Crooked House Campaigners Want to ‘Break the Internet’

CAMRA and the Great British Beer Festival have teamed up with pub campaigners to mark anniversary of pub scandal.

The “Great British Beer Festival” a five-day celebration of beer, cider and pub culture welcomed revellers from all over the UK. This year CAMRA and #ToastToTheCrookedHouse campaign have teamed up to ask people across the world to ‘cheers’ to the Crooked House and ‘break the internet’.

Yesterday, Thursday 7 August marked two years since the iconic Crooked House pub in Himley, Staffordshire, was burned to the ground and then unlawfully demolished. Campaigners are asking pub lovers all over the globe to show their support by posting their own ‘cheers’ selfies online. This includes a mass-toast on Thursday 7 August at the Great British Beer Festival at the NEC, Birmingham, which marks the anniversary of the demolition.

CAMRA has named bars at the festival after pubs across the UK that have been saved in different ways, in the hope that the Crooked House can join the list in future years.

Ian Sandall, organsier of #ToastToTheCrookedHouse campaign, said: “Two years on and the Crooked House rebuild has been bogged down in legalities, it’s really important to keep this loss front and centre, and not be allowed to be resigned to just to memory.

“Let’s break the internet raising a glass to the Crooked House, wherever you are, whoever you are with, post your selfie in support and #ToastToTheCrookedHouse.”

Gary Timmins, CAMRA Pub and Club Campaigns Director, said: “Trying to ‘break the internet’ might seem like a bit of fun, but it’s to raise awareness of a really serious issue. I’m proud to be working alongside these dedicated campaigners, and I just hope that we won’t be marking another anniversary of the tragedy without a rebuild order in place.

“The scandalous demolition of the Crooked House was a tragedy, and CAMRA wants the Government to bring in new rules so that people who flout the law and destroy pubs face serious consequences.”