'Devastating': local residents mourn demolition of Crooked House pub

Рет қаралды 31,738

Жыл бұрын

The Crooked House pub in Staffordshire went up in flames nine days after being sold to new owners, and was bulldozed two days later.
Subscribe to Guardian News on KZfaq ► bit.ly/guardianwiressub
People gathered at the ruins to mourn the loss of the historic local. Police say they are treating the fire as arson, and the local council is investigating potential planning breaches after it was bulldozed without permission. It has also emerged that the excavator used to bulldoze the building was brought on site a week before the fire, according to Construction News. A petition has gained thousands of signatures calling for the pub to be rebuilt from scratch.
The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► bit.ly/3uhA7zg
Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► theguardian.com/first-edition
Website ► www.theguardian.com
Facebook ► / theguardian
Twitter ► / guardian
Instagram ► / guardian
The Guardian on KZfaq:
The Guardian ► bit.ly/guardiannewssubs
Guardian Australia ► bit.ly/guardianaussubs
Guardian Football ► bit.ly/gdnfootballsubs
Guardian Sport ► bit.ly/gdnsportsubs
Guardian Live ► bit.ly/guardianlivesubs
#CrookedHouse #Pub #Arson #Staffordshire #Petition

Пікірлер: 170

@stephenparker9434 Жыл бұрын

This should be a landmark case, to protect thousands of historic and culturally valued buildings around the country to protect the nations heritage so that vandalising property developers cannot profit from firing and destroying such buildings and sites. Some MP should introduce a bill that if such a structure, or land be destroyed the owners should bear the cost of repair, and not able to re- purpose it's original use. This should help to prevent such blatant actions.

@volodymyrv5897 Жыл бұрын

Victory is the complete isolation of Russia and everything Russian.

@PALM311 11 ай бұрын

You can’t just protect buildings because people like the way they look. There has to be some historical significance to a building. That would be like saying somebody loves the look of your house and so it should be a landmark law saying you could never change the color or tear it down.

@balaclavabob001 Жыл бұрын

I can't imagine why it burnt down a week after an application for listed status that would have prevented the new owners from redeveloping the site thus rendering their investment useless . I can only hope the Police are better than I at solving this most perplexing mystery ...

@richardwestwood1812 Жыл бұрын

Yeah there's a suspicious amount of this happening.

@geetavontease7233 Жыл бұрын

Didn't something similar happen to the Elephant and Castle in Wolverhampton! That too was demolished overnight without permission under similar circumstances regarding the status.

@richardwestwood1812 Жыл бұрын

@@geetavontease7233 I believe they don't need permission if the building is deemed unsafe .

@billdoor3140 Жыл бұрын

@geetavontease7233 Dudley snooker club too. Literally bought 1 month later "mysterious" fire with bulldozers waiting to go...

@Media-oh8xc 11 ай бұрын

It will be surprising if anything happens to the developers, but because it has caused so much uproar maybe justice will be served.

@stewstube70 Жыл бұрын

I've seen several instances of listed buildings illegally burnt down by money grabbing developers. These criminals should be brought to justice.

@ruebencover5795 Жыл бұрын

You don't know that is true at all you are just jumping to conclusions

@billdoor3140 Жыл бұрын

@@ruebencover5795 it's absolutely 100% true. So stop yapping

@MyJamesy123 Жыл бұрын

It’s been happening in Ilfracombe for 20 yrs with big four storey Victorian properties..

@billdoor3140 Жыл бұрын

@MyJamesy123 unfortunately it's proof our law is for sale. If the wealthy arsonists that are doing this had their properties burnt the police would actually investigate 🔎

@volodymyrv5897 Жыл бұрын

"We don't trade, this is our company", that is, the head does not know what the hands are doing, if the head does not control the hands, .... then who controls the hands of the Western countries [Kremlin?].

@bullyinspace Жыл бұрын

So now not only was it burnt down on purpose and demolished fast to avoid any building and development complications they now are reporting a very expensive antique grandfather clock was taken out the pub just before it was torched. As u were lads. Nothing to see here

@aleisterpook1730 Жыл бұрын

Durham calling. Aye, there's a stife around this. My late partner and I spent a very entertaining afternoon here. 20 years ago and I fully admit, I've sometimes gone back, on Google street view, and tried to recapture that moment. We had to sleep it off in the car for a couple of hours before heading across to Matlock and our B+B friends for the night. All safe. a Lovely weird english holiday afternoon. This was the Stonehenge of pubs, imho, and the bottom of this needs to be reached. Namaste.

@MENSA.lady2 Жыл бұрын

The locals don't like it but I can't see that any crime has been committed.

@bullyinspace Жыл бұрын

@@MENSA.lady2 u can’t see arson and corruption ? Alrighty

@MENSA.lady2 Жыл бұрын

Setting fire to your own property is not arson. Prey tell where the corruption idea comes from.

@bullyinspace Жыл бұрын

@@MENSA.lady2 you’re clueless.

@public.public Жыл бұрын

Rebuild it exactly how it was so no fire insurance claim can be used to redevelop the site. Far too many property developers use arson and insurance to redevelop land.

@robtyman4281 11 ай бұрын

Many pubs say they are 'iconic', but The Crooked House really was. A totally unique pub, lost forever. Just tragic.

@Arthur_King_of_the_Britons Жыл бұрын

The Crooked House in Himley, Staffordshire, was built in 1765 and was originally a farmhouse on Oak Farm. Mining beneath the building caused one side of the building to begin gradually sinking until one end of the building was 4 feet (1.2 m) lower than the other, leaning at an angle of 15 degrees. The building was turned into a pub in c. 1830 and was originally named the Glynne Arms

@HilaryB. Жыл бұрын

Thanks for that 👍🏼

@Benzknees Жыл бұрын

Where were they when the business needed custom to keep it open as a pub??

@machidaman Жыл бұрын

They'll be mates with a tory, they will 'apologise', and.local council will approve their planning application.

@minixtvbox Жыл бұрын

True

@WeatherGirlWares Жыл бұрын

That may well be a possibility, or an insurance scam? I just feel so gutted for the residents.

@memyselfandi3762 Жыл бұрын

Sounds like an insurance scam

@aleisterpook1730 Жыл бұрын

Could also be a local. If we can't have it you certainly can't. Skip loads of earth preventing fire and rescue. If I were a professionally suspicious person I'd be asking "Where's the clock?"

@MENSA.lady2 Жыл бұрын

AFAIK no insurance claim has been made. Do you know better ?

@vylbird8014 Жыл бұрын

Likely not, except maybe incidentally. The building was being considered for listed status, which would have made it and the land basically worthless - it's not commercially viable as a pub any more (people just don't go down the local like they use to), but the land was potentially of value. Unless it comes with a big, legally-untouchable building on top.

@GhostFuture2000 Жыл бұрын

@@MENSA.lady2 you don't seem to know much MENCAP.lady

@MENSA.lady2 Жыл бұрын

So far nobody has made a claim. AFAIK there was no policy in place against which a claim could be made.

@gerhardtmuller7439 Жыл бұрын

someone doesn't like pubs...or that one, anyway. i wonder who the new owner is. this is one of the developers' oldest tricks. common knowledge

@OhsoScary Жыл бұрын

That doesn’t sound like a very Britishy thing to do ..”homie”

@gerhardtmuller7439 Жыл бұрын

@homie3461 I'm not surprised at all

@billdoor3140 Жыл бұрын

The owners own the Landfill site a few hundred yards away...they want to expand the Landfill.

@billdoor3140 Жыл бұрын

@homie3461 those animals already destroyed much of that area with the Landfill. Dudley council who's desperate for more Landfill are absolutely involved in this arson attack on our Heritage. The police chief will be instructed to not poke around too much...

@stephenparker9434 Жыл бұрын

@@homie3461 The obvious implication of that was the digger was rented in advance, and used in the event of the fire (after 300 years) for demolition or it was pure coincidence!. One would hope the police have the intelligence to see the before/after relationship working backward. Ltd Columbo would have worked it out, if investigating!

@ruebencover5795 Жыл бұрын

All these people are now complaining that the pub has gone but if they used and spent money in the pub it would have been a thriving pub and still there

@davidmorgan6896 Жыл бұрын

I'm complaining that a unique historic landmark is gone. We could lose a thousand Marston's pubs and be none the worse off, but we need to keep the buildings. The Crooked House could have been redeveloped as a family home, but some money grabbers saw a way to more profit.

@ruebencover5795 Жыл бұрын

@@davidmorgan6896 you don't know that the fire was deliberately done

@volodymyrv5897 Жыл бұрын

Ukraine will only win when Europe and the United States stop hybrid trading with Russia. ! Zelensky and the Pentagon hybrid work for the Kremlin????

@davidmorgan6896 Жыл бұрын

@@ruebencover5795 days after it was purchased, days before a preservation order came into force, a day or so after it was stripped of valuables it mysteriously catches fire and immediately after the demolition crews arrive. You don't need to be Scooby Doo to work this one out.

@user-ef1ox8vi7d Жыл бұрын

@reubencover. Common sense and a degree of intellect will will tell you that it was premeditated and very deliberate.

@bernehalligan Жыл бұрын

it,s funny that a fire appears 2 days after the sale

@homestead44 Жыл бұрын

Same thing happened to a pub in maida vale London, thankfully the owners were forced to rebuild it ! Don't give up, it will be rebuilt ❤🙏 ( Carlton tavern 🍻)

@billdoor3140 Жыл бұрын

Not in Dudley. It'd happened multiple times. Our council are involved. They want the Landfill these people own next door to be expanded. The Landfill already ruined much of that area.

@public.public Жыл бұрын

Fire insurance payout should be conditional on exact replacement of the original. Then arson plus insurance would not pay for the machinations of crooked developers.

@bernehalligan Жыл бұрын

NEW PURCHASERS SERIOUSLY NEED LOOKING INTO,CONSIDERING THEY OWN SURROUNDING LAND,VERY SUS....

@greatbriton8425 Жыл бұрын

We should make it a reserved heritage site in memoriam for ever as revenge

@chrisamies2141 Жыл бұрын

That would certainly make sense ... if the pub can't be rebuilt, then the LA could refuse all applications to build on the site.

@konarider1215 11 ай бұрын

Wealthy farmers and builders will carry on doing stuff like this because they know they can get away with it. The new owners won’t be arrested and there will be a block of persimmon flats on there within a few years. Even more pertinent considering it’s in the Black Country, an area of deprived urban sprawl that needs to hold on to the few historic buildings and open spaces it still has

@berserkirclaws107 Жыл бұрын

My wife really wanted to go there for years now it's a shame we never made the time. I hope they rebuild it and arrest those dodgy people who destroy it without permission (probably after have burned it 🤨).

@matttheflask 11 ай бұрын

Not much probably about it in my mind! Or yours I'd bet?!

@billlowe70 Жыл бұрын

I'd like to say that those people will come together, and, using their combined resources, skills, government aid, and a lot of love, rebuild a pub in the same spot greater than before and will it's own history that will stand for generations to come. But they'lll probably just leave it like that.... Britain.

@davidmorgan6896 Жыл бұрын

How can you rebuild it? You could build something that looked like it, but it would not be the same pub.

@billdoor3140 Жыл бұрын

The Landfill owners and arsonists that own it will turn it into a Landfill with the local councillors help...

@ram64man Жыл бұрын

That could have been rebuilt.

@aleisterpook1730 Жыл бұрын

Why destroy it?

@ram64man Жыл бұрын

@@aleisterpook1730 agreed it happened to soon to prevent the fire inspection. But looking at the walls they seem really to collapse

@philiphardy2715 11 ай бұрын

The new owners should be made to rebuild the house at their own cost.

@AAA19999 Жыл бұрын

Why didn't the mourning locals keep the pub in business in the first place ??

@aceofspades5786 Жыл бұрын

Sold for £675k, fired and demolished.

@stephenparker9434 Жыл бұрын

I bet the land value upon which the pub stood is worth more than £675k, if the land is re-purposed! Hundreds of years of history lay in rubble and dust. If the owners were responsible their moral shame is overshadowed by greed and exploitation and a total disregard to valued heritage and community feelings.

@hanselmansell7555 Жыл бұрын

Listed building. You can't just demolish it to build rabbit hutches.

@aceofspades5786 11 ай бұрын

here in Plymouth, this is what the city council did to our city centre trees.@@stephenparker9434

@1onFrontLine 11 ай бұрын

Similar circumstances at The Leopard in Burslem. But luckily they didnt get chance demolish the pub.

@lawrencevincent1 Жыл бұрын

Dodgy dealings come to mind. I smell a rat in the septic tank....

@philcliffe6909 11 ай бұрын

How's the case going on this crime?

@jeffsuter344 Жыл бұрын

Follow the money. Who benefits?

@billdoor3140 Жыл бұрын

The Landfill owners that own the Landfill next to the pub that already ruined much of that area and dudley council who want the Landfill expanded...

@homewithemma42 11 ай бұрын

Protect our heritage Britons otherwise we lose everything. If it is rebuilt, make sure you drink there and support the place! 🇬🇧🇬🇧

@paulclothier2583 Жыл бұрын

Oh well. The massive mosque they build on that site will be truly a delight to all the locals...

@GraemeWight-wx3xz Жыл бұрын

The owner burnt it down.

@hanselmansell7555 Жыл бұрын

Someone really needs to do time over this perplexing mystery 😠

@danielwhyatt3278 Жыл бұрын

A full investigation really needs to be launched and it’s great that this is what is happening. The place needs to be rebuilt close to what it was. With today’s engineering and planning skills, it is most certainly possible. It won’t be the same, but we can definitely come to something close.

@HOLLASOUNDS Жыл бұрын

No, its illegal to build like that today and would never get past planning.

@luigicirelli2583 Жыл бұрын

this is someone else's property with a £700000 tag price; you want to force an owner to rebuild it, and rebuild even as it was? there is no law that matches that delusion

@brucepickess8097 Жыл бұрын

@@HOLLASOUNDSHmmmmmmm, "build like that today", have you seen the state of some new builds ?????🤔

@HOLLASOUNDS 11 ай бұрын

@@brucepickess8097 I'm talking about planning permission, they will not allow a structure to be built with unconventional form, like wall at an angle and so on.

@tentringer4065 3 ай бұрын

@@luigicirelli2583 turns out there is such a law, funny that.

@allenmarshall3316 Жыл бұрын

All these people now come out of the woodwork to mourn this place, if you had used it in first place it would not be closed down...😡😡😡

@bernehalligan Жыл бұрын

lets see what new owners reactions are to rebuiled

@danh9442 Жыл бұрын

I don't understand this. Was there no moratorium then as a community asset ? Did the locals not want to buy it then ?

@user-zy9yg2eu5t Жыл бұрын

Now we may be all angry at the developers. But whatever you do, do KNOT, plant Japanese Knotweed all over the plot. Although it is tempting to ruin their plans, it would be wrong to *INTRODUCE JAPANESE KNOTWEED* to the plot that they want to develop.

@GhostFuture2000 Жыл бұрын

I may or may not know somebody who may or may not have accidently planed knotweed in the garden of the house he was renting when the landlord decided to play silly buggers with the rental price.

@user-zy9yg2eu5t Жыл бұрын

@@GhostFuture2000 DO KNOT *PLANT KNOTWEED IN THE PROPERTIES OF UNSCRUPULOUS LANDLORDS!* YOU MUST KNOT *DO THIS!*

@billdoor3140 Жыл бұрын

The landowners are the local Landfill owners that already ruined much of that area they're going to expand the Landfill to the pub site...

@GhostFuture2000 11 ай бұрын

@@user-zy9yg2eu5t I will remember you wise words and try KNOT to let it happen again.

@joecavanagh1058 11 ай бұрын

Mr Taylor certainly has an interesting profile

@Gorgepig123 5 ай бұрын

And now they have been ordered to rebuild it exactly as it was 😅 So they did not get away with it !

@dalebenton3354 6 ай бұрын

Im wondering if any thing been done about this crooked house pub yet,Any luck rebuilding it yet ???

@JohnDoe-jq4mt Жыл бұрын

Mourning a pub. English values

@matshanssen2070 Жыл бұрын

Say no more...

@juliehot679 11 ай бұрын

Shame we lost bit of our history like that pub

@BossySwan Жыл бұрын

Disgraceful

@MyJamesy123 Жыл бұрын

Be interesting to see what’s built in its space….

@hanselmansell7555 Жыл бұрын

Rabbit hutches at 5k pcm probably.

@cwilkinsoncwcw Жыл бұрын

It's very funny it burns down just after new people buy it that should be investigated

@Daisy-tl2lh Жыл бұрын

the do this to historic trees as well ... when they're gone they're gone! doing this should preclude any developer/owner from getting planning consent on the land!

@ruebencover5795 Жыл бұрын

That's because they have to as nothing would ever get built. For all the locals say not in my back yard

@user-qh8nw2to5x Жыл бұрын

Definitely going to be new houses the is 33 acres of land with the pub

@kiwijohn3347 Жыл бұрын

The village is probably as much to blame for the demise. If the pub was being utilised, they would have not had to sell it.

@kevslittlesister 11 ай бұрын

Sorry but actually using the word mourn for a building, people in Hawaii have lost 80+ people in raging fires so strong that it melted iron. People trapped in their cars trying to escape only to be trapped, burned alive that's something to mourn about. Don't say it doesn't affect us ,it does if you have a heart beat.

@jojo1212xx 11 ай бұрын

👏👏👏👏 Priorities exactly these people are worried about a pub when there are millions of people all over the world at the moment who have had there homes destroyed by fires and floods China is purpously flooding their own villages and killing their own people to save bejing, Most of Eastern Europe is flooded and hit by heavy rain wildfires everywhere and the total desimation of maui. Spare a thought for those poor people who have been left with zilch many lost their lives. And these people are worrying about a boozer smh. And to be honest if the new owners did demolish it then isn't it there's to do what they want with it regardless. Fair enough it may not be legal but they will pay that price in the end. But people need to get priorities right

@user-mz7qn2rd5e 11 ай бұрын

Crooked builders

@danielbyrne5402 Жыл бұрын

Hope its built back again and crooked too

@supahfly_uk Жыл бұрын

Drinking culture is toxic anyway, less pubs I say.

@oscars4107 Жыл бұрын

Surely this was a listed building ?

@brucepickess8097 Жыл бұрын

Well it was certainly a " Listing Building".😏

@oscars4107 Жыл бұрын

Lol

@Clembo 11 ай бұрын

Follow the money and take it away.

@AndreA-ke2id Жыл бұрын

I can understand people being angry at the loss of a historic building. But most of these are upset at the loss of their place to booze.

@brucepickess8097 Жыл бұрын

Many are going to be BITTER and FOSTER some resentment. There was possibly some SKOLdugger going on here. All those people RUMmaging through the wreckage was horrible to see, and PORTentially dangerous. Yes they are upset, but they need to be handled GINgerly.😏

@harveyquinn5494 11 ай бұрын

GSS

@CFKttv 11 ай бұрын

Carly and adam taylor

@elainebines6803 Жыл бұрын

Hopefully rebuilt in the style it was originally. Definitely something fishy about this though 🤔

@tonyclack5901 Жыл бұрын

They mourned the demolition of a pub they never frequented.

@ascgazz Жыл бұрын

Cue the accent.

@xinma6034 Жыл бұрын

Hahahaha congratulations hahahah British cxxx

@johntaylor3940 5 ай бұрын

WAS IT OWNED BY ASIAN'S

@cornellkirk8946 11 ай бұрын

Out with the old, in with the new! Should put a multi story car park there or something more practical. No one goes to pubs anymore anyway, hence why it was no longer I viable business

@recommended4134 Жыл бұрын

Where are all the Wonky locals gonna go now?.. You lot are gonna have to straighten up.. 😉

@Maggy47 Жыл бұрын

Old news

@christopherlawledge9093 Жыл бұрын

Carly Taylor ?

@christopherlawledge9093 Жыл бұрын

And dodgy partner Adam any thing to say. All so willey warks .Sarah Mansfield very very dodgy

@dussel69deboath61 Жыл бұрын

one does wonder if those ppl get to build on that site....if mysterious fires break out on those new builds....could just be karma....

@billdoor3140 Жыл бұрын

I thought the same...BUT those who own it are the Landfill owners that already ruined much of that area. The council are involved as they're desperate for more Landfill. They will expand the Landfill. They don't want t9 build on it they want to use it as a Landfill

@zh269 11 ай бұрын

"Brick by brick"

@LewisNuke92 Жыл бұрын

Thoughts and prayers to everyone affected

@aleisterpook1730 Жыл бұрын

A community, entire.

@vylbird8014 Жыл бұрын

Not as many as you'd think. It was already closed down and sold off, and the new owner had no intention of re-opening as a pub. It's just not commercially viable as a business any more. Costs of everything have gone up, and people just aren't going out to socialise like they used to - the whole sector is struggling, pubs are closing down all over the country. It's been lost as a landmark after the fire, but it was already lost as a pub.