The owners of “Britain’s strangest pub”, which was destroyed in a fire last summer before being demolished, have accepted a council order to rebuild it – but want therefore in a new location, according to planning documents.
Local residents were outraged when Crooked House, an 18th-century public house in the Black Country village of Himley, near Dudley, West Midlands, was destroyed in a suspected arson attack in August, before being torn down without permission two days later .
The emblematic building, which dates back to 1735, was a well-known tourist attraction due to 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 served an enforcement notice ordering the owners of ATE Farms to rebuild the iconic pub following its “unlawful demolition” and restore it to the state it was in before the devastating fire that destroyed it, including the walls and sloping 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 Crooked House, dubbed “Britain’s weirdest pub”, which was destroyed in a fire last summer before being demolished, have agreed to rebuild it but want to do so 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 lodged on behalf of the owner reveals his intention to redevelop the pub on another piece of land he owns, along with other developments to “increase footfall”.
It says: ‘The appellant has not refused to rebuild the building and has actively collaborated with the council in this regard.
‘Demanding a rebuild on the same site, while reflecting popular opinion, will not change the fact that the building on that site is not viable as a tavern.
Local residents were outraged when Crooked House, an 18th-century pub in the Black Country village of Himley, near Dudley, West Midlands, was destroyed in a suspected arson attack in August, before being torn down without permission two days later .
«For this reason, the appellant has proposed to the city council a sustainable solution, and what it considers genuine and practical, for it to reconstruct the building on other land of its property, to function as a tavern, with other developments to increase the influx of public. and give the pub and building a real chance of success as a community asset.
“The proposal locates a newly built Crooked House pub along with suitable parking and gardens further north of Crooked House Lane and as close as possible to the motorway junction with Himley Road.”
The document also reveals the reasons why the owners claim the former pub had to be completely demolished after council officials agreed to only remove three elements of the building to make it safe.
It says that after council officers left the site there were further problems and “it had not been anticipated that the removal of the three ordered items would make the rest of the building unsafe”.
The document says: ‘The removal of the upper sections of the building took with it the steel ties which made the remaining structure, in the opinion of the contractors, completely unsafe and at a high (and unacceptable) risk of collapse.
‘Council officials had abandoned the ground and a quick decision had to be made.
‘The situation on the ground was such that, due to extensive media attention and public attendance, a decision had to be made quickly regarding the immediate safety of the building.
The iconic building, which dates back to 1735, was converted from a farm to a pub in 1830 and was famous for its crooked appearance.
The popular pub was famous for being the place where coins and marbles seemingly rolled uphill along the bar.
‘A decision was made, with reference to the appellant’s director, that, to reduce the risk, it was necessary to demolish the pillar of the remaining structure.
‘There was considered to be a high risk of the building collapsing and causing serious injury or death on the site given the entry of a large number of people onto the site, some of whom were holding vigils and others removing bricks and other items such as souvenirs/for sale.’
There are also plans to build an educational center in the area which would tie in with local history and partly include retirement lodges located within the existing woodland.
It adds: “In this regard, the appellant is in the process of preparing a detailed pre-application for submission to the council (and neighboring authorities).”
The demolition of the famous pub sparked a huge uprising by activists calling 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 has more than 37,000 members.
Staffordshire Police, who are treating the fire at Crooked House as an arson attack, 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 pub in 1830 and was famous for its crooked appearance.
With one side of the building about 4 feet lower than the other, it was famous as the place where coins and marbles apparently rolled uphill along the bar.