Two men have been arrested by Staffordshire Police on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life in connection with the fire that destroyed the historic Crooked House pub in Himley, Staffordshire, England. The suspects, a 66-year-old man from Dudley and a 33-year-old man from Milton Keynes, are currently being questioned by the authorities.
The 18th-century pub, known for its lopsided walls and sagging foundation, was gutted by the blaze on August 5. The Crooked House, dubbed “Britain’s wonkiest” due to its slumping foundation and sloping walls, had recently been sold. Locals were devastated when the charred remains of the pub were bulldozed two days later, before the cause of the fire had been determined and without proper permission from local authorities.
The pub, originally built as a farmhouse in 1765, had sunk on one side due to extensive coal mining in the area. It was later transformed into a pub called The Siden House in 1830, named after the local dialect word for “crooked.” After being condemned as unsafe in the 1940s, new owners reinforced the structure, giving it structural stability while retaining its unique asymmetrical features. Renamed The Crooked House, it became a popular tourist attraction, known for its tilting grandfather clock and a bar where coins and marbles appeared to roll uphill.
Prior to the fire, an online petition called “Save The Crooked House” was launched to preserve the pub, as the new owners had plans to repurpose the building. The petition had garnered over 22,000 signatures by the time of the blaze.
Firefighters faced difficulties reaching the pub during the fire due to a large mound of dirt blocking the rural road. Protesters later gathered to prevent heavy machinery from participating in the salvage operation. The South Staffordshire Council has reached an agreement with the new owners to preserve the bricks and foundation pieces at the site, with ongoing monitoring of the restoration work.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, and authorities are working to determine the extent of the damage and the potential for rebuilding the pub.
