West Midlands Mayor calls for Crooked House to be rebuilt 'brick by brick'
The Mayor of the West Midlands has called for The Crooked House pub to be rebuilt "brick by brick" after it was torn down less than 48 hours after being gutted by a huge fire.
Andy Street has written to South Staffordshire Council to take action in the wake of the blaze and subsequent demolition.
It is yet to be known who is responsible for the building's demolition.
He said: "We've asked South Staffordshire to ensure the Crooked House Pub is rebuilt brick by brick and any attempt to change its use blocked.
"We believe that great pubs have immense cultural and historical value here in the West Midlands - and we should be taking steps to protect and preserve their heritage.
"The reaction of so many of you to the tragic fire at The Crooked House tells us we are not alone. We are on it."
In a letter addressed to the leader of South Staffordshire Council, Mr Street wrote: "This pub may just be over the border in your county of Staffordshire, but it holds real cultural and historical significance to the West Midlands.
"We therefore found it deeply upsetting to see the iconic location gutted in this way."
The mayor then went on to call for action from South Staffordshire Council, asking for the building to be "rebuilt brick by brick."
Mr Street wrote: "We therefore ask that you consider ensuring the property is rebuilt brick by brick (using as much original material as possible) before any further discussion about the site takes place.
"It is clear that there is precedent for this in the case in the case of the punchbowl inn in Lancashire, although we would like to make it clear that we are not inferring that the Crooked House has been purposely destroyed as in the case of the Punch Bowl.
"Our understanding is that any alternative use would have to be approved by your council's planning department or committee. And so we would therefore ask you to strongly consider not allowing any alternative use and instead keeping this iconic location as a pub."
In another letter, sent to the Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police, Mr Andy Street said: "Whilst we avoid any speculation as to what has occurred, clearly there are major questions to be answered given how swiftly this fire happened following the sale of the pub to an unknown private developer.
"We are also intrigued by the fact that your officers faced blocked access when trying to get to the scene."
Since its destruction, thousands have taken to social media to show support for The Crooked House, including former Dudley North MP, Lord Ian Austin, who wrote: "The Crooked House, a 200-year-old Black Country landmark.
"Sold by MarsonsPLC as a 'going concern'. Set on fire and now demolished. Tragedy.Very interested to what happens to the site now."
South Staffordshire MP Sir Gavin Williamson was also among those to call for clarity surrounding the events of the fire and demolition of the remains of the building.
He said there was a "large amount of concern" about what happened.
Sir Gavin told the Express and Star: "What is essential is that the ownership of The Crooked House is revealed because there is an immense amount of concern about what happened and there needs to be a rapid dialogue around this site and what occurred.
"Our local people are furious about the demolition of the pub that is so obviously in the hearts of so many across, not just the South Staffordshire area, but also the Black Country. It is quite clear that answers need to be given about what happened, but also about the future and what can be done."
The MP sounded shocked when he talked about the sudden demolition of the site, but also called for unity and clarity to get to the bottom of what happened.
Sir Gavin said: "I think everyone is totally united in trying to get to the bottom of what has happened here, but also to try to make sure that the site of The Crooked House is dealt with in a proper way.
"And also that there is a real discussion that involves the whole local community and the district council in trying to resolve everyone's concerns."
In a statement issued on Monday, Detective Inspector Richard Dancey, from CID, said: "This incident has caused a great deal of speculation locally and we understand the significance of the building within the local community.
"We would like to remind the public that our investigation is ongoing and we are reviewing all of the available evidence alongside fire investigators to determine the cause of the incident.
"Those who may have any useful information are urged to get in touch with us whilst we continue to complete our lines of enquiry alongside the fire service."
A Facebook campaign to have the pub protected and rebuilt has attracted almost 5,000 members.
Anyone with information that may help the investigation is urged to contact Staffordshire Police quoting incident 761 of August 5.