Crooked House pub bricks locked away after being spotted for sale on Facebook

02 September 2023 , 22:24

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Crooked House campaigner Paul Turner, left, as bricks from the pub are locked away from thieves (Image: Paul Turner)

Bricks from the demolished Crooked House pub have now been locked behind gates after vandals were found to have stolen them to sell online.

Campaigners fighting to restore the destroyed Black Country pub, which was controversially demolished last month after being ravaged by fire, have staged a 'padlocking ceremony' to ensure morbid thieves can't pinch remaining masonry. It followed reports people have been taking bricks in attempts to sell them on Facebook Marketplace for as much as £50 a piece.

One listing on the sell and swap section of the platform read: "House bricks from the Crooked House. Have around 60. First come first serve £50 each."

The Save The Crooked House pub, which is fighting to see the 18th-century wonky boozer rebuilt, gathered to watch as containers were locked, securing away around 25,000 loose bricks. Around 200 people turned out for the ceremony on Saturday which included a scheduled performance from local musician Johnny Cole.

Campaigners are calling for the pub to be rebuilt (PA)

The group says it wants to see the pub in Himley, Staffordshire, "rise from the ashes" after it set alight on August 5. The pub, known for its iconic tilt, was demolished hours later.

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Paul Turner, who founded the group, said he wanted to see it rebuilt "brick by brick". "It was a lovely building and we want it to be as close as possible to how it was," the group leader told the BBC.

Meanwhile, Staffordshire Council is investigating whether the demolition was done illegally after reports an excavator was hired before the blaze broke out. Lyndon Thomas, boss of the plant firm whose digger was hired, told Construction News: "I can’t be responsible for what they do with the machinery. I’m not Mystic Meg."

Dudley North MP Marco Longhi confirmed that council contractors had now been on site to take an inventory, saying "a number of bricks" had thankfully been "saved and stored" with residual debris set aside from the remains of the building. In a statement on his Facebook page, the Tory MP said: "The council have an outstanding query with Putnam on some of the debris and hope to have that clarified in the next day or so.

The 18th century pub was razed to the ground last month (PA)

"The council was also pleased to note that in places there is some semblance of structure left, along with the cellars, which the council is keen to preserve and which the contractors have left 'as is'." He added that HSE were still investigating the fire.

The pub was recently bought by Adam and Carly Taylor, with a Facebook group calling for the pub's rebuild since racking up more than 10,000 members. However, Black Country Living Museum (BCLM), an open-air museum displaying numerous rebuilt historical buildings said it cannot “save, let alone relocate, the building”.

Two men - a 66-year-old from Dudley, West Midlands, and a 33-year-old from Milton Keynes - were arrested by Staffordshire Police on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life last month. Both men have since been released on bail.

Susie Beever