Owners are ordered to rebuild Crooked House
Joy for fans of wonky pub illegally bulldozed after fire
AMIDLAND landmark pub is set to be rebuilt after its destruction sparked anger amongst the local community.
The Crooked House in Himley caught fire on August 5 last year in what police are treating as arson.
The wonky pub, which leaned to one side as a result of land subsidence, was then unlawfully demolished prompting protests from the local community.
South Staffordshire Council announced that it had served an enforcement notice on the owners on Tuesday.
The owners have 30 days to appeal and the notice must be complied with within three years.
If work is not completed within the time limit, the local authority can prosecute for failure to comply with the notice, it added.
Leader of South Staffordshire Council Roger Lees said: “A huge amount of time and resources have been put into investigating the unauthorised demolition of the Crooked House.
“We have had great support from the local community, our MPs and the mayor of the West Midlands, and from the campaign group whose aim is to see the Crooked House back to its former glory, which is the key objective of the enforcement notice.”
Mr Lees said the authority had “not taken this action lightly” but it was “committed to do what we can to get the Crooked House rebuilt”.
Paul Turner, the campaign leader of the Save the Crooked House Facebook group, said its members were “very, very happy with the work that the council has done so quickly”.
Mr Turner, from Wombourne, described the Crooked House as a Black Country icon that had attracted attention from all over the world.
“I think it will ultimately be rebuilt but we have to wait and see what happens,” he added.
The 18th-century pub had been a popular attraction in the region, with visitors flocking to see the distinctive leaning building.
It was first built in 1765 as a farmhouse, but due to mining in the area during the early 19th century, one
side of the building began to gradually sink.
The building had been sold by Wolverhampton brewer Marston’s to ATE Farms Ltd, which at the time was controlled by former nail technician Carly Taylor, less than a fortnight earlier. The pub had been listed for sale for £675,000.
Himley Environmental Ltd operates a landfill site next to the pub and was at the time run by Taylor’s husband Adam.
More than 35,000 people threw their support behind a campaign to see the pub rebuilt brick by brick. Dudley North MP Marco Longhi, who had fought for a law to protect
heritage pubs, previously said: “This is an act of commitment from the community, very publicly, where we are renewing our vows to see the Crooked House rebuilt brick by brick.
“That’s what the community wants and that’s what we are pursuing.” The 18th-century pub was known for its sloping walls and floor, caused by mining subsidence in the area. Former manager of the pub, John Hutchinson, said support had flooded in from people across the world, with many keen to hear the history behind the building.
The Save the Crooked House campaign group and contractors agreed to secure the 25,000 bricks from the building and they were kept in padlocked containers.
Five men and one woman were arrested in connection with the fire and remain on bail following the fire last year.