The Crooked House has burnt down!

[hellymedic]

Often drank in there back in my teens and twenties. A group of us would meet there before going on to other drinking places.

Visited occasionally when I worked at the Corbett Hospital, Stourbridge & Russells Hall in Dudley. Might have ventured in the neibourhood when my driving instructor had the whim.

[slowfen]

Visited occasionally when I worked at the Corbett Hospital, Stourbridge & Russells Hall in Dudley. .

Those take me back having used them in the 70s, also the Crooked House

[ian]

No. It was toast. Onna Xmas eve if I recall. I was on my way home from my Mum's.

I bow to your superior south London lore, that's certainly another mystery, a pub managed to stand empty for several years while not burning down even the once, but soon after it was purchased by a developer, it burnt down and the remains were demolished. What are the odds of that!

[citoyen]

It seems to happen to certain people more than others. Jimmy Godden, god rest his soul, must have been the unluckiest businessman in East Kent - no fewer than three separate theme parks he bought were destroyed by fire leaving him with no option but to redevelop them as housing.

[hellymedic]

Visited occasionally when I worked at the Corbett Hospital, Stourbridge & Russells Hall in Dudley. .

Those take me back having used them in the 70s, also the Crooked House

Dudley Health Authority employed me in Autumn 1983 and 1 February 1984 - 31 January 1985.

[hellymedic]

It seems to happen to certain people more than others. Jimmy Godden, god rest his soul, must have been the unluckiest businessman in East Kent - no fewer than three separate theme parks he bought were destroyed by fire leaving him with no option but to redevelop them as housing.

[Lady Bracknell] To lose one theme park...

[Jurek]

No. It was toast. Onna Xmas eve if I recall. I was on my way home from my Mum's.

I bow to your superior south London lore, that's certainly another mystery, a pub managed to stand empty for several years while not burning down even the once, but soon after it was purchased by a developer, it burnt down and the remains were demolished. What are the odds of that!

FWIW The Greyhound in Sydenham was rebuilt as a pub, and trades like one to this day. And the Grade II listed bit (some tiles depicting greyhounds) have been re-established in the interior (I thought Grade II applied only to external stuff - but never mind).

[rogerzilla]

It seems to happen to certain people more than others. Jimmy Godden, god rest his soul, must have been the unluckiest businessman in East Kent - no fewer than three separate theme parks he bought were destroyed by fire leaving him with no option but to redevelop them as housing.

A friend of a friend used to burn cars for a living.  If your car had serious mechanical issues or was certain to fail its next MOT, you went to a certain pub at a certain time and your keys were "stolen" by Matt while you were at the bar.  He charged £50 for this service, although that was in the late 1980s.

The beauty is that you only needed TPFT insurance.

[Mr Larrington]

On the BBC News right now, complete with small girl pinching bits of b0rked masonry as souvenirs.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

It’s arson

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-65141057

What a surprise!

[Jurek]

It seems to happen to certain people more than others. Jimmy Godden, god rest his soul, must have been the unluckiest businessman in East Kent - no fewer than three separate theme parks he bought were destroyed by fire leaving him with no option but to redevelop them as housing.

A friend of a friend used to burn cars for a living.  If your car had serious mechanical issues or was certain to fail its next MOT, you went to a certain pub at a certain time and your keys were "stolen" by Matt while you were at the bar.  He charged £50 for this service, although that was in the late 1980s.

The beauty is that you only needed TPFT insurance.

Back in the 80s (before I knew her) my ex and her then husband had a Peugeot 205 that was in no way going to pass its next MOT.
They had it stolen to order.
To this day the 205 is in the concrete, propping up one of the bridges over the M25.

[hellymedic]

It’s arson
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-65141057
What a surprise!

Even the PLOD think it's arson; coo, that's QUICK!

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Will they be checking donations to the Police Benevolent fund?

[hellymedic]

I can't imagine the evidence trail behind the bulldozer which demolished the ruins will be long & complicated.
Working backwards from there ought to be simple.

[Bledlow]

Cough cough insewerants job cough.

Or just remove for redevelopment without the hassle of fighting the council, public protests, etc. Blocking the access road to keep out fire engines was a bit of a giveaway, I think, as was total destruction of what was left almost immediately, making investigation of the cause very difficult.

Stinks to high heaven. And looks very amateurish. Too bloody obvious! And as Helly said.

[Mr Larrington]

There is video of the machinery doing the down-knocking.  Even without Hollywood-OS it ought not to be too hard to read the name of the demolition company operating the big yellow thing.

[andrewc]

"Glamorous jet setting business woman, with boobies ! "  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12389385/EXCLUSIVE-Pictured-Glamorous-businesswoman-bought-Britains-wonkiest-pub-just-days-destroyed-fire-demolished-locals-claim-purchase-followed-rows-road-access-neighbouring-land-site-run-husband.html


 

[Jaded]

"The Taylors live in a gated compound between Hinckley and Lutterworth in Leicestershire."

Some people will think they know what that means...

[Bledlow]

There is video of the machinery doing the down-knocking.  Even without Hollywood-OS it ought not to be too hard to read the name of the demolition company operating the big yellow thing.

Bets on it being owned by the plant hire firm owned by the husband of the woman whose firm bought the pub, & whose landfill firm had a dispute with the pub about the access road . . . . . ?

Which soap opera is this a plot from?

[IanDG]

I had ecology lectures/practicals at Himley Hall during my degree studies. Always headed to the Crooked House for a pint of Banks's Mild and a pie  :'(

[Jaded]

Apart from all this innuendo and supposition...

What were Marstons thinking they were doing?!

[rogerzilla]

"Glamorous jet setting business woman, with boobies ! "  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12389385/EXCLUSIVE-Pictured-Glamorous-businesswoman-bought-Britains-wonkiest-pub-just-days-destroyed-fire-demolished-locals-claim-purchase-followed-rows-road-access-neighbouring-land-site-run-husband.html


 

Any excuse for a massive cleavage shot.  Good old Heil.

[ian]

Apart from all this innuendo and supposition...

What were Marstons thinking they were doing?!

Making money the best way they know how. Which obviously isn’t beer.

[JellyLegs]

Apart from all this innuendo and supposition...

It rings pretty much every single alarm bell for it being arson, in fact if it were the plot of a book I would say it was far far too obvious.  It’s either dodgy as fook or it is total serial incompetence and bad luck on behalf of the new owner.  New owner who wants to guarantee access to an unpopular local business (landfill site), building bought for lots of money and then apparently left totally insecure, access for emergency services blocked, demolished without permission before the investigation was complete and an ownership structure that isn’t transparent with no comment at all from the new owners with regard to their intentions.  What doesn’t make sense to me though is if there is any suspicion that a fire might be suspicious then there needs to be chain of custody maintained until all on site investigation is complete which means that there will be a 24 hour police scene guard in place.  How did the demolition take place if that was done?  Something doesn’t add up.

[hellymedic]

Bribery & Corruption - Bent cops? NEVER!
Remote location, August weekend, everyone's away, can't get the staff…

Comical how folk are told not to speculate about all this, mind!