Story of pub wrongly demolished and rebuilt brick-by-brick could give Crooked House campaigners hope

The demise of the Crooked House has led to campaigners calling for the pub to be rebuilt brick-by-brick, similar to the Carlton Tavern.

Since the fire which gutted the pub on August 5 and the demolition work two days later, leading figures in the region such as West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and Dudley North MP Marco Longhi and campaign groups Campaign for Pubs and Facebook group Save the Crooked House (Let's get it rebuilt) have spoken out about the need to preserve the pub.

Mr Street said: "We have been very clear from the moment the Crooked House was demolished without permission that we believe it should be rebuilt brick-by-brick, and we remain laser-focused on making that happen."

Meanwhile Mr Longhi said: "It’s a huge loss as it was a place of significance to the whole region and something people in Dudley certainly treasured, so a lot of people are very upset."

Campaigner Paul Turner started a petition to Save The Crooked House and has had to alter it twice, following the fire and subsequent demolition.

Before the blaze, his petition had gathered a few hundred signatures.

It now has more than 19,000 signatures and he is calling for the pub to be rebuilt as an exact replica.

Experts have said that the chances of rebuilding the pub, which was famous for being the wonkiest pub in the country, do exist, but the work could take up to three years and cost up to £3 million.

However, while that might seem a long time and a lot of money, campaigners will hope to follow the story of the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale in London.

The pub, which was built in 1921 and was the only pub on the street to survive the Blitz during the Second World War, was bulldozed by Tel Aviv-based developer CLTX in 2015.

The Carlton Tavern had closed in April 2021 and the developers had applied for the building to be converted into 10 flats, but had been denied planning permission.

Just two days before Historic England was due to recommend the pub be granted Grade II listed status, the owners ordered the demolition of the pub, with bulldozers seen shearing away the walls on April 8, 2015, leaving the bar and darts trophies still out on full display.

Westminster Council had confirmed to the Brent and Kilburn Times at the time that the demolition had taken place without permission and was seeking legal advice concerning whether any action was legally possible.

After a concerted campaign from thousands of local residents and councillors, the developers were ordered by Westminster Council to rebuild the pub brick-by-brick.

A planning inquiry the following year confirmed the decision, ruling that the pub should be rebuilt in facsimile, from the red bricks to the distinctive tiled pub name, with photos and documented evidence from Historic England being used to help with the rebuild.

The Carlton Tavern was officially reopened to the public on April 12, 2021 and has flourished as a pub since, offering a range of local beers and also providing food.

James Watson, the pub protection adviser for the Campaign for Pubs, advised the Carlton campaign.

He told the Brent and Kilburn Times: “I never imagined that I would see a planning inspector order a developer to put back what he’d just knocked down, to look exactly as it was.

"I thought the developer would get a slap on the wrist, a £6,000 fine.

"But I was flabbergasted and it has set an incredibly useful precedent. Other planning inspectors will remember it, and so will developers.”