34 CONTEXT 183 : MARCH 2025 can be defined as ‘moral outrage’ – the ‘anger provoked by the perception that a moral standard, usually a standard of fairness or justice, has been violated’, which increases the attitude of blame towards the perpetrator. Fifty-nine responses included an element of blame or suspicion. ‘It would seem to have been done for monetary gain’; ‘I felt as though somebody had taken advantage of a situation just because they had the power or money to. It made me feel bitter towards the person (developer). I felt that they must have purposely caused the damage.’ While the strength of grief in response to the loss of the Crooked House may have been triggered by a lack of avenues to mourn during the pandemic, among other reasons, it is the perceived violation of justice that triggered vocal moral outrage. If the Crooked House had been lost to accidental fire, sadness would have been the main emotional response. But, as with the loss of the sycamore tree, the criminal activity has provoked a strong sense of injustice. The behaviours of grief were also evident, both in media reporting and in survey responses. Flowers and cards of condolence were left at the site of the pub, in a similar manner to those left at the site of a car accident. Another behavioural response to the loss of the Crooked House was the acquisition of items relating to the building. In response to this, 25,000 bricks were locked in containers while 200 people looked on at what was described in the media as a ‘staged ceremony’. A constant stream of people came to see the ruins, as if keeping vigil. This ritual of visiting the ruins may also be viewed in a more negative light and termed as voyeurism, another common response to a disaster or loss of life. I concluded that the strength and breadth of emotional responses to the Crooked House seen in the survey validated those reported in the media, both locally and internationally. There has been an intense expression of grief and anger, both through language and behaviour, which has taken root in a post-pandemic climate, where mourning has finally found an acceptable channel for expression. South Staffordshire District Council has issued an enforcement notice for the owners to rebuild the Crooked House ‘so as to recreate it as similar as possible to the demolished building.’ The response to the loss of the Crooked House has sounded an alarm for the dangers facing historic buildings, especially pubs, but it has also revealed that many believe them to be worth fighting for. Our ties to historic buildings mean that when danger is posed to their physical fabric, it also threatens the emotional wellbeing of those who are connected to them. Alexandra Dziegiel, a recent graduate of the conservation of the historic environment MA programme at Birmingham City University, works at Tamworth Castle in Staffordshire. The Carlton Tavern in Kilburn, London, was illegally demolished in 2015. The developers rebuilt it following enforcement by Westminster City Council. (Photo: The wub, Wikimedia)
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