User:Pacmania1982/The Crooked House Public House

The Crooked House is a public house located near the Himley Hall Estate in Gornal (near Dudley) in the West Midlands UK.

The former farm house, built in 1765, suffered badly from subsidence caused by mining in the local area during the mid 18th Century. The southern side of the building is 4ft lower than the northern side which gives the exterior unique look. The building subsided, and was renamed 'The Siden House' which is a word of the Black Country dialect for crooked.

It lies on what was the divide between Sir Stephen Glynne's land and that of the Earl of Dudley. Glynne removed too much of the coal that lies underneath with the obvious result. As the result of an optical illusion, without even taking a drink, beer bottles can really be seen to roll up the table.

Some years ago, the pub was shifting and sinking but buttressing prevented further damage but left it tilted some 15 degrees out of true. Doors, floors and windows all sit at odd angles to one another, causing patrons difficulty upon entering the pub and walking to the bar. The sloping floor creates an eerie illusory sensation.

The pub was condemned in the 1940s, but fortunately the decision was reversed when Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries bought it.