Police investigate fire at ‘UK’s wonkiest pub’ as boozer is destroyed in blaze after ‘intruders spotted hours before’
COPS are investigating a fire at the UK’s “wonkiest pub” after the boozer was destroyed in a horror blaze.
The Crooked House, in Himley, Staffordshire, caught fire at around 10pm on Saturday night.
The fire came days after the brewery confirmed that the 18th-Century boozer was bought by developers and would no longer operate as a pub.
Staffordshire and West Midlands fire services raced to the scene on Himley Road to battle the flames but could not contain the inferno.
According to The Telegraph, one local said that intruders had been seen inside the closed pub and seemed to be partying and playing music.
Cops said no one was inside the building when it went up in flames.
And they confirmed they were now working to “establish the cause” of the fire.
One witness told the Express & Star: “I went up to my yard to check on my horses and could see a lot of smoke coming from the area of The Crooked House so we drove closer to have a look and could see that it was on fire.”
A police forensics team have since been spotted in the pub car park as they probe the fire.
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: “Officers were called to a report of a fire at what used to be the Crooked House pub on Himley Road at 10:45pm last night.
“Crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service were already in attendance and had extinguished the blaze. No one was believed to be inside the building and no one has been reported injured.
“We are now working with fire investigators to establish the cause of the fire. Fire investigators are inspecting the scene this morning and officers are making local enquiries to secure any information that might help the investigation.
“Anyone who may have any information that could help with the investigation are asked to get in touch.”
Once dubbed “Britain’s wonkiest pub”, the boozer was put on the market by brewers Marston’s in March with a guide price of £675,000.
Following a June break in, which caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage and saw one person arrested, the landlord was told on July 7 they had to cease trading.
The pub later announced on Facebook: “The Crooked House has been sold.
“Unlikely to be open its doors again. Marston’s have sold the site to a private buyer for alternative use.”
The building was constructed in 1765 as a farmhouse but became a pub in the 1830s with people flocking to see how one side is 4ft (1.2m) lower than the other.
Originally called “The Siden House”, meaning crooked in Black Country dialect – the pub got its bizarre effect through subsidence caused by mining in the 1800s.
The Crooked House became known for being the place where coins and marbles seemingly rolled uphill along the bar.
The slanted structure is kept standing as a result of being propped up by buttresses made of bricks and metal bars.
The popular tourist attraction had been a Grade II listed building since 1960.