Bricks from 'UK's wonkiest pub' are being sold on Facebook
Bricks from the 'UK's wonkiest pub' are being sold off on Facebook shortly after the building was set on fire and demolished.
The Crooked House in Himley, West Midlands, recently closed despite petitions from locals vying for it to stay open.
The popular 18th-century boozer went up in flames in early August in an incident that is being treated as arson by Staffordshire Police.
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The pub has now been pulled down completely, leading to opportunists swiping some bricks for themselves.
With pieces of the iconic building in tow, the wannabe entrepreneurs are now listing them for £50 on Facebook.
This is despite the fact that locals have kept watch over the area to honour the former pub.
According to The Mirror, one Facebook listing read: "House bricks from the Crooked House. Have around 60. First come first serve £50 each."
Another brazen seller remarked: "Bricks from the former Crooked House pub. Clean ones £10 each. Extra £2.50 for the ones with soot on."
Staffordshire Council are investigating whether or not the demolition was illegal.
Lyndon Thomas, the boss of the plant firm that owns the excavator, has defended his company for providing the equipment.
Thomas said: "If you give me your insurance and all your details and I deliver [equipment] to you, what can I do? I have done nothing wrong."
The pub was recently purchased by Adam and Carly Taylor.
A Facebook group pushing for the pub to be rebuilt has amassed more than 10,000 members.
However, Black Country Living Museum (BCLM), an open-air museum displaying numerous rebuilt historical buildings, has insisted it can not save the building.
BCLM chief executive Andrew Lovett said: "It’s a very complicated and costly endeavour and that’s one of the reasons we’re not in a position to just suddenly drop everything and go and get the Crooked House.
"The thing about Black Country folk is that we have patience, long memories, a wealth of resources and a dogged determination to relentlessly pursue a vendetta."
In the wake of the interest on social media, Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Chisholm has spoken out about the spread of misinformation online.
He said: "We understand the significance of this much-loved building and the upset and anger felt by many so want to reassure you we’re doing all we can to understand more about what happened, and who was responsible.
"There is lots of misinformation circulating within communities and online and this is unhelpful. We’re trying to provide accurate and timely updates, but as I am sure you can appreciate, there is a lot of work and liaison with a number of partners which needs to be completed and this takes time.
"There are also certain things that police and fire do not have the powers to deal with, the decision around partial demolition of the building for example, when the scene was handed back to the owner.
"We are working hard with our fire colleagues to understand the cause of the fire and are in contact with the landowner, we will keep you updated with any further significant developments."
Topics: UK News
Ben Thompson