00:00 I was just randomly browsing the internet and suddenly there were pictures of a fire at the crooked house, which was shocking.
00:08 A special place in my heart because it was my first job back in 1988 and to see it on fire was, as I say, shocking.
00:17 But then within a couple of days to see it flattened was devastating because you could maybe think that,
00:27 "Okay, there's been a fire, it's an accident," but then to have it demolished so quickly, no.
00:32 It's scandalous what's happened and the communities of Sedgley Gornal and these surrounding areas do not deserve to be treated like this.
00:41 Absolutely. And can you tell me a bit more about your job at the crooked house?
00:46 Yeah, it was my first job when I was 18. I was employed as a bar person.
00:50 I think the owners were, not the owners, the managers were Gary and Dawn Inser back then.
00:55 What a place it was to work. You obviously had the fascination with the front part, with the marble rolling uphill, etc.
01:05 And then in the back part you had a really nice lounge with great food and it was a lovely place to work.
01:11 Working there yourself, could you see the impact it was having on the local community and what it meant to the people of the Black Country?
01:17 Yes. I was involved with the Dudley School Symphony Orchestra and the brass bands.
01:23 We did exchange trips with various countries and the first thing that we did when people from around the world came to Dudley
01:29 is bring them to the crooked house because it's a famepoint for us and we celebrated it.
01:34 And to see it like this, it's awful.
01:37 The fire was upsetting. However, rising on Sunday morning, seeing the photos of the structure still standing was more hopeful.
01:48 We've seen burnt out buildings before, brought back to life.
01:54 Monday was slightly different. Seeing the images appear online Monday night, it was devastating.
02:05 It was actually heartbreaking, as so many people felt as well.
02:10 Is this the name of the campaign group that you're in, Rise From The Ashes?
02:17 The campaign group is Save The Crooked House, Let's Rebuild It. That's on Facebook.
02:23 We've got over 15,000 members. That's the last time I checked, about an hour ago.
02:28 How did you get involved?
02:31 I came down Tuesday. I've got to be honest, not visiting the pub for a couple of years, I came down.
02:39 When you come down the lane and you turn that last bend and you start to see the pub pointing at you, it was just heartbreaking.
02:47 I made contact with Stuart, and it's just gone from madness to 200 miles an hour ever since.
02:57 Obviously, the Black Country Museum has said they're unable to take the bricks to rebuild it.
03:05 But so many people are determined not to let this go. Do you think it could be rebuilt? What would you like to happen?
03:13 The ultimate goal for the campaign is to get the bricks back, to get them all piled up together, put a roof on it,
03:22 and amaze people with the crooked house, as it's always done.
03:27 Obviously, a big part of rebuilding would be getting those bricks back.
03:31 How do you feel about people taking the bricks, whether that's as a personal memento or more cynically to sell them online?
03:38 To be fair, I understand why people have done it. They've seen the pub in its current state.
03:44 In their minds, it can't be built. Everybody wants a memento of something.
03:49 I understand their thought pattern. However, I don't understand that they're all here wanting the pub to be rebuilt
03:56 with bricks in the garage and sitting on eBay. That's the bit I can't get my head around.
04:02 Fortunately, we can't stop it as yet. We'd like to.
04:06 But if I can take this opportunity to appeal to people, for what you see, please leave. Look with your eyes, not your hands.
04:15 It's a travesty. I think people need a prison sentence at the end of this.
04:20 What I want is Lenny Henry, Noddy Holder, Ozzy Osbourne, Big Sam Araldyce and Wagner from X-Factor 2010
04:30 to get down here and do a fundraising gig like Dudley Live Aid 2023.
04:36 Save the Crooked House!
