Owners of Crooked House agree to rebuild Britain’s wonkiest pub after it burned down – but only if they can move it to a different place

The owners of ‘Britain’s wonkiest pub’, which was destroyed in a fire last summer before being demolished, have agreed to a council order to rebuild it – but want so at a new location, according to planning documents.

Local residents were furious when Crooked House, an 18th century pub in the Black Country village of Himley, near Dudley, West Midlands, was destroyed in a suspected arson in August before being razed without permission two days later.

The iconic building, which dates from 1735, was a well-known tourist attraction due to the subsidence of the mine, which left one side of the building approximately 1.2 m lower than the other.

In February, South Staffordshire Council served an enforcement notice ordering owners ATE Farms to rebuild the iconic pub after its ‘unlawful 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.

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 shows that they plan to rebuild the pub on another piece of land they own, along with other developments to ‘increase footfall’.

It states: ‘The plaintiff has not refused to rebuild the building and has actively consulted with the municipality about this.

‘Requiring a rebuild on the same site, whilst reflecting public opinion, will not change the fact that the building on that site is not viable as a pub.

Local residents were furious when Crooked House, an 18th century pub in the Black Country village of Himley, near Dudley, West Midlands, was destroyed in a suspected arson in August before being razed without permission two days later.

‘For this reason, the appellant has proposed to the council a sustainable, and what he sees as a real and practical solution to the issue, to rebuild the building on other land he owns, to operate as a public house, with other developments to to increase visitor numbers and give the pub and building a real chance of success as a community asset.

‘The proposal locates a newly built Crooked House pub, together with appropriate parking and landscaping, further north of Crooked House Lane and as close to the junction with Himley Road as possible.’

The document also reveals the reasons why the owners claim the former pub had to be completely demolished after councilors only agreed to the removal of three elements of the building to make it safe.

It says that after council officers left the site there were further problems and ‘it was not envisaged that the removal of the three commissioned elements would make the remainder of the building unsafe’.

The document states: ‘The removal of the upper parts of the building included the steel connectors, leaving the remaining structure, in the contractor’s opinion, completely unsafe and at a high (and unacceptable) risk of collapse.

‘The municipal officials had left the country and a decision had to be made quickly.

‘The situation on the site was such that, due to the heavy media attention and public presence, a quick decision had to be made regarding the immediate safety of the building.

The iconic building, which dates back to 1735, was converted from a farm to a café in 1830 and was known for its rickety appearance

The popular pub was known as the place where coins and marbles rolled past the bar seemingly uphill

‘With reference to the appellant’s director, it was decided that in order to limit the risk, the support pillar of the remaining structure should be demolished.

‘It was assessed that there was a high risk of the building collapsing and causing serious injury or a fatality on the land, given the access to the land by large numbers of people, some of whom held vigils and others threw stones and other objects removed. memorabilia/for sale.’

There are also plans to build an educational center in the area that will tap into local history and would include some retirement huts in the existing woodland.

It adds: ‘In this regard, the appellant is in the process of preparing a detailed preliminary application to be submitted to the council (and adjoining authorities)’.

The demolition of the famous pub sparked a huge uprising from campaigners who called for the pub to be rebuilt ‘brick by brick’.

The appeal documents reveal a proposal to relocate the historic pub and also set out the owners’ reasons for 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 converted from a farm to a café in 1830 and was known for its rickety appearance.

Because one side of the building was about four feet lower than the other, it was known as the place where coins and marbles rolled along the bar seemingly uphill.