53 votes

260 year old Crooked House pub catches fire and is demolished days after purchase by developer

Posted by AugustusFerdinand
Tags: united kingdom.himley, crime, venues, pubs, the crooked house, disasters.structural, fires, demolition, arson, corruption, property developers, author.jessica murray, source.the guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/aug/08/you-will-be-missed-locals-seek-answers-about-destruction-of-crooked-house-pub

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Title
'You will be missed': locals seek answers about destruction of Crooked House pub
Authors
Jessica Murray
Published
Aug 8 2023
Word count
844 words

9 comments

  1. [2]
    AugustusFerdinand
    Link
    Pub survives centuries of use, indoor smoking, open fireplace, cooking, and bombings in WW2; mysteriously burns down a few days after being sold to a developer that owns the adjacent land, just...

    Pub survives centuries of use, indoor smoking, open fireplace, cooking, and bombings in WW2; mysteriously burns down a few days after being sold to a developer that owns the adjacent land, just happens to burn down on a night where rubble is blocking fire trucks from getting to the pub, and is completely demolished within three days.

    What a funny set of coincidences...

    76 votes
    1. Starlinguk
      Link Parent
      Apparently there's been a rash of pubs changing hands, burning down and being reduced to rubble lately, very strange 🤔.

      Apparently there's been a rash of pubs changing hands, burning down and being reduced to rubble lately, very strange 🤔.

      12 votes
  2. [2]
    mycketforvirrad
    Link
    Related reading: Rising from the rubble: London pub rebuilt brick by brick after illegal bulldozing The Guardian – James Tapper – 21st March 2021

    Related reading:

    Rising from the rubble: London pub rebuilt brick by brick after illegal bulldozing

    Carlton Tavern reopens six years after planning ruling that campaigners hope will prevent developers demolishing other sites.

    Instead, after a dogged six-year campaign by locals, the Carlton Tavern will reopen next month – lockdown permitting – after the developers were ordered to rebuild the pub “brick by brick”, a ruling that pub campaigners say has set an extraordinary precedent.

    The Guardian – James Tapper – 21st March 2021

    42 votes
    1. chocobean
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Oh my, yes ....... What a gleeful precedent and I will be following the career of this 34 year old would-be developer with interest. Reminds me also of this old Reddit story about housing...

      Oh my, yes ....... What a gleeful precedent and I will be following the career of this 34 year old would-be developer with interest.

      Reminds me also of this old Reddit story about housing preservation in the UK and someone learning an extremely costly lesson

      Edit : archived link part one and part 2/2

      2nd Edit:

      great photo of the pub in flames from this local forum, which already has 5 pages of comments since Sunday. edit edit: mysterious mound of dirt blocking fire truck access

      the article had two people talk about a marble rolling up the hill so I looked it up and found this youtube walk through of the pub when it was standing!

      and the companion side bar piece and this commentary names the mayor and a local MP and local council officers as champions for the pub, and the latter commentary mentioned the Carlton rebuild specifically as well.

      17 votes
  3. [3]
    Dangerous_Dan_McGrew
    Link
    So arson then, because there is no way this was an accident.

    So arson then, because there is no way this was an accident.

    27 votes
    1. [2]
      ThirstyAbsintheCoach
      Link Parent
      Developer burned down 2-3 heritage homes near me in Brisbane. Now I listen to the construction from the townhouses they're building. I believe the developer that burned them down went bankrupt and...

      Developer burned down 2-3 heritage homes near me in Brisbane. Now I listen to the construction from the townhouses they're building.

      I believe the developer that burned them down went bankrupt and it's a totally 100% different developer^tm building the townhouses.

      14 votes
      1. DanBC
        Link Parent
        Yes, see also a weird safety loophole about cladding in the UK. The builders have to get a "competent" person to sign-off to say the building is safe, but the builders can chose who that is. So,...

        I believe the developer that burned them down went bankrupt and it's a totally 100% different developer

        Yes, see also a weird safety loophole about cladding in the UK. The builders have to get a "competent" person to sign-off to say the building is safe, but the builders can chose who that is. So, the builders get it signed off, they sell the properties, they liquidate the company, and home-owners are stuck with the bill to replace cladding.

        https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/31/uk/cladding-cost-of-living-crisis-grenfell-cmd-gbr-intl/index.html

        5 votes
  4. JRandomHacker
    Link
    When I was growing up, I worked summers caddying at a very old, exclusive, and expensive golf club. Some time in the 80s-ish, there was a plan put forward to do extensive renovations on the...

    When I was growing up, I worked summers caddying at a very old, exclusive, and expensive golf club. Some time in the 80s-ish, there was a plan put forward to do extensive renovations on the clubhouse that led to quite a bit of debate among the membership, and when it came up to a vote, the renovation plan lost by only a tiny handful of votes. The next night, the clubhouse burned to the ground.

    26 votes