Former Crooked House landlords appalled at fire and demolition

The past landlord astatine "Britain's wonkiest pub" said the caller occurrence and demolition of the gathering would tarnish memories.

Lee Goodchild, 46, ran the Crooked House adjacent Dudley from September 2022 until it precocious shut.

His views were echoed by Tom and Laura Catton who near the pub successful 2008 but visited the remains connected Tuesday for 1 past portion successful the rubble.

It had been a assemblage focal constituent the community, they said.

The Crooked House was gutted by occurrence connected Saturday night. The ammunition of the gathering was near lasting but it was bulldozed connected Monday afternoon. Officials person said the demolition was unacceptable and perchance unlawful.

South Staffordshire Council said it was looking astatine imaginable enforcement enactment against those responsible.

Mr Goodchild, who lives successful Worcestershire, said helium was "pretty low" erstwhile helium had to permission the pub, aft brewer Marston's enactment it up for sale, but the occurrence and the astonishing demolition had near him "appalled".

The landlord has been successful the pub commercialized for much than 25 years, but said helium was present reasoning of leaving the concern and added: "This has conscionable truly taken its toll."

He said helium had been received galore messages since the fire, but had recovered it hard to look astatine the pictures of the pub helium erstwhile ran.

He described the Crooked House arsenic an "iconic building" and had thought the erstwhile owners, Marston's, would person wanted it to stay a pub.

The erstwhile farmhouse was a fashionable attraction successful the West Midlands for decades aft Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries bought it and converted it into a pub successful the 1940s.

It became celebrated for its uneven floors, owed to subsidence caused by mining, and radical often went to to witnesser the illusion of coins and marbles appearing to rotation uphill on the bar.

Tom and Laura Catton ran and lived successful the pub for much than 2 years. They said the quirks of the gathering had a lasting appeal.

"It was the focal constituent of the assemblage and it brought truthful galore radical to the assemblage due to the fact that radical had travel from each implicit the satellite conscionable to person a look astatine this marble tally up the hill," Mrs Catton said.

"And, it would bring radical into different section businesses arsenic well."

She said the pub commercialized had changed a batch implicit the years, but the Covid pandemic truly had a atrocious interaction though she believed it should person remained open.

"They struggled with the extracurricular service, the array service," she said.

"The pub commercialized has changed an atrocious batch but I can't spot however a pub that was pulling radical successful from each implicit the satellite couldn't prolong itself."

Talk of the pub being rebuilt ceramic by ceramic was a comfort, but they said they doubted it would go reality, chiefly owed to rising costs.

Mr Goodchild said radical of each ages had stories to archer astir it and agreed answers were needed.

"People request to cognize the information of what's gone on," helium said.

Other radical reminiscing astir the pub see Dawn Yates from Halesowen who went connected a unsighted day astatine the Crooked House 21 years agone and is inactive with the antheral she met there.

She said she was "absolutely gutted" she would not get the accidental to instrumentality her children determination now.

Another woman, who went determination erstwhile she was younger, said: "You conscionable spell for the amusement worth really, it was conscionable an aged fashioned satellite pub with each the quirky pieces"

She said she was "devastated due to the fact that it was conscionable portion of the Black Country".

A antheral who played for the pub's shot squad successful the 1980s said: "Americans utilized to travel determination and they conscionable couldn't judge it."