'We feared nobody would take it on due to the cost of the upkeep but you'd think somebody would want to save a piece of history.'
A historic pub dubbed the UK’s wonkiest has been permanently closed in a shock announcement.
Punters at The Crooked House in Himley, West Midlands, were taken by surprise after a post on the pub’s Facebook page explained the building had been sold.
There aren’t any details about who bought the pub, only that it was sold by the brewery to a ‘private buyer for alternative use’, the MailOnline reports.
It was originally built as a farmhouse in 1765, but it became a pub in the 1830s.
The building started to sink in the 1800s due to subsidence caused by mining – but Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries bought it, made it structurally safe, and renamed it The Crooked House in the 1940s.
The pub, which had been trading for 192 years, attracted visitors from across the world due to its unique, wonky design, with one side of the building 1.2m lower than the other.
Coins and marbles could be rolled uphill along the bar – and that’s before taking a sip of your first pint.
Earlier this year the pub was put up for sale with a guide price of £675,000.
The pub announced: ‘The Crooked House has been sold.
‘Unlikely to open its doors again. Marston’s have sold the site to a private buyer for alternative use.
‘This is just to update the page so nobody makes wasted journeys to the site.
‘Thanks all for your custom and support. Keep supporting the great other local pubs to make sure they stay as they should be.’
Derrick McConell, 65, from Dudley, has drank in the pub for more than 20 years.
He said: ‘It’s a sad day, it’s a brilliant pub and there’s no place like it elsewhere.
‘We feared nobody would take it on due to the cost of the upkeep but you’d think somebody would want to save a piece of history.
‘It’s a sign of the times unfortunately – you hear of local pubs closing all the time and it appears not even a unique place like this can survive in the current climate.
‘It sounds cheesy but this place was like a second home, all the regulars are lovely people and became like family to me. I am devastated.’
A spokesman for Marston’s said: ‘We’re pleased to confirm the sale of The Crooked House has now completed.
‘At this stage we’re unable to disclose any details on the buyer or price.’
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