Landmark 'wonky' Crooked House demolished

A landmark pub successful the Black Country has been demolished 2 days aft occurrence ripped done the building.

The Crooked House, adjacent Dudley, erstwhile known arsenic "Britain's wonkiest pub", caught occurrence connected Saturday night.

Staffordshire Police and the occurrence work are trying to found the cause.

Photos emerged connected societal media connected Monday day showing a ample heap of rubble wherever the pub erstwhile stood, shocking locals and erstwhile customers.

It is not yet wide who demolished the pub, which was was sold by erstwhile proprietor Marston's to a backstage buyer, it was revealed past month.

The spot was built successful 1765 arsenic a farmhouse but, owed to mining successful the country during the aboriginal 19th Century, 1 broadside of the gathering began to sink.

Up to 30 firefighters were called to the gathering astatine astir 22:00 BST connected Saturday, with flames mostly extinguished by Sunday morning.

Former Labour MP for Dudley North, Lord Ian Austin, an autarkic peer, tweeted it emerged during Saturday's events the "lane to the pub" was "apparently blocked".

Such circumstances appeared to beryllium corroborated by comments from a firefighter.

The owners of the gathering would beryllium spoken to arsenic portion of inquiries, constabulary person said.

The spot 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.

Visitors flocked to spot the distinctive gathering and witnesser the illusion of coins and marbles appearing to rotation uphill on the bar.

Marston's listed it for merchantability successful March with a usher terms of £675,000. The determination was met with a nationalist petition to support the tract arsenic a pub.

The institution said it was "shocked and disappointed" to larn astir the occurrence astatine the pub

A tract inspection was being carried retired connected Monday, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said connected Monday afternoon.

"We cognize the value that the gathering has wrong the section assemblage and we are moving alongside our colleagues successful the constabulary to analyse what happened," a spokesperson said.

Det Insp Richard Dancey, of Staffordshire Police, said: "This incidental has caused a large woody of speculation locally and we recognize the value of the gathering wrong the section community."

The unit encouraged anyone with accusation to travel forward.