The 'wonkiest' pub in the UK burned down under murky circumstances, but the 260-year-old building could rise from the ashes for nearly $2 million

• Britain's "wonkiest" pub burned down in a suspected arson attack on August 5.
• Two days later, the charred remains of the structure were demolished, sparking outrage among locals.

All that is left of the UK's "wonkiest" pub is a sea red bricks, splintered furniture, and tributes strewn on its charred remains left by locals mourning the loss of a beloved part of their history.

The Crooked House pub stood for 260 years in the village of Himley, roughly three hours outside of London, The Independent reported. Originally constructed in 1765 as a farmhouse, the pub got its signature lean when one end of it – built over an old coal mine – began to tilt downwards, according to archival BBC footage.

But all of that history came crumbling down on August 5 after a fire broke out at the pub soon after it was bought by a new owner in July, The Telegraph reports. Police are investigating the incident as an arson attack, it added.

Two days later, what remained of the charred, tilted building was destroyed in a demolition the local council said was done without permission.

"At no point did the council agree the demolition of the whole structure nor was this deemed necessary," South Staffordshire Council leader Roger Lees said in a press release on August 8 shared with Insider.

Carly Taylor, the new owner of the pub, could not be reached for comment.

While the circumstances surrounding The Crooked House pub's demise are murky, it's safe to say locals are mourning the loss.

Photographs taken of the site over the last week show locals have been gathering there to leave signs that call the demolition a "crime" and others that read "Stop destroying our heritage."

The Crooked House could rise from the ashes, for a steep price

The situation may look bleak, but there is a chance the wonky pub could be resurrected.

Rico Wojtulewics, Head of Housing and Planning Policy at the National Federation of Builders, told Insider there are several factors to consider in order to even begin the process of bringing The Crooked House pub back to life. Notably, it wouldn't come cheap.

"The challenge to sort and reuse existing bricks is labor intensive, and replicating it inside and out would be a considerable undertaking," he said.

Pointing to an example of a pub in London that was demolished under "similar circumstances" three years ago, Wojtulewics said he estimates a project to restore The Crooked House pub could cost upwards of £1.5 million, or around $1.9 million.

He also said the project, if they wanted to recreate the old pub as "faithfully" as possible, could take years.

"Such a project could easily take two or three years to complete because analyzing the exact look when it was still standing could take months, designing the optical illusions on the exterior leaf would require multiple companies and lots of collaboration, and the interior was as unique, perhaps more so than the exterior," he said.

Even so, Wojtulewics said restoring the wonkiness the pub was known and loved for is "absolutely" within the realms of possibility.

"But rather than one side being sunk in the ground, which is also possible, it would likely be an optical illusion on the exterior, some more optical illusions on the interior, and a sloping floor," he added.

Efforts to rebuild the pub are currently being considered by the local council with the help of Historic England, a public agency charged with preserving ancient monuments and historic buildings in the UK.

A Historic England spokesperson told Insider it is "offering technical advice" to the council on a potential rebuild of The Crooked House pub.

"We recognize how strongly people feel about it since its loss and if the local community and local council feel there's a strong case for rebuilding it, we would gladly continue to advise on next steps," they said.