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Luke Martin-Jones - Interview about The Crooked House Pub, on BBC Radio WM!
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On the 3rd April, I was interviewed on BBC Radio WM, by Rakeem Omar, just before I left for Vietnam; this is the first opportunity I have had to write about it, and reflect on its importance. BBC Radio WM, was a platform for me, to speak about a significant British news story, from Australia, and explain the impact it has had on me.
A representative from the Breakfast show contacted me, asking if I wouldn't mind being interviewed before I left for Asia. I had written a piece on 'The Crooked House Pub' online, that had been picked up by the radio station; they asked if the Presenter, Rakeem Omar, could chat with me about the demolition of the building, as seen from an Australian perspective — which I agreed to do.
The background story to this BBC interview, involved the demolition of the historic Crooked House Pub in the West Midlands. A developer, who bought the pub and land it was situated on, took it upon themselves, to demolish this 1760s venue after a mysterious fire took hold. No one has any idea of how or why the fire started, and most importantly, nobody gave permission to have the building levelled.
The court has demanded that the pub is rebuilt brick by brick and restored to its former glory, and rightly so! This story reached these shores in Australia, through, at least in my case, the foreign news channel SBS. The mainstream channels here in Australia then picked it up, and I then followed it closely on Sky and GB News, the only British news channels I am able to legally stream in Australia.
I suppose the demolition of The Crooked House, really pulled at my heart strings. As a child I remember going with my Mother and Father to our local pub, The Fishman's Rest,' near Titchfield, in Hampshire. I would spend many happy hours, playing in the pub garden, with my parents in earshot. The Fisherman's Rest overlooked Titchfield Abbey, and had a close connection to the local community, of which I was a part. For that reason, the destruction of The Crooked House really brought home, memories from my childhood, so God knows how those who live close to The Crooked House must have felt.
Pubs play a big part in community life and without them, villages and neighbourhoods die. Having worked at The Newcome Arms in Fratton, while I lived in the UK, I understand a pub's significance, in the lives of all those who live in the surrounding area. Not only was The Crooked House the hub of the local neighbourhood, but it was historic; it drew in visitors from all over the World and was a part of the lifeblood of the region. What on Earth gives anyone the right to take that away from local people.
In my short interview with Rakeem, I was able to explain the importance of this pub to me and just how far this story has travelled. I care about what happens to its future, and hope whoever the new custodians of the rebuilt Crooked House are, they look after it with the dignity it deserves, and preserve its place in history for generations to come!
A representative from the Breakfast show contacted me, asking if I wouldn't mind being interviewed before I left for Asia. I had written a piece on 'The Crooked House Pub' online, that had been picked up by the radio station; they asked if the Presenter, Rakeem Omar, could chat with me about the demolition of the building, as seen from an Australian perspective — which I agreed to do.
The background story to this BBC interview, involved the demolition of the historic Crooked House Pub in the West Midlands. A developer, who bought the pub and land it was situated on, took it upon themselves, to demolish this 1760s venue after a mysterious fire took hold. No one has any idea of how or why the fire started, and most importantly, nobody gave permission to have the building levelled.
The court has demanded that the pub is rebuilt brick by brick and restored to its former glory, and rightly so! This story reached these shores in Australia, through, at least in my case, the foreign news channel SBS. The mainstream channels here in Australia then picked it up, and I then followed it closely on Sky and GB News, the only British news channels I am able to legally stream in Australia.
I suppose the demolition of The Crooked House, really pulled at my heart strings. As a child I remember going with my Mother and Father to our local pub, The Fishman's Rest,' near Titchfield, in Hampshire. I would spend many happy hours, playing in the pub garden, with my parents in earshot. The Fisherman's Rest overlooked Titchfield Abbey, and had a close connection to the local community, of which I was a part. For that reason, the destruction of The Crooked House really brought home, memories from my childhood, so God knows how those who live close to The Crooked House must have felt.
Pubs play a big part in community life and without them, villages and neighbourhoods die. Having worked at The Newcome Arms in Fratton, while I lived in the UK, I understand a pub's significance, in the lives of all those who live in the surrounding area. Not only was The Crooked House the hub of the local neighbourhood, but it was historic; it drew in visitors from all over the World and was a part of the lifeblood of the region. What on Earth gives anyone the right to take that away from local people.
In my short interview with Rakeem, I was able to explain the importance of this pub to me and just how far this story has travelled. I care about what happens to its future, and hope whoever the new custodians of the rebuilt Crooked House are, they look after it with the dignity it deserves, and preserve its place in history for generations to come!
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