Still feeling tipsy after New Year’s Eve? Probably best to avoid the crooked house pub where even the flat surfaces are wonky
Welcome to the Crooked House – Britain’s drunkest pub!
Wonky boozer, The Crooked House, is seen lurching to the left
Don’t worry, you’re not still tipsy from New Year’s Eve – the alehouse in Himley, Staffs, really is that wonky.
Built in 1765, the pub was originally a farm house but was converted into a public house in 1830
The tipsy tavern got its crooked design as mining during the 1800s caused subsidence meaning one end of the pub is 4ft lower than the other.
Pub manager, Dan Lewis, leans in the doorway of The Crooked House
As a result, coins roll up the bar and pint glasses slide across seemingly flat surfaces.
Dan says that tourists are astounded when they see the unique building and cannot believe it was designed to lean to the side
Dan Lewis, the pub’s 27-year-old manager, said: “It can be really disorientating at first.
“When I first came in I didn’t have a drink because I felt so dizzy.
“I’m a local lad and have known about it all my life, but even that didn’t prepare me.
“It’s brilliant to run such a unique place.
“We get visitors come from all over the world – as far as Japan and Australia – and they just can’t believe it.
“They’re convinced it was designed like this but it certainly isn’t.”
The Crooked House was originally built as a farmhouse in 1765, only later becoming a public house in 1830.
At first it was called the Siden House – Siden is Black Country dialect for crooked – but later became the Glynne Arms, named after Sir Stephen Glynne, on whose land it stood before being condemned as unsafe in 1940s.
The building was rescued by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries and reinforced with supporting buttresses and girders to make it safe and stable.
Owner Marston’s carry out an annual inspection on the property, using ‘glass tails’ over cracks in the wall, to make sure it’s safe.
Fortunately it hasn’t moved for a good few years, so it shouldn’t take too long to get used to.
