The Crooked House: The story of the pub that sank

The Crooked House is 1 of the astir celebrated buildings successful the UK, contempt the information it’s nary longer standing. 

The pub successful Staffordshire was fixed its sanction acknowledgment to its unsocial appearance, which was caused owed to mining successful the 19th period causing subsidence. It resulted successful 1 broadside of the gathering sinking astir 4ft little than the different side. 

Here we item what caused ‘Britain’s wonkiest pub’ to subside and however you tin support your location from subsidising too. 

What is The Crooked House?

Located successful Himley, adjacent Dudley, The Crooked House wasn’t ever a nationalist house. In fact, it was built successful 1765 arsenic a maize mill connected the Glynne estate, earlier being converted successful 1830 by the household into the locals’ drinking hole, being named the Glynne Arms.

It was astir this clip that ember mines had been established successful the midlands, specifically the achromatic country, with the Earl of Dudley owning the Himley colliery successful the country surrounding the newly-furnished pub. 

Two decades aboriginal however, the gathering dilatory started to descend owed to mining successful the section area. One fractional of the pub dropped by astir 4ft. Some besides assertion it’s apt the mill contention had besides caused the crushed astir the nationalist location to soften earlier the mining took place. 

It was past that the pub became known locally arsenic the ‘Siden House’. The connection ‘siden’ is simply a achromatic state dialect connection for ‘crooked.’ It wasn’t until 2002 erstwhile it was officially named The Crooked House.  

Was the Crooked House pub safe?

The Crooked House by Mat Fascione, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The building’s leaning walls gave emergence to optical illusions, arsenic with a gravity hill. These included objects seemingly rolling uphill on the pub’s dado rails and bottles, appearing to rotation upwards on tables. 

Furniture and fixtures appeared not to bent straight, including the gramps timepiece (which was mounted connected a tapered plinth) and the chandelier. 

Throughout its past the pub often had detractors claiming that it was unsafe for radical to visit. In 1904, owed to concerns, the operation was strengthened by buttresses, these are an architectural operation utilized to assistance support, oregon reenforce a partition that has subsided oregon caved in. 

The pub continued to beryllium a fashionable section drinking spread for locals and visitors for different 3 decades until it was declared unsafe successful the 1940s erstwhile it was scheduled for demolition. Once again a caller purchaser came to the rescue with Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries purchasing the gathering successful 1957. It paid for alloy necktie rods to fortify the buttresses.

Door to The Crooked House by Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In the 1970s, the landlord claimed that the novelty of the pub brought visitors from arsenic acold afield arsenic China, Russia, Japan, the United States and Canada.

In 1986 the pub was damaged by a occurrence which affected the archetypal level and the roof. The pursuing twelvemonth the brewery spent a reported £360,000 connected renovations.   

What happened to the Crooked House?

The Crooked House by Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Crooked House has been successful the quality passim the past 2 years owed to a bid of unforeseen circumstances that yet led to the demise of property. In March 2023 it was enactment up for merchantability for £675,000. However, 3 months aboriginal it was the taxable of a burglary that saw implicit £10,000 worthy of harm to the bar, room and bath areas.  

July 2023 saw the close, with locals devastated arsenic the pub was sold to a quarrying and landfill concern which had acquired onshore adjacent to the iconic building. Many locals were acrophobic that the trademark of the municipality would beryllium bulldozed down by the caller owners. However, Historic England received a petition to assistance the gathering listed status. The Georgian Group also began to analyse the suitability of the tract for listed status. 

But conscionable erstwhile locals thought the gathering had been saved, the pub was ruined by a occurrence connected August 5. It gutted the interior and destroyed a ample portion of the roof. The caller owners demolished the gathering against the council’s opposition. The constabulary cordoned the gathering connected August 7 whilst investigations were made, but officers were reportedly told to basal down owed to the gathering being structurally unsafe. 

Within 48 hours of it being gutted by the blaze, the gathering was razed to the ground. The works prosecute institution that supplied the excavator stated it had been connected adust prosecute to an existing lawsuit and the supplier had nary connection, nor foreknowledge, of the pub’s demolition. Confusion reigned with South Staffordshire Council stating its officers hadn’t approved the demolition.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Staffordshire Police launched a associated probe to ascertain the origin of the fire. There were claims that it was a suspected arson attack.   

Members of the nationalist formed the “Save the Crooked House (Let’s Get It Re-Built)” radical to run for it to beryllium restored. After a bid of bricks had been taken from the tract and sold connected societal media, the radical had the remaining reclaimed bricks locked successful unafraid storage.

In February 2024, South Staffordshire Council issued the caller owners an enforcement announcement requiring them to rebuild the Crooked House arsenic it were earlier the gathering was demolished. 

The caller proprietor is accused of breaching readying regulations by flattening the remains of the pub 2 days aft the fire, and was ordered to rebuild it wrong 3 years by South Staffordshire Council.  

But, the onshore owners person since launched an entreaty against the enforcement notice, claiming fears implicit the contiguous information of the tract led to a speedy determination to sound down the full building.

They person since agreed to rebuild the pub successful a caller determination nearby, wrong show of the aged site. 

An entreaty proceeding was primitively scheduled for summertime 2024, but has since been pushed backmost to outpouring 2025. Campaigners person since continued their protestation for the Crooked House to beryllium rebuilt successful its archetypal position, with much radical successful the assemblage rallying down the cause.

What happens if my location is affected by subsidence?

If your location starts to subside, you volition request to interaction your location security providers and fto them cognize your spot is starting to subside. This is due to the fact that galore modular location security policies volition not screen you for subsidence issues if they are known.

Lying to your insurer, oregon failing to disclose subsidence issues that are known tin pb to your security argumentation becoming void. 

In astir cases, if your spot develops subsidence issues portion you person an progressive argumentation successful place, security companies volition screen the costs progressive with repairing your location (minus the excess you’ve chosen to pay).

Where tin I get subsidence location insurance?

Luckily the location security experts astatine Adrian Flux are connected manus to reply each your questions about subsidence location insurance, and supply you with a elaborate argumentation quote. 

Speak to a subordinate of our affable squad contiguous connected 0800 369 8590, or book a callback at a clip that suits you.

The station The Crooked House: The communicative of the pub that sank appeared archetypal connected Fluxposure.