The owners of the Crooked House pub near Dudley have been ordered to rebuild it after the historic building was destroyed in a suspected arson attack.
Once known as “Britain’s wonkiest” inn, the 258-year-old pub in Himley was reduced to rubble following a fire on 5 August 2023.
In a post on X, West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, praised South Staffordshire Council, adding: "An enforcement notice has been issued against the owners for its unlawful demolition.
“They have been ordered to rebuild the pub back to what it was before the fire - just as we’ve been lobbying for.”
I can’t imagine that it’d be possible to do that and conform to building code without some kind of special exemption.
Honestly, I’d think that if there’s demand for a leaning pub like that – and I think there is…I mean, I’ve heard about that thing repeatedly, seen video in it, and I live in the US – it’d be easier to just build one whose owners want to run one, let them gave whatever building code exemptions are required. IIRC, that pub is kind of out of the way, not really where one would expect to put a new pub, given the choice.
It’s a historical artefact, with history dating back to 10 years before the Declaration of Independence.
In cases like this, the order is often to rebuild as it was, even if it contravenes building regs for a new structure, as it’s technically just restoring the old one.
They may do some construction with modern materials (for example, using a steel frame), but the finish will need to be the same as it was before destruction.