10 years since Wolverhampton bowling alley Strykers burned down in 'deliberate' fire
Before the tragedy of the Crooked House another Black Country destination was destroyed by arson.
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It is 10 years since Strykers Bowling Alley burnt to the ground, and now the Bushbury landmark is weed infested wasteland.
On the Sunday before Christmas 2013, former customers, staff and owners were distraught to see the building collapse due to a raging inferno, just two months after the business closed.
Brave firefighters battled the blaze and one suffered minor injuries to his ankle while tackling the fire and had to be taken to hospital as a precaution.
Just days after the fire at the bowling alley and another landmark site in Bushbury was torched.
This time it was the Bushbury Arms on Showell Circus on December 27. On that occasion arsonists had broken into the disused pub and set the bar area alight. History, is destined to repeat itself, with the intervening years potmarked by pub fires.
The bulldozers were not as quick as those which levelled the Crooked House within 48 hours of the fire but the empty of husk of Strykers was pulled down in the following January.
Strykers, which was run by Kent-based Garland Leisure Ltd, had closed suddenly in the October before the fire leaving customers who had booked functions upset at being left in the dark.
Immediately it was a target for metal thieves the day after it emerged it had closed. Thieves had caused thousands of pounds worth of damage by removing water tanks and copper piping. Two men aged 19 and 20 were arrested nearby on suspicion of burglary.
Alex Cox remembered Stryker's fondly. He said: "Loved that place 30 odd years ago, my mom and aunty worked in the kitchen there, so my cousin and me were always in there."
Syd Saeed added: "I used to be the doorman there 1996-98. Lots of great memories and love to play snooker when off."
As well as the bowling alley there was a Laser Quest and Sega World. Strykers is still part of Wolverhampton in spirit, thousands of drivers every day pass under the Stafford Road bridge which still has its name emblazoned across it.
Leigh Dappa posted on Facebook: "With Strykers long gone, I'm surprised this hasn't been painted over. I loved Sega World and on Saturday mornings, after my paper round, me and a friend would go over and pay £4 each and be able to play the arcades from 10am until about midday."
Although investigators quickly moved to say the fire was deliberate, by May 2014 West Midlands Police had exhausted all lines of enquiry.
Plenty of plans for the land have come and gone, the latest is a detailed application from Lidl supermarket.
