‘Special’ grandfather clock ‘removed from wonkiest pub days before fire’

A “special” 19th century grandfather clock was removed from the Crooked House pub days before it burnt down, locals have claimed.

The antique was included in the sale of the pub in Himley, near Dudley in the West Midlands, along with all fittings and furniture, on July 27. The remains of the building were demolished on Monday.

Pictures shared to the Crooked House Facebook group on Aug 1 and 3 – before the fire on Aug 5 – appear to show a space close to the bar where the clock had been positioned.

Locals told The Telegraph they believed the clock had been removed prior to the fire, although the exact dates, and whether it had definitely been taken away, cannot be confirmed.

On the Facebook group, posters said they had visited the site in the days before the blaze to find several items missing.

Lee Goodchild, the pub’s former landlord, said the clock was still in place when he handed over the keys to the building on July 18.

He told the Telegraph: “The last time I went to the pub was the day I handed the keys back and the clock was very much there. It was a nice piece, it was old as the hills, and something everybody knew.”

Paul Turner, a representative of the Save the Crooked House campaign called for the clock to be “put back” if the pub is ever rebuilt. The mahogany timepiece is inscribed with the words: D H Mapp Brierly Hill, a nearby town in the West Midlands.

Robert Harling, the director of IOC Antiques in Brierly Hill, said the clock was Victorian and dated to approximately 1880. He told The Telegraph: “People locally would have bought grandfather clocks from their area, so the fact it was made in Brierly Hill, four or five miles away from the pub, makes it special.”

Howard Alwyn, the director of Howard Walwyn Fine Antique Clocks in London, valued it at £400 to £500 at auction.

The owners of the Crooked House were contacted for comment.