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News
UK’s wonkiest pub burns down weeks after sale
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.
Such a sad end to such a historic building… RIP the Crooked House pub… pic.twitter.com/C0Azbp4ZXQ
— Once Upon A Time In The Black Country (@once_country) August 6, 2023
db reported only last week that the skew-whiff Midlands boozer had been sold to the buyer after being on the market since March. It was not revealed how the buyer intended to develop the site, but it was “unlikely to open its doors again” as a pub, it was reported. On 29 July, a Change.org petition to “save” The Crooked House Pub was set up – at the time of writing it has 6,300 signatories.
But over the weekend disaster struck as a fire broke out, consuming the 18th century farmhouse that had been a pub since the 1940s. Six crews, from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue and West Midlands Fire Service, came to tackle the blaze just after 10pm.
One social media account has claimed that the lanes leading up to the site of the pub were blocked, preventing fire engines from reaching it quickly:
WITNESS: ‘The Lane up to the Crooked House Pub had been blocked leaving firefighters unable to get their vehicles up to the fire’
He was right ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/TNyex1zjPr
— Brumz Updates (@updates_brumz) August 6, 2023
The cause of the fire is currently unknown.
Drone footage from ITV News gave a look at the damage the fire did to the historic structure, with the roof gone and the interior gutted, though the walls are still standing at their famously wonky angle:
Footage shows extent of damage to iconic Crooked House Pub in Dudley after a fire broke out last night.
Read more: https://t.co/tSZr8k1Xzf pic.twitter.com/oAQLSZ2dFC— ITV News Central (@ITVCentral) August 6, 2023
Jane Stevenson MP, the representative for the constituency of Wolverhampton North East, tweeted: “Really sad to see – this pub is part of our local history. I hope nobody was hurt and our firefighters are all safe.”
She then issued a followup tweet that read: “Given the timing, I am sure this fire will be fully investigated. Many of us in the Black Country are fiercely proud of our heritage, and I hope the listed Crooked House will be rebuilt as was.”