The Crooked House will be rebuilt, says MP on third anniversary of fire that shook the Black Country

A Black Country MP has said that the fight to get the Crooked House rebuilt must go on - three years after it went up in flames in a suspected arson attack.

Today, August 5, marks the third anniversary since the pub at Himley, near Dudley, burned down, attracting headlines around the world.

Two days later the pub was unlawfully demolished on the instructions of its new owner, A T E Farms Ltd, which had bought the building from pub operator Marston’s less than two weeks before.

Writing for the Express & Star, Kingswinford and South Staffordshire MP Mike Wood said he remained confident that the pub would be rebuilt.

Mr Wood, who has been a prominent supporter of the campaign to rebuild the pub, said allowing the Crooked House to be forgotten would set a precedent that owners of other historic buildings could demolish them at will.

More than 40,000 people have signed petitions calling for the pub to be rebuilt.

Six people have been arrested in connection with the fire, but nobody has been charged.

An enforcement notice issued by South Staffordshire Council ordered A T E Farms, its director Adam Taylor, and his wife Carly Taylor was a director of the company at the time, to rebuild the Crooked House.

The company and Mr and Mrs Taylor appealed the decision, and the planning inspectorate agreed to delay the hearing until all criminal proceedings were complete.

Mr Wood said: “The Crooked House will be rebuilt. It has to be.

“The fire on August 5, 2023 was devastating enough, but what happened next was an outrage. Just 48 hours later, before the ash was even cold and before investigators could properly examine the scene, heavy diggers rolled in. In a matter of hours, 250 years of Black Country history was reduced to a pile of crushed bricks.”

Mr Wood has since introduced his Heritage Public Houses Bill into the Commons, which passed its second reading in October last year. If it becomes law, councils will be obliged to keep a register of historic pubs, and prevent owners from demolishing them or turning them into flats without offering to a pub operator first.

Paul Turner, leader of the campaign to get the Crooked House rebuilt, said supporters were determined to fight on.

“We’re still as determined as we ever were, right from the start,” he said.

“We have to keep reassuring people we haven’t given up. When things take a long time, it’s not always that easy to keep people engaged, but we’re fighting on. We’re as determined as we ever have been.”

A documentary film recalling the events of three years ago was given its premiere at The Mill in Upper Gornal at the weekend.

Crooked House must not be forgotten

By Mike Wood, MP for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire

Three years ago this week, an unbelievable act of destruction shocked our community to its core. A thick plume of dark smoke drifted across Himley as flames devoured the Crooked House.

I’ll never forget the moment I heard the news. Like many across the Black Country and Staffordshire, I felt sick to my stomach. This wasn’t just any old boozer going up in smoke. This was our Crooked House – Britain’s wonkiest pub; a place like nowhere else on earth.

For those who never had the pleasure of a pint there, let me paint you a picture. Built in 1765, centuries of coal mining beneath had left the whole building at bonkers angles – the 15-degree tilt was three times that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. You could roll a coin uphill across the bar. Bottles looked like they were defying gravity.

First-timers would walk in, have a pint, and swear they were already drunk.

It was a proud symbol of our region’s industrial history and a uniquely British icon. It represented so much about what makes our region special. It was ours.

So when it was sold, people were immediately worried. Those worries turned to horror just weeks later.

The fire on August 5, 2023 was devastating enough, but what happened next was an outrage. Just 48 hours later, before the ash was even cold and before investigators could properly examine the scene, heavy diggers rolled in. In a matter of hours, 250 years of Black Country history was reduced to a pile of crushed bricks.

But here’s what the people behind this didn’t count on: they underestimated our community.

Within hours, more than 40,000 people signed petitions demanding the pub be rebuilt. The Save the Crooked House campaign became a national cause. South Staffordshire District Council – credit where it’s due – responded quickly with an enforcement notice ordering the owners to rebuild it brick by brick.

Job done? Not even close.

Six people were arrested. Police and fire investigators did their bit and sent everything to the Crown Prosecution Service. We’re still waiting for them to decide whether to bring charges.

Meanwhile, the owners have appealed against the rebuild order. But that appeal can’t be heard until the criminal investigation wraps up. So we’re stuck waiting, while that fenced-off patch of ground sits there as a constant reminder of what was taken from us.

I know some have lost faith. “It’ll never be rebuilt, Mike,” people tell me. “You’re kidding yourself.”

I get the cynicism. I really do. The delays are beyond frustrating, and they are made worse by not knowing what is going on in whichever CPS office is handling the case.

But here’s what I say to the doubters: we’re not giving up. Not now, not ever.

That enforcement notice remains legally binding. The campaign hasn’t gone away – if anything, people are more determined than ever.

The Crooked House will be rebuilt. It has to be.

We won’t forget.

But we also need to make sure this can never happen again – not here, not anywhere. That’s why I’m proud to launch my Heritage Public Houses Bill, which will have its Second Reading in the House of Commons on October 16.

Under my draft law, councils will keep a register of heritage pubs – protecting any pub at least 150 years old, or recognised for its special heritage value. When one gets sold, the new owner has to tell the council. If they want to close it, they can’t just demolish it or turn it into flats; they have to offer it for sale as a working pub first – either to an existing pub operator or to a community take-over.

And importantly, heritage pubs will be protected while a decision is made as to whether to add them as listed buildings. The local county councillor, Victoria Wilson, had applied to register the Crooked House as a listed building once news broke that it was for sale, but it was burnt down and demolished before that application could ever be considered. Under my Bill, the moment a historic pub is nominated for official listing, it will get immediate ‘interim protection’. Developers will be legally blocked from rushing in with diggers while the paperwork is being processed.

The Crooked House highlighted gaps in our laws. Historic pubs that mean the world to their communities but don’t have formal heritage protection are vulnerable. This bill closes those gaps.

As we mark three years since that dark weekend, we remember the heartbreak, but we also celebrate the extraordinary unity it sparked. The fight to rebuild the Crooked House goes on – and with this new law, we will ensure that other communities do not suffer the same fate.

Britain’s wonkiest pub deserves nothing less.