BBC archive footage from 1961 shows The Crooked House in all its wonky glory
The building that became known as The Crooked House started life in 1765, the year that King William IV was born, Catherine the Great was ruling Russia and the world’s first true restaurant opened in Paris.
It gained its nickname after subsidence lowered one side of the building by several feet over sufficiently many years for it not to cause collapse, leaving it looking like this –
Sadly, the former farm building and pub in Himley, Staffordshire, is no more than a memory, because last week – shortly after being bought by the owners of a neighbouring property – a fire gutted the place before firefighters could get past a mound of soil in the approaching road.
Footage shows extent of damage to iconic Crooked House Pub in Dudley after a fire broke out last night.
Read more: https://t.co/tSZr8k1Xzf pic.twitter.com/oAQLSZ2dFC— ITV News Central (@ITVCentral) August 6, 2023
Despite the outer walls remaining standing – and without the advice to do so or permission of the local council – the remains were demolished shortly afterwards.
Within hours of @StaffsPolice and @StaffsFire leaving The Crooked House at Himley, footage has emerged of a digger moving onto site and quickly demolishing the building.
Credit: Anonymous- Facebook Spotted Russells Hall pic.twitter.com/wxOXXOFsI2
— Paul Dadge (@Dadgey) August 8, 2023
The fire and destruction of the iconic West Midlands landmark triggered shock, anger and suspicion.
1.
Absolute disgrace that The Crooked House gets bought last week and closed down. Then strangely enough burns to the ground a few days later! 100’s of years of history gone. pic.twitter.com/oqek9z7Azu
— Nath (@nathwwfc_) August 6, 2023
2.
1765-2007: Cigarettes lit, smoked and discarded in the bar.
It doesn’t burn down.1939-1945: Luftwaffe rains incendiary bombs on the West Midlands. It doesn’t burn down.
July 2023: It sells to property developers.
August 2023: The Crooked House burns down. And is demolished. pic.twitter.com/w2XITXtw2n
— Trevor Beattie (@trevorbmbagency) August 8, 2023
3.
"The Crooked House" would be a bit on the nose as a title for a novel in which a building mysteriously gets burned down shortly after it's been purchased for redevelopment, wouldn't it.
— Laura Lupin Howard (@bugsandfishes) August 7, 2023
4.
Extraordinarily bad luck for the new owners of this historic building which was sold last week "for alternative use." They must be kicking themselves!https://t.co/HzfY7pBlm3
— John Self (@john_self) August 6, 2023
5.
I think this pub should be rebuilt brick for brick, exactly as it was. pic.twitter.com/0pGBieMey9
— John Simpson (@JohnSimpsonNews) August 9, 2023
Police now believe the fire to have been started deliberately and are trying to find the arsonist or arsonists behind it.
Crooked House: Fire at 'wonkiest' pub treated as arson – police https://t.co/mT4zkeIYWd
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) August 9, 2023
Forensic teams with dogs have been at the ruins of The Crooked House pub in Dudley, which police are now treating as arsonhttps://t.co/6itqkxghJO pic.twitter.com/lSUent69o3
— ITV News Central (@ITVCentral) August 9, 2023
In a statement, Staffordshire Police said this –
“We believe the fire may have been started deliberately and police are now leading the investigation.”
National treasure Pam Ayres marked the event with a poem.
The Crooked House, The Crooked House,
Somehow caught alight,
The Crooked House, mysteriously
Bulldozed in the night,
Little wonky pub, where folk forgot about their trouble,
Funny and familiar,
And flat.
Reduced to rubble.©Pam Ayres 2023
— Pam Ayres MBE (@PamAyres) August 10, 2023
For those who weren’t familiar with The Crooked House, there is plenty of archive material showing it in all its wonky glory, such as this BBC clip from 1961.
In 1961, Tonight took a tentative step inside the Glynne Arms in Himley (later known as The Crooked House) for a look around "the most cockeyed pub in England" and to ask which end was up and which end was down. pic.twitter.com/62QuBcUHtr
— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) August 9, 2023
Here are a few reactions.
1.
Delightful to watch this footage but so horribly sad to know it’s now gone.
A most unique and loved building taken by soulless, greedy, money hungry types who currently seem to be ruining everything of any true worth within the UK #CrookedHouse https://t.co/yvtPkq97KM— Clare Caudery (@clare_caudery) August 10, 2023
2.
1961 – The Crooked House was a historic national treasure before most of us were born. pic.twitter.com/jj40RA8v9E
— Marie-Ann Detests Tories 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 (@MarieAnnUK) August 9, 2023
3.
I so loved this pub not far from where I grew up – and was hoping to take my own kids to see it @dudleymbc #CrookedHouse please protect our heritage https://t.co/zsbSNcsgVo
— sarah thom (@worldofthom) August 10, 2023
4.
Should have been made a ‘ Listed’ building….get it! https://t.co/Ax7WrWaUpW
— Andy Miller (@andyflyfisher) August 10, 2023
5.
Why archive news footage matters as much as archive music, sport and drama.
— Ian Tempest (@iantempest56) August 9, 2023
Tony Pollard made this very good point.
Useful reference material when every brick has to be put back. https://t.co/qjtQ1wr0e0
— Tony Pollard (@ProfTonyPollard) August 9, 2023
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Source BBC Archive Image Screengrab