The Crooked House…..

[yoonited]

It was a grade 2 listed building, which would of made it difficult to do many changes.

I bought a grade 2 listed property (built 1653) and carried out extensive alterations to it. Knocked bathroom, WC, pantry and kitchen walls down (all horsehair plaster) to make one large kitchen/dining area. Took ceilings down in new kitchen and the lounge to expose oak beams and purlins, built staircase leading to a mezzanine in the lounge, installed two new bathrooms with Velux windows to mezzanine and bathrooms. Removed plaster to expose stone fireplaces in lounge and kitchen, removed plaster to expose original brick wall running through center of the property. Had to submit a detailed planning application with architects plans for what I intended to do, all got approved no problem. You can do what you want internally (within reason) as long as you've applied for permission, but they won't allow anything which alters the external appearance of the property (putting in UPVC windows or adding any extensions for example). Grade 1 is far more retstrictive, you normally can't do any alterations inside or out, but only 8% of listed buildings are in this category.

[WBA1955]

I bought a grade 2 listed property (built 1653) and carried out extensive alterations to it. Knocked bathroom, WC, pantry and kitchen walls down (all horsehair plaster) to make one large kitchen/dining area. Took ceilings down in new kitchen and the lounge to expose oak beams and purlins, built staircase leading to a mezzanine in the lounge, installed two new bathrooms with Velux windows to mezzanine and bathrooms. Removed plaster to expose stone fireplaces in lounge and kitchen, removed plaster to expose original brick wall running through center of the property. Had to submit a detailed planning application with architects plans for what I intended to do, all got approved no problem. You can do what you want internally (within reason) as long as you've applied for permission, but they won't allow anything which alters the external appearance of the property (putting in UPVC windows or adding any extensions for example). Grade 1 is far more retstrictive, you normally can't do any alterations inside or out, but only 8% of listed buildings are in this category.

You are right there. We live just a mile or two away and around the corner is Holbeache House, famous for the last stand of the gunpowder plotters. The inside has been altered extensively and turned into an old people's home. I have heard it's coming to the end of that purpose so I am expecting someone to put a match to that soon.
With the crooked house I think it was the land they wanted because you couldn't do much with it for anything else.

[yoonited]

You are right there. We live just a mile or two away and around the corner is Holbeache House, famous for the last stand of the gunpowder plotters. The inside has been altered extensively and turned into an old people's home. I have heard it's coming to the end of that purpose so I am expecting someone to put a match to that soon.
With the crooked house I think it was the land they wanted because you couldn't do much with it for anything else.

Just read the history of Holbeache, very interesting, built around 1600 (mine in 1653) so both built during the time of Oliver Cromwell. My place also has an interesting history, originally built as a coaching inn at which Sir Walter Scott and Rabbie Burns were frequent residents (they were both alive at the same time but I don't know if they shared a room).

[phild]

Just read the history of Holbeache, very interesting, built around 1600 (mine in 1653) so both built during the time of Oliver Cromwell. My place also has an interesting history, originally built as a coaching inn at which Sir Walter Scott and Rabbie Burns were frequent residents (they were both alive at the same time but I don't know if they shared a room).

The Gordon Arms?

[yoonited]

I'm up in the far North East corner of Cumbria where we are bordering on insanity, or "Scotland" as we call it.

[Omegstrat6]

A great shame about the Crooked House and sadly smacks of arson, especially given the recent circumstances.

Been quite a while since I had been but was part of the local folklore and historically important. Given how popular it once was I was surprised to learn a while back that it was no longer viable as a pub and equally surprised that more efforts weren't made to move it to the Black Country Museum if unable to keep it in situ as part of the museum (although the costs of such a move would be obviously very high).

As regards Grade 2 listed buildings, I was interested to read yoonited's post. My wife used to work in a small Tudor period hotel which gradually lost money and was eventually bought by developers who converted it to two luxury holiday rents. From the outside it looks the same but although some aspects of the interior could not be altered, the inside space is very much changed (though to my mind, the design is too modern and at odds with the period exterior).

As for the beer, the two pints I used to enjoy most from living in the Midlands were Banks's and Flowers. Whilst the Banks's name continues, it isn't the same and Flowers, as I understand it, changed brewery but is now unavailable. At least I now have Ghost Ship and Wherry I suppose but still miss the others.

[SCOOP115]

Keep reading everywhere about it being a listed building, but can't find any record of it being listed on any of the releant sites. Still very sus. Just can't believe anyone could be stupid enough to do all this so soon as they have , with all the other speculation going on aboiut it as well

[yoonited]

As regards Grade 2 listed buildings, I was interested to read yoonited's post. My wife used to work in a small Tudor period hotel which gradually lost money and was eventually bought by developers who converted it to two luxury holiday rents. From the outside it looks the same but although some aspects of the interior could not be altered, the inside space is very much changed (though to my mind, the design is too modern and at odds with the period exterior).

Local authority heritage officers (who make decisions on listed buildings planning applications) have to adopt a flexible attitude and allow people to upgrade really old properties in order to embrace a modern standard of living, if they just objected to everything then nobody would ever want to buy them. If your appllication includes restoring many of the original features (as mine did) then they'll compromise and overlook other things they might normally have turned down.

[kettering_baggie]

Keep reading everywhere about it being a listed building, but can't find any record of it being listed on any of the releant sites. Still very sus. Just can't believe anyone could be stupid enough to do all this so soon as they have , with all the other speculation going on aboiut it as well

Such people don’t give a sh!t, especially if there is any ‘collusion’ with local powers that be. I suspect that proving arson in such a case and actually being able to pin it on the current owners would be nigh on impossible.

[kettering_baggie]

A great shame about the Crooked House and sadly smacks of arson, especially given the recent circumstances.

Been quite a while since I had been but was part of the local folklore and historically important. Given how popular it once was I was surprised to learn a while back that it was no longer viable as a pub and equally surprised that more efforts weren't made to move it to the Black Country Museum if unable to keep it in situ as part of the museum (although the costs of such a move would be obviously very high).

As regards Grade 2 listed buildings, I was interested to read yoonited's post. My wife used to work in a small Tudor period hotel which gradually lost money and was eventually bought by developers who converted it to two luxury holiday rents. From the outside it looks the same but although some aspects of the interior could not be altered, the inside space is very much changed (though to my mind, the design is too modern and at odds with the period exterior).

As for the beer, the two pints I used to enjoy most from living in the Midlands were Banks's and Flowers. Whilst the Banks's name continues, it isn't the same and Flowers, as I understand it, changed brewery but is now unavailable. At least I now have Ghost Ship and Wherry I suppose but still miss the others.

Yes, Wherry is a very nice, quaffable ale but nothing but nothing beats Bathams in my opinion. Ma Pardoe’s ale used to be very good but not been there for years.