Britain’s ‘wonkiest pub’ catches fire weeks after thousands sign petition to save it from permanent closure

Britain’s ‘wonkiest pub’, officially known as The Crooked House pub, went up in flames on Saturday night (August 5). The pub, which is located in the village of Himley in West Midlands, was sold last month and permanently closed after 192 years of trading.

The pub had been closed prior to its sale due to damage from a break-in during July. However, pictures captured on Saturday night show the Grade II listed building, constructed in 176, engulfed in a towering inferno.

A picture snapped by local resident was posted on Facebook, captioned “RIP THE CROOKED HOUSE” - showing the building being completely gutted by flames.

The resident also alleged that “a load of soil tipped in the gateway to stop fire engines getting to it” in a post online. Local residents had been devastated by the property’s sale, and over 3,000 people had signed a petition on Change.org to prevent their local boozer closing.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue and West Midlands Fire Service say they were called to the property at around 10pm, with six crews in attendance. A spokeswoman for the fire service said: “Crews from Dudley, Brierley Hill, Tipton, Kinver, Chase Terrace and Cannock were at the scene.”

The quirky pub had attracted visitors from across the world due to its unique leaning effect - making it look like it is about to topple over. The building was constructed in 1765 as a farmhouse but became a pub in the 1830s with people flocking to see how one side is 4ft (1.2m) lower than the other.