The now total destruction of The Crooked House at Himley, Staffordshire is very sad news. Built c. 1765, and later altered, extended, and propped up, the pub was a much-loved local landmark – the distinctive ‘crooked’ slope of the building followed subsidence caused by 19th century mining. The pub was tragically gutted by fire late on Saturday August 5th, just one month after being sold to developers. The remaining fire-damaged structure was subsequently bull-dozed entirely on the following Monday.
The Georgian Group was actively engaged in trying to secure a sustainable future for The Crooked House. Conservation Advisers made a recent site visit to assess the building’s merits and potential for listing. We have now been in contact with the LPA to discuss the next steps.
David Adshead, the Director of The Georgian Group, said: “It is always shocking when a building that has survived for centuries is suddenly lost to fire, reminding us of how emotionally attached we are to our everyday surroundings – in the case of The Crooked House at Himley a building celebrated for its quirky distinctiveness, its imperfection rather than its conventional beauty. It was a much loved local landmark and attracted the interest of tourists from further afield. What better witness to the history of local mining than a pub that listed at a drunken angle as a result of subsidence?”
The West Midlands mayor, Andy Street, has called for the pub to be “rebuilt brick by brick (using as much original material as possible) before any further discussions about the future of the site take place”. A police investigation into the cause of the fire is on-going.