Crooked House to be rebuilt

Much of the pub and bar industry has celebrated the decision to order the rebuilding of the Crooked House pub.

Having been sold by Marston's in July 2023, the story of the Crooked House made headlines after the famous venue caught fire and was bulldozed days later, allegedly without planning permission.

The leader of South Staffordshire Council Roger Lees announced on Tuesday 26 February that the owners of the Crooked House have been ordered to rebuild the pub “back to what it was”. The rebuilding must be complied with within three years.

The Campaign for Pubs has commended the Save the Crooked House (Let’s Get it Rebuilt) campaign by the local community to save the venue, and support from local elected representatives, which has led to the local council serving notice that this must happen.

The Campaign is also calling for the case to be the catalyst to push the government to introduce a change to planning law to stop the cynical destruction of pubs.

Sending a clear message

"We are absolutely delighted that South Staffordshire Council have done the right and essential thing and ordered the current owners of the Crooked House to rebuild it exactly as it was before its appalling destruction," says Greg Mulholland, campaign director of the Campaign for Pubs. "We commend them for this decision, which sends out a clear message to other developers and other councils."

The famous Crooked House, which has been a pub since the 1830s, was known as Britain's wonkiest pub due to 19th century mining subsidence which caused one side of the building to be approximately four feet lower than the other.

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