Angry locals pinch bricks from 'UK's wonkiest pub' as souvenirs amid arson row

10 August 2023 , 16:12

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Residents living near 'Britain's wonkiest pub' have been taking bricks as souvenirs after a fire burned down the boozer before it was demolished.

The Crooked House in Himley, Staffordshire, was gutted over the weekend by the mystery blaze - which police say they are treating as arson. The remains were then knocked down by diggers, allegedly without council permission.

The boozer was bought by entrepreneur Adam Taylor, 44, and his wife Carly, 34, days before the fire. Locals are fighting to protect the 18th Century building and some are calling for it to be rebuilt.

Others have taken to social media to admit to pinching some keepsakes from the rubble. One person posted on Facebook: "I was saddened to see people taking ‘souvenirs’ from the site.

"Maybe some of these bricks/signs etc could be taken to the Black Country Living Museum for safekeeping. Perhaps in the form of an exhibition as a tribute to the pub. At least they would be in one place."

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Angry locals pinch bricks from 'UK's wonkiest pub' as souvenirs amid arson row

The burnt out remains of The Crooked House (PA)

A second said: "PLEASE STOP taking anything away from the demolition site. It’s giving out the wrong image when on national news we see people climbing over the rubble picking up and taking away bits and pieces as a souvenir.

"This will stop people taking this criminal destruction and public desire to rebuild seriously. If you are taking souvenirs from the site, it makes me question your motivation to be at the site at all. It can’t be rebuilt if parts of it are being removed. PLEASE STOP."

30 firefighters battled the blaze near Dudley on Saturday night, with the building then knocked down two days later. West Midlands police said in a statement: "Our investigation into a fire at the Crooked House on Himley Road last Saturday continues as we try to understand the circumstances, which we are now treating as arson."

The fire broke out on Saturday and is being treated as arson (BPM Media)

Mr Taylor - a plant hire boss and shareholder, as well as a former director at Himley Environmental - also bought the Sarah Mansfield Country Inn, in Willey, Warwickshire, in 2020.

It's understood the interior was ripped out before council planners issued a 'stop notice'. The entrepreneur later submitted a planning application to convert the first floor of the pub to six letting bedrooms. The ground floor was to be restored to a pub, while two further homes would be built in the car park.

Rugby Borough Council approved a request by villagers to protect the pub as 'an asset of community value' in March 2021, but the decision was overturned by appeal.

The pub was demolished two days after it was gutted by fire (PA)

There is no suggestion that the Taylors are accused of any wrongdoing.

Staffordshire Police's Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Chisholm said: "We understand the significance of this much-loved building, and the upset and anger felt by many, so want to reassure you we're doing all we can to understand more about what happened and who was responsible.

"There is lots of misinformation circulating within communities and online and this is unhelpful. We're trying to provide accurate and timely updates, but as I am sure you can appreciate there is a lot of work and liaison with a number of partners which needs to be completed, and this takes time.

"There are also certain things that police and fire do not have the powers to deal with, the decision around partial demolition of the building, for example, when the scene was handed back to the owner."