We put our lives into The Crooked House Pub & then it was destroyed in 48 hours…the fire made us certain of something
THE former manager of The Crooked House said staff put their lives into keeping it open - before it was destroyed in a fire.
Lee Goodchild has revealed how his team spent "tireless hours" trying to keep the pub going before it was sold last month.
In a post on the pub's Facebook page, he said it had become clear that "££ is way more valued than any heritage or meaningful buildings".
Britain's wonkiest pub was destroyed in a fire on Saturday night, before it was flattened by diggers 36 hours later.
Lee said they were looking at a "five-year plan" to make the the pub a success, but claimed that the Marston's brewery "had other views".
He also revealed his sadness at the pub, located in Dudley, Staffordshire, being ravaged by the fire.
Read more news
In the Facebook post, he wrote: "So there seems to be a few people with different thoughts of what's happened.
"But let me make this absolutely clear, myself and the team at The Crooked House knew nothing about it being actually sold until the day I was told I could not reopen after the break-in.
"Not a decision I made as the business owner, but an order I had to follow from Marston's.
"All we did since September was try and get The Crooked House back to being open and back on the map.
Most read in The Sun
"We spent tireless hours day after day, someday seeing no more than a handful of people in the dark, cold, wet days through the autumn and winter but continued to do so.
"Always seeing the friendly regulars and visitors from all parts of the world. We wanted nothing more than to make this iconic place a success hence looking at a five-year-plan minimum.
"Unfortunately other people i.e. the landlords (Marston's) had other views.
"It is upsetting not only to see an amazing building like The Crooked House be closed burnt down and demolished in a very short time.
"But to see 10 months of hard work, laughter, tears and the inevitable financial loss as well as our residential dog walkers and quack and quackers - the two ducks - I used to see chasing each other every morning is just not right.
"It's clear in today's world that ££ is way more valued than any heritage or meaningful buildings.
"Again, I thank everyone for there support, messages, calls and custom over the time there and hope one day something good comes of all this."
It comes as an earlier Facebook post eerily advertised Bonfire Night celebrations while it was still open.
The post said: "Bonfire night, Day of the Dead Fiesta, Monday 8 November".
But the pub closed and was destroyed in a fire on Saturday, before being flattened on Monday.
South Staffordshire Council has said the demolition of the building was carried out "without permission".
The pub had been put forward for listed status protection just days before it became rubble.
It would have meant that the owners would have needed permission from the council to fully demolish it before doing so.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Its lawyers are now looking into potential breaches of the 1990 Town and Country Planning Act.
Staffordshire Police also announced last night that it is treating the fire as arson.
