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

[Smokeandsteam]

It's international news now

Patrons Want Straight Answers in Crooked House Pub’s Demise

The beloved tilted landmark in the West Midlands area of England was razed after a fire that police suspect was arson, leaving locals looking for answers.

www.nytimes.com

Can't see due to login required etc

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Blimey. I bet they weren’t expecting this heat from their blaze.

 

[belboid]

Can't see due to login required etc

https://archive.li/gmkB9

 

[BusLanes]

It's international news now

Patrons Want Straight Answers in Crooked House Pub’s Demise

The beloved tilted landmark in the West Midlands area of England was razed after a fire that police suspect was arson, leaving locals looking for answers.

www.nytimes.com

NYT surprisingly has a rather large London office now. Maybe 100+? Employs a few Brits too, which may explain why they led on the Nick Cohen case.

I think it's both to cover UK and this part of the world on different timezones.

 

[cupid_stunt]

https://archive.li/gmkB9

I love this quote...

Mr. Wright was one of a few hundred people who gathered at the rubble of the site on Tuesday. “It’s probably the only pub in the world where you’d come out and feel more sober than when you were in,” he said. “It was a really bizarre feeling that you couldn’t experience anywhere else. And it made everyone who came really happy.”

Reminds of getting pissed on barges, only to feel more sober after getting off them.

 

[DaveCinzano]

It's international news now

Patrons Want Straight Answers in Crooked House Pub’s Demise

The beloved tilted landmark in the West Midlands area of England was razed after a fire that police suspect was arson, leaving locals looking for answers.

www.nytimes.com

Painted as global pariahs by a newspaper in the country which gave us President Trump, more mass shootings than days in the calendar, and the Twinkie Defense

 

[blossie33]

Latest in the Birmingham and Black Country news..

The Crooked House scandal 'must be catalyst for change'

Vital heritage will be be lost unless planning laws change to protect historic pubs, campaigners say.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Hopefully a watershed moment for privateers gutting out community assets for profit, but I won’t hold my breath for change.

 

[WouldBe]

Would be a shame if someone burnt their properties down.

 

[davesgcr]

In an other forum - someone said their university mate planned to drop acid and go there.

That could have been interesting

 

[Magnus McGinty]

I’ve seen strange things happen to normal buildings on mushrooms.

 

[Dystopiary]

Just signed the petition:

Sign the Petition

A proper inquiry into the burning of the historic "crooked house"

www.change.org

Over 11,000 so far and 100s signing every day. I hope against hope that there can be some sort of accountability made to happen.

 

[teqniq]

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

View attachment 386118

What a coincidence!:

Antique grandfather clock 'removed from Crooked House' days before it was gutted in fire

An antique grandfather clock is thought to have been taken out of the Crooked House pub days before it was gutted by a fire.

www.lbc.co.uk

 

[teqniq]

These scumbags have form for destroying things:

Crooked House pub owners ‘destroyed woods’ at other site

 

[WouldBe]

In an other forum - someone said their university mate planned to drop acid and go there.

That could have been interesting

It would have looked straight.

 

[belboid]

Interesting piece about the possibilities of an actual rebuild

(Tldr: it’s possible but would be bloody expensive. Still, the Taylor’s could afford it)

Crooked House rebuild would be ‘very complicated and costly endeavour’

Black Country Living Museum, which displays recreated historical buildings, says it is not able to save demolished Staffordshire pub

www.theguardian.com

 

[editor]

Interesting piece about the possibilities of an actual rebuild

(Tldr: it’s possible but would be bloody expensive. Still, the Taylor’s could afford it)

Crooked House rebuild would be ‘very complicated and costly endeavour’

Black Country Living Museum, which displays recreated historical buildings, says it is not able to save demolished Staffordshire pub

www.theguardian.com

Fingers crossed!

 

[FridgeMagnet]

But there are loads of Taylor's about.

And generally they get away with it, and I very much doubt that anything that will happen here will put this particular pair of cunts off long-term.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

And generally they get away with it, and I very much doubt that anything that will happen here will put this particular pair of cunts off long-term.

Aye, probably right. They seem brazen and like they’ve priced intermittent and ineffective sanction. They’d do well to avoid the Black Country though

 

[editor]

Aye, probably right. They seem brazen and like they’ve priced intermittent and ineffective sanction. They’d do well to avoid the Black Country though

I don't think they had idea on how much of a PR disaster it would be for them, though. With luck, it'll fuck them over in many ways for years to come.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

There's a precedent for owners/developers being ordered to rebuild a pub they had demolished.

Rising from the rubble: London pub rebuilt brick by brick after illegal bulldozing

Carlton Tavern reopens six years after planning ruling that campaigners hope will prevent developers demolishing other sites

www.theguardian.com

 

[Wilf]

And generally they get away with it, and I very much doubt that anything that will happen here will put this particular pair of cunts off long-term.

Yeah, however they come out of this they'll move on to the next thing. Are timeshares still a thing? Bitcoins (whatever they are)? Ripping pensioners off? Pure scum.

 

[danski]

Maybe they’ll start tarmacing drives?

 

[krtek a houby]

Maybe they’ll start tarmacing drives?

Wtf?

 

[danski]

Wtf?

Was playing along with what wilf was saying, about ripping off pensioners.
What made you say wtf?

 

[Elpenor]

I saw that as per danski explanation, a reference to builders of the yee-ha variety

 

[krtek a houby]

Was playing along with what wilf was saying, about ripping off pensioners.
What made you say wtf?

Ok. Am a bit jumpy these days.

It's a stereotype used against Irish people, which is why my eyebrow raised.

 

[RubyToogood]

There's a precedent for owners/developers being ordered to rebuild a pub they had demolished.

Rising from the rubble: London pub rebuilt brick by brick after illegal bulldozing

Carlton Tavern reopens six years after planning ruling that campaigners hope will prevent developers demolishing other sites

www.theguardian.com

Indeed. There's a pub in Sydenham that the owners were forced to rebuild too.

Historic Sydenham pub to be rebuilt by April

Residents campaigning for the reconstruction of a Sydenham pub have achieved a breakthrough after the developer prosecuted for illegally…

www.newsshopper.co.uk

 

[teqniq]

And this one:

Developers who destroyed historic Lancashire pub ordered to rebuild it

Punch Bowl Inn at Hurst Green, said to have been haunted by highwayman, must be reconstructed using materials from rubble

www.theguardian.com

 

[1927]

A brick by brick rebuild was was only possible with the Carlton Tavern, because the local pressure group suspected that the developers were going to pull a stunt, and had Historic England photograph and document every inch of the pub right down to taking plaster casts of all of the tiling, so a detailed record was available for the rebuild. If that hasn't been done for TCH, a facsimile rebuild will probably be considered impossible.

As things stand, jail time is unlikely. Even if it was shown to be arson, proving who was responsible to a degree likely to result in convictions is a whole different matter unless someone comes forward and grasses them. That would probably have to be the match-lighter, and he'd end up doing time too. The demolition of the building is nothing to do with the police, so any remedies to this are likely to be in the hands of the planners rather than the police/courts. The best you can probably hope for is an order to rebuild a pub, rescinding of any permissions granted or pending, and a massive skidmark on these people that'll hopefully affect any future applications they make.

There's also some small comfort to be taken in the fact that Mr and Mrs Taylor are highly likely to be be shitting their pants at the moment and will be for quite some time.

What if the match-lighter, assuming its not the owner themselves, was given immunity if they fingered who'd ordered the matches?