The Crooked House pub in Staffordshire, photographed in April 2023 Photo MIDI Wikimedia Commons

The Coventry Society abhors the destruction of the Crooked House public house, along with the obvious inadequacies of current measures designed to protect the historic environment, highlighted by this incident. 

The Crooked House was the best, and virtually the last, example of a building seriously affected by coal-mining subsidence.

The Crooked House was also emblematic of the unique character of its area the Black Country, and the loss of this much-loved local landmark has come as a tragic shock to all right-minded people across the West Midlands, and beyond.  It is no exaggeration to state, the wanton destruction of the Crooked House has left many grieving for the passing of an ‘old friend’, and the happy memories it evoked.

The sorry fate of the Crooked House must now act as a clarion call to everyone who wants to protect and conserve our nation’s precious history.  This case demonstrates the urgent need for people to become more aware of planned developments in their local areas, and a readiness to take action to prevent irreparable damage to the historic environment – before it’s too late. Local public houses, open green spaces, post war architecture, historical industrial buildings, churches and chapels, plus many more are all under threat.

So what should we do to preserve Coventry’s heritage? The Coventry Society has always maintained a list of heritage at risk. The buildings at risk now are not the same as the ones when we first produced the list. So perhaps its time to update it and engage local people in identifying priorities and raising the profile of buildings before they come to grief.

We would welcome your views!