The Crooked House: Fire rips through famed 'wonky' pub

Flames ripped through the property on Saturday night

A famed 18th Century building once known as "Britain's wonkiest pub" has been completely gutted by a fire.

Smoke was reported coming from The Crooked House at Himley, near Dudley, at about 22:00 BST on Saturday.

Pictures from scene showed the property, which drastically subsided in the 19th Century, engulfed by flames.

Last month, it was confirmed the owners, Marston's, had sold the popular Black Country landmark to a private buyer for "an alternative use".

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said no-one was believed to be inside the building at the time and no injuries had been reported.

An investigation has been launched by Staffordshire Police and the fire service to determine the cause of the blaze.

Six fire crews tackled the flames overnight and by Sunday morning the fire was largely extinguished.

The building has been completely gutted

The Crooked House was a popular attraction in the West Midlands for decades after Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries bought it and converted it into a pub in the 1940s.

Visitors flocked to see the distinctive building and witness the illusion of coins and marbles appearing to roll uphill along the bar.

It was built in 1765 as a farmhouse but, due to mining in the area during the early 19th Century, one side of the building began to sink.

In March, Marston's listed it for sale with a guide price of £675,000 but thousands of people signed a petition in the hope of keeping it as a pub.

A petition to save the pub had amassed nearly 4,000 signatures

Watch commander Chris Green, from Tipton fire station, said: "The crews had to roll out 40 lengths of hose from the Himley Road which was the nearest hydrant."

The area around the fire site remains closed from High Arcal Road to Brick Kiln Lane.

Local residents have flocked to social media sites to express their "heartbreak" at the loss of the "iconic" building.

Conservative MP for Wolverhampton North East, Jane Stevenson, tweeted: "Really sad to see - this pub is part of our local history. I hope nobody was hurt and our firefighters are all safe.

She added: "Many of us in the Black Country are fiercely proud of our heritage and I hope the Crooked House will be rebuilt as was."

A petition to save the pub had amassed nearly 4,000 signatures

Author Miranda Dickinson, from Wolverhampton, said: "This is so sad. The Crooked House was a Black Country landmark, recently controversially sold and now suddenly gutted by fire.

"Such a horrible end to a much-loved building."