Crooked House owners agree to rebuild Britain’s wildest pub after it burnt down – but only if they can move it elsewhere
The owners of ‘Britain’s wonkiest pub’, which was destroyed in a fire last summer before being demolished, have accepted a council decision to rebuild it – but want to then in a new location, according to planning documents.
Local residents were outraged when the Crooked House, an 18th-century boozer in the Black Country village of Himley, near Dudley, West Midlands, was destroyed in a suspected arson attack in August before being razed without permission two days later.
The iconic building, which dates back to 1735, was a well-known tourist attraction due to the mining subsidence which had caused one side of the building to be approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) lower than the other.
In February, South Staffordshire Council issued an enforcement notice ordering owners ATE Farms to rebuild the iconic pub following its ‘illegal demolition’ and restore it to the condition it was in before the devastating fire that destroyed it – including sloping walls and floors .
However, the owners appealed the notice, and a planning inspector has now been appointed to decide the appeal, which will be heard in July.
The owners of the Crooked House, dubbed ‘Britain’s wonkiest pub’, which was destroyed in a fire last summer before being demolished, have agreed to rebuild it – but want to do it in a new location, according to planning documents
An aerial view of the Crooked House pub in Himley, near Dudley, West Midlands, shows the ruins of the historic building which dates back to 1735
A document submitted on behalf of the owner reveals their intention to rebuild the pub on another piece of land they own, along with other developments to ‘increase footfall’.
It states: “The complainant has not refused to rebuild the building and has actively cooperated with the council in this regard.
“Requiring a rebuild on the same site, even if it reflects popular opinion, will not change the fact that the building on that site is not viable as a public house.
Local residents were outraged when the Crooked House, an 18th-century boozer in the Black Country village of Himley, near Dudley, West Midlands, was destroyed in a suspected arson attack in August before being razed without permission two days later.
“For this reason, the appellant has presented a viable and what it sees as a genuine and practical solution to the issue to the council, that it rebuild the building on other land that it owns to function as a public house, with other development to increase footfall and give the pub and building a real chance of success as a community asset.
‘The proposal places a newly built Crooked House pub together with appropriate parking and landscaping further north from Crooked House Lane and as close to the motorway junction with Himley Road as it would allow.’
The document also reveals the reasons why the owners claim the former pub had to be completely demolished after the council only agreed to remove three elements of the building to make it safe.
It says after the council left the site there were further problems and “it had not been foreseen that the removal of the three directed elements would make the rest of the building unsafe”.
The document says: ‘The removal of the upper sections of the building involved the steel ties which, in the opinion of the contractor, made the remaining structure completely unsafe and at a high (and unacceptable) risk of collapse.
‘Council officials had left the ground and a quick decision had to be made.
‘The situation on the site was such that, due to the great media attention and public participation, a quick decision had to be made about the immediate safety of the building.
The iconic building, which dates back to 1735, was changed from a farmhouse to a pub in 1830 and was famous for its quirky appearance
The popular pub was famous for being the place where coins and marbles apparently rolled uphill along the bar
“A decision was made, with reference to the appellant’s director, that in order to reduce the risk, the rootstock of the remaining structure should be taken down.
‘It was assessed that there was a high risk of the building collapsing and causing serious injury or death on the ground as a large number of people entered the ground, some of whom were carrying out vigils and others were removing bricks and other objects as memorabilia/ for sale.’
There are also plans to build an education center in the area, which will be linked to local history and will partly include retirement cabins within the existing forest area.
It adds: “In this regard the appellant is in the process of preparing a detailed advance application to be submitted to the council (and neighboring authorities).”
The demolition of the famous pub sparked a huge outcry from campaigners who called for it to be rebuilt ‘brick by brick’.
The appeal documents reveal a proposal to relocate the historic pub and also set out the owners’ reasons why the original site was demolished without permission
A Facebook page called Save the Crooked House (Let’s Get it Rebuilt) has more than 37,000 members.
Staffordshire Police, who are treating the Crooked House fire as arson, have also made six arrests in connection with the incident.
The iconic building, which dates back to 1735, was changed from a farmhouse to a pub in 1830 and was famous for its quirky appearance.
With one side of the building about 4 feet lower than the other, it was famous for being the place where coins and marbles apparently rolled uphill along the bar.