‘People are sick of having our heritage knocked down’: how the Crooked House saga became a state of the nation story

Fate of Black Country pub could serve as catalyst for campaigns to preserve a flawed but colourful past

When Paul Turner started an online petition calling for his local pub in the Staffordshire village of Himley to be saved after it was sold to new owners, he was expecting only a few hundred signatures. Then the Crooked House pub burned down, making headlines around the world.

I expected it to be just a few names, but we're approaching 16,000 signatures now," said Turner. It has turned into something completely different. The amount of support we've had has been unbelievable."