CARLY TAYLOR is the co-owner of the famous Crooked House pub in South Staffordshire that was bulldozed after a mysterious fire in 2023.
Once hailed as “Britain’s wonkiest pub”, the building has now been requested to undergo reconstruction by the council.
Who is the owner of the Crooked House pub, Carly Taylor?
Carly Taylor is the owner of the Crooked House pub.
She is the director of a company called ATE Farms Ltd, which bought the pub in July 2023.
According to The Guardian, Taylor is also a director of multiple other companies.
Her husband is called Adam and he is a shareholder and former director of Himley Environmental Ltd.
The company runs a landfill site next to the Crooked House pub.
What happened to the Crooked House pub?
The Crooked House pub burned down after an overnight fire.
The blaze, which started around 10 pm on August 5, 2023, occurred just days after the pub had been sold to ATE Farms Ltd by Marston’s Brewery.
Police confirmed that nobody was in the building when it went on fire, while firefighters have revealed how their access to the flames was restricted by a mound of dirt “blocking” the road.
The 18th-century pub was then demolished on August 7, less than 36 hours after the fire.
Police have confirmed they will be “speaking to the owners” in a joint investigation involving the fire service and South Staffordshire District Council.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by cops, while lawyers for South Staffordshire Council are looking into the demolition of the pub and potential breaches of the Town and Planning Act.
What has been said about the Crooked House pub?
The Crooked House’s former landlord released a statement after the fire.
They wrote on Facebook: “So after 10 months of hard work very long hours and constant obstacles it’s quiet annoying to see your place of business end up like this…
“Time effort gone, money gone, and one of the greatest buildings / oldest pub and heritage gone.”
Staffordshire Police said in a statement that they are “appealing for information” after the fire.
They said: “No one was believed to be inside the building and no one has been reported injured.
“We are now working with fire investigators to establish the cause of the fire.
Meanwhile, Roger Lees, leader of South Staffordshire council, has said that the local authority did not give permission for the pub to be knocked down after the fire.
He said: “The agreed course of action included the removal of three elements of the first-floor front elevation only.
“This was only to avoid the weak parts of the structure from falling. At no point did the council agree the demolition of the whole structure nor was this deemed necessary.
“This council finds the manner in which the situation was managed following the fire completely unacceptable and contrary to instructions provided by our officers.”
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, has called for the pub to be rebuilt “brick-by-brick”.
In a letter to Roger Lees he continued: “We would strongly ask you to consider not allowing any alternative use and instead keeping this iconic location as a pub.
“It is in all our interests that we do not allow the Crooked House pub to be consigned to history.”
In February 2024, the council served an Enforcement Notice on the owners of the popular public house.
“An enforcement notice has been issued against the owners for its unlawful demolition,” Andy Street, the mayor of the West Midlands, said.
“They have been ordered to rebuild the pub back to what it was before the fire – just as we’ve been lobbying for.”
The enforcement notice served against the owners now requires the building to be rebuilt by February 2027, the council said.