The historic Crooked House in Himley, West Midlands - famed for being the place where coins seemingly rolled uphill along the bar - was gutted by a fire on Saturday night. Only the exterior of the 18th century boozer remained standing, but there was much hope locally that it could be preserved and restored as a watering hole once again. But barely 36 hours after it went up in flames, footage emerged on social media of what remained of the building being demolished by a mechanical digger - and by Monday afternoon it was completely flattened. The blaze, which was tackled by 30 firefighters, came just two weeks after the building was sold by pub company Marston's to a private buyer for 'alternative use'. South Staffordshire Council declined to reveal the identity of the buyer due to the ongoing police investigation. Marston's has also been approached for comment. But the local authority released a statement today condemning the demolition, and revealing that a series of works was agreed with the landowner's representative on a site visit yesterday to stop the weak parts of the structure from falling. Leader of the council, Roger Lees, said: 'At no point did the council agree the demolition of the whole structure nor was this deemed necessary.' #comment #crooked #series #after #today #south #night #place #where #what #with #once #for #the