By Tony O’Reilly-
Demolition machinery has been moved onto the site of the historic ‘Crooked House’ pub in Dudley this morning, after it was destroyed by a fire on Saturday night (5 August).
Police have said they are “reviewing all of the available evidence” on the cause of a fire that gutted a historic pub. The Crooked House in Himley, West Midlands, was extensively damaged by the blaze on Saturday evening.
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The fire, which required 30 firefighters to extinguish, came just two weeks after the building was sold by brewer Marston’s to a private buyer. On Monday, Staffordshire Police said that investigations into the cause of the fire at the 18th-century pub were ongoing, with a cordon still in place around the site
The pub in Himley was once known as “Britain’s wonkiest pub”, after it began sinking in the early 19th century.
Police and six fire crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue and the West Midlands FireService attended the blaze, after fire fighters were called to Himley Road around 10.45 on Saturday night.
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Roads including the B4176 Himley Road at Gornal Wood were closed in both directions in the early hours, as motorists were diverted away from the scene.
The fire comes days after it emerged Marston’s had sold the pub to a ‘private buyer for alternative use’.
The Grade-II listed building dates back to 1765.
It started sinking into the ground due to mining subsidence in the area, and became known as ‘the wonky pub’ across the West Midlands and beyond.
It became a pub in around 1830, and according to locals it was known as The Siden House, with “siden” meaning “crooked” in the local Black Country dialect
Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries bought it and converted it into a pub in the 1940s
Visitors could see the illusion of coins and marbles appearing to roll uphill along the bar
The popular pub was previously known as The Siden House burnt down (Jacob King/PA
“What a tragedy”
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said on social media that there were questions to answer over the incident. He wrote:
“A lot of questions surrounding the Crooked House fire that need answering, and I’m sure the authorities will get to the truth.
“Today all we can say is what a tragedy, and I sincerely hope this iconic Black Country landmark can be restored and preserved”.
“Britain’s wonkiest pub” destroyed by fire
‘This is a place where bottles and balls roll up hill’
A spokesperson for the company said:
“The sale of the Crooked House, as a going concern, was announced in January this year on the open market.
“It was well-publicised and completed two weeks ago.
“We are shocked and disappointed to learn about the fire which has caused so much damage to a landmark building which is so well known in the area.”
Lord Ian Austin, an independent peer and former Labour MP for Dudley North, tweeted on Sunday that “the lane to the pub [was] apparently blocked” during the blaze, and urged the emergency services to “investigate and prosecute”.
A petition to keep the Crooked House open had gained nearly nine thousand signatures, of which almost 4,000 came on Monday after the fire.
Speaking before the blaze, Paul Turner, who started the initiative, said it would be a “tragedy if this wonderful tourist attraction is lost” and that selling or demolishing the site “would mean the loss of this iconic and beautiful building”.
Teams at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley were among the many local voices to share their sadness at the plight of the pub.
In social media posts they said described the blaze as “devastating news” and responded to calls from social media users to rebuild the building on their site.
Detective Inspector Richard Dancey, from Staffordshire Police CID, said: “This incident has caused a great deal of speculation locally and we understand the significance of the building within the local community.
“We would like to remind the public that our investigation is ongoing and we are reviewing all of the available evidence available alongside fire investigators to determine the cause of the incident.
“Due to the excess damage caused to the structure of the building, the cordon remains in place today and we’re asking people to avoid the area.
“Those who may have any useful information are urged to get in touch with us whilst we continue to complete our lines of enquiry alongside the fire service.”
No-one was inside the building at the time and no-one was injured as a result of the fire.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said up to 30 firefighters were deployed to the scene after they were alerted to reports of smoke and flames coming from the Crooked House pub at 9.58pm on Saturday.
Station Manager Liam Hickey said: “Crews have worked diligently to safely extinguish the fire and make sure damage was minimised as much as possible.
“We know the significance that the building has within the local community and we are working alongside our colleagues in the police to investigate what happened.
“The building has since been assessed as unsafe and the cordon remains in the area to ensure the safety of the public whilst we continue to carry out our investigation.”
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