permission for whatever they’ve decided to replace it with which presumably the council could be awkward about?

that's what Street has written to the Shropshire boss about.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

that's what Street has written to the Shropshire boss about.

Staffordshire.

I'd always assumed the pub was in the West Midlands combined Authority Area. But it's actually in South Staffs. Tory led and the MP is Gavin Williamson, so almost certainly pro-developer. There seems to have been a lot of shoddy developer activity around the border between South Staffs and Dudley/WMCA with the latter picking up the infrastucture strain.