The Crooked House Pub: Heritage Crime, Tragedy and Wellbeing

Despite heritage crime sometimes being perceived as a victimless crime (Lostal, 2021), the litany of harms which it causes, are indisputable (Poyser, 2020). Indeed, the impact and severity of heritage harms are clearly observable in victim testimony (Poyser et al, 2023). In 2023, this was evidenced palpably in the response to the burning down, and unlawful demolition of 'The Crooked House' Pub in Staffordshire, England. 'The Crooked House' was not Grade listed by Historic England, and therefore not an officially designated, nor protected heritage asset; but the outpourings of devastation over the loss of this building, exemplified how strongly many people feel about sites which represent heritage and their collective memory. For sure, the aftermath of this incident shone a spotlight on not only the significant harm to the historical fabric of the country; but also to the wellbeing of those who felt socially, psychologically and culturally invested in it (Kairiss & Olevska, 2022). Despite this, the Criminal Justice System (CJS) fails time and time again, to adequately and appropriately respond to crimes against heritage sites and assets and to recognise how these incidents impact victims (Poyser, 2020). This results in victims feeling 'twice victimised' - once by the crime and again, by the CJS in its response or lack thereof. In the absence of a legal definition in England and Wales, heritage crime slips through the gaps of the CJS. Through examining the destruction of 'The Crooked House' and its impacts and drawing on the authors’ empirical research within the field; this chapter explores how harms against heritage are responded to, and details how the loss of a heritage asset which has fallen through gaps in both the heritage sector and CJS, has adversely affected victims’ well-being.