The timeline of the Crooked House Affair (from January 2024)

Updated February 7th 2025

This is the second of two blogs that set out a timeline of the destruction by fire and subsequent demolition of the Crooked House in Himley in early August 2023, through links to local and national press reports. It covers the period from January 2024 onwards. Earlier news items can be found in the first blog here.

In the days after the fire, there were many, very similar, press reports and thus there has been a need to be selective. In what follows, I thus use three main sources.

• BBC local and national news websites, which was, and continues to be, the most comprehensive source.
• The Express and Star website, which gives a local perspective. Note that many of the articles that are linked require free registration to be read.
• The Guardian website – although many national newspapers reported the story in early August, the Guardian’s was probably the most comprehensive and, through its columnists, the most reflective.

I also include articles from other sources where they complement the above, including a few from overseas to demonstrate the reach of the story.  I will update this list at intervals over the coming months.

In addition to the news links, there are two Facebook pages that contain news and (often robust) comments covering a range of opinion.

SAVE THE CROOKED HOUSE (LET’S GET IT RE-BUILT)

*Rebuild The Crooked House*

January 2024

10/1/2024 BBC Crooked House Pub: Company director steps down

10/1/2024 Express and Star Director of company that owned famous wonky pub The Crooked House resigns from post

11/1/2024 Daily Mail Glamorous owner of Britain’s ‘wonkiest’ pub The Crooked House who bought the boozer days before it was destroyed in blaze steps down as company boss – as detectives probe ‘arson’

February 2024

3/2/2024 Express and Star The Crooked House: Where things stand six months since destruction of Britain’s wonkiest pub

3/2/2024 Express and Star Poignant six month anniversary of Crooked House fire held by campaigners compiling memories of destroyed pub | Express & Star (expressandstar.com)

6/2/2024 ITV Future of fire-ravaged Crooked House pub remains unclear six months on

13/2/2024 Express and Star Dudley dad rebuilds The Crooked House out of LEGO – and it includes the ‘missing’ antique grandfather clock

14/2/2024 BBC Dudley teacher recreates Crooked House pub using Lego

27/2/2024 BBC Crooked House: Owners of wonky pub ordered to rebuild

27/2/2024 Guardian Owners who demolished Crooked House pub after fire ordered to rebuild it

27/2/2024 Express and Star ‘Don’t expect to see the Crooked House rebuilt any time soon’

March 2024

3/3/2024 Guardian ‘It’s a monkey’s puzzle’: is it possible to rebuild the Crooked House pub?

21/3/2024 BBC Crooked House: Experts say rebuild could be complicated

27/3/2024 Guardian Owners of Crooked House pub appeal against order to rebuild

April 2024

13/04/2024 Express and Star Exclusive: Crooked House owners ‘want to rebuild iconic pub’ – but not in the same place

15/04/2024 Guardian Owners of demolished Crooked House pub propose rebuilding it on new site

19/04/2024 Express and Star Campaigners: New site appeal for Crooked House is ‘outrageous’

30/4/2024 Express and Star Crooked House public inquiry postponed – and here’s why

30/4/2024 BBC Crooked House owners win right to postpone inquiry to 2025

July 2024

29/7/2024 Sun Businessman who denies burning down Crooked House pub drives £200k Lambo despite assets freeze

30/7/2024 BBC Crooked House: Six arrested over pub fire released from bail

August 2024

1/8/2024 Guardian Crooked House pub campaigners say they won’t let rebuilding plans die | Dudley

2/8/2024 Express and Star ‘A celebration of our campaign, not a wake for the building’ promises positive organiser of Crooked House One Year On event

3/8/2024 Express and Star Crooked House fire: The key moments in last year from fire to latest investigation decision

5/8/2024 BBC How The Crooked House fire fuelled a resistance movement

5/8/2024 Express and Star Crooked House supporters ‘honour its past’ at event as they ’embark on journey to restore it’

5/8/2024 Express and Star  ‘Nationwide scandal’: Call for action one year on from Crooked House blaze from CAMRA

5/8/2024 Express and Star Watch: Drone footage shows devastation of The Crooked House site a year on from fire

7/8/2024 Express and Star Why people are still grieving for the Crooked House, by expert psychologist

October 2024

29/10/2024 BBC Crooked House campaigner welcomes MP heritage bill

January 2025

10/1/2025 Shropshire Star Crooked House public inquiry moves a stage closer

13/1/2025 Express and Star  Crooked House super fan with a hat to match hopes to preserve history for future generations

February 2025

02/02/2025 BBC Date set for Crooked House Appeal Hearing

02/02/2025 Express and Star  Date set for appeal by Crooked House Owners against order to rebuild.

07/02/2025 BBC Campaigners say Crooked House appeal ‘insulting’

11/02/2025 BBC Crooked House appeal hearing delayed again

28/02/2025 BBC ‘‘Get things moving’, Crooked House campaigners say

April 2025

01/04/2025 Express and Star Crooked House boss’s landfill company liquidated with debts of £1.2 million

August 2025

03/08/2025 BBC Hope remains two years on from Crooked House fire.

04/08/2025 BBC Calls to raise a glass to Crooked House campaign

07/08/2025 Telegraph Site of Britain’s wonkiest pub is ‘dumping ground’ two years after blaze

February 2026

03/02/2026 Express and Star What happens next for the Crooked House after company issued with striking-off order