Crooked House: Glass engraver honours destroyed pub

A much-loved pub that was demolished after a suspicious fire has been commemorated in glass.

Flames ripped through the Crooked House near Dudley on 5 August and the remains were destroyed within two days.

Glass engraver Thomas Southall wanted to honour the community space where his family celebrated special occasions.

It took him more than eight hours to etch a likening of the former 18th Century pub into the glass, which is on display at Stourbridge Glass Museum.

Mr Southall, who has been a glass engraver for 11 years, said it was "heart-breaking" to see the pub once known as Britain's "wonkiest" reduced to rubble.

"It was a very special building to the community and I wanted to highlight its significance," he said.

"When you compare it to other buildings, it was very unique, there was [nothing] like it and I think people expected it to always be there.

"It's heart-breaking that anyone could be that insensitive to a historical building that's stood there for 300 years."

Mr Southall, who lives close to the former pub in Lower Gornal, near Dudley, started work on the A5 envelope-sized artwork the day after the Black Country landmark was demolished.

He made it entirely by hand with a drill over several days and said the piece had been positively received by people on social media and from the community.

"I'm not used to that kind of attention," he joked.

"I think [people] are amazed by it because it's different. Anyone can do a drawing or painting, but highlighting it in a different artform gets people's attention."

The pub, known for its sloping walls and floor, was bought from Marston's by ATE Farms Limited in July, and the fire is being treated by Staffordshire Police as arson.

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