The Crooked House: fresh calls for action six months after pub fire
The pub dubbed "Britain's wonkiest" was burned down in August last year.
Campaigners fighting to save The Crooked House pub are making fresh calls for action, as the future of the historic pub remains unclear.
Today (5 February) marks six months since a devastating fire ripped through the 18th Century building in Himley.
It was then bulldozed to the ground days later.
On Saturday, dozens of people visited the site to mark the anniversary, pinning their memories to a specially made tree sign.
Paul Turner, who started the Save the Crooked House petition, said: "We definitely have faith that The Crooked House will be rebuilt, and that we'll all be having a drink in there at some point.
"There is a small number of people who are unhappy waiting, and saying 'oh it will never happen' but those of us involved in the campaign are confident we'll see our goal met."
Paul added: "We have to manage the expectations of people who are getting impatient with having to wait for news.
"We said right at the beginning that we would likely have to wait some time before the various aspects of the legal cases take place, and we trust that the authorities are doing all they can to get the right result."
What happened to the Crooked House?
On 5 August 2023, a fire broke out at the historic pub on Himley Road, with around 30 firefighters needed to tackle the blaze.
Two days later, the building was bulldozed to the ground, despite South Staffordshire Council stating they had permitted only the top floor to be demolished for safety reasons.
The iconic landmark had been sold by Marston's to private buyer ATE Farms Limited, less than a fortnight before the fire broke out.
An investigation was launched by Staffordshire Police within days of the fire and demolition, and they confirmed it was being treated as arson.
A number of protests were held at The Crooked House pub site by campaigners and the local community, who've called for it to be rebuilt brick-by-brick.
Two petitions - Save The Crooked House and Rebuild the Crooked House pub - have over 45,000 signatures between them.
Has anyone been held accountable for what happened?
In the six months since their investigation began, Staffordshire Police have arrested six people in connection to The Crooked House pub fire.
Three men were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.
Two other men, and a woman, were held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent, or being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
All six remain on conditional bail.
South Staffordshire Council is carrying out its own investigations.
Will The Crooked House ever rise from the ashes?
Despite the site in Himley looking much as it did just days after the devastating fire last August, authorities insist investigations are continuing and progress is being made.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who vowed to back campaigners in getting The Crooked House rebuilt, told us: "The good news is, South Staffordshire Council continue to make the case for it to be rebuilt, and I'm very confident that work is ongoing and good work is being done.
"The right people are doing the right thing. As I've said before, they messed with the wrong pub, in the wrong place, with the wrong council and I'm very confident that's being worked through steadily."