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The Past - Sutton Coldfield's History
History is written in the eye
of the beholder, or even worse, at third hand. What is written below should be
taken as almost 'gospel' but certainly not 100% fact.
Some of that written below is from the online site, Wikipedia. This is written
by members of the public and should most certainly not be taken as read.
Areas not on here have their own pages
Pre-History The earliest known signs of human presence in Sutton Coldfield have been discovered on the boundaries of the town. Archaeological surveys undertaken in preparation for the construction of the M6 Toll road revealed evidence of Bronze Age mounds near Langley Mill Farm, at Langley Brook. Additionally, evidence for a Bronze Age burial mound was discovered, one of only two in Birmingham with the other being located in Kingstanding. Excavations also uncovered the presence of an Iron Age settlement, dating to around 400 and 100BC, consisting of circular houses built over at least three phases surrounded by ditches. Closer to Langley Brook (a tributary of the River Tame), excavations uncovered the remains of a single circular house surrounded by ditches, dating from the same period. Near to Langley Mill Farm is Fox Hollies, where archaeological surveys have uncovered flints dating from the New Stone Age. Amongst the finds in the area were flint cores and a flint scraper, which had been retouched with a knife. The presence of flint cores suggest that the site was used for tool manufacture and that a settlement was nearby. Additionally, a Bronze Age burnt mound was also discovered in the area. In his History of Birmingham, published in 1782, William Hutton describes the presence of three mounds adjacent to Chester Road on the extremities of Sutton Coldfield (although now outside the modern boundaries of the town). The site, southwest of Bourne Pool (named "Bowen Pool" by Hutton), is called Loaches Banks and was mapped as early as 1752 by Dr. Wilks of Willenhall. Hutton interpreted the earthworks as a Saxon fortification but further archaeological work led Dr. Mike Hodder, now the Planning Archaeologist for Birmingham City Council, to believe that the site was an Iron Age hill-slope enclosure. Centuries of agriculture on the land has severely affected the visibility of the features, with the earthworks now only apparent in aerial photography. Further evidence of pre-Roman human habitation are preserved in Sutton Park. A major fire in the park in 1926 revealed six more mounds near Streetly Lane, excavations of which uncovered charred and cracked stones within them and pits below the two largest mounds. Although their date of origin is unknown, claims they were of Bronze Age origin were disproved. The mounds are now covered in rough heathland. The area around Rowton's Well has been the source of many archaeological discoveries such as flint tools, and in the 18th century, worked timbers were discovered near the well, suggesting a possible Iron Age timber trackway built across wet land, similar to others discovered elsewhere in the country. A burnt mound was also discovered in New Hall Valley.
Anglo Saxon days also had Rowtons Well which still exists in Royal Sutton Park today. Rowten's Well lies near Iknield Street. Rohedon was the name of a family in the neighbourhood around the times of Edward I. There was also a Rohedon Hill and a Rohedon Green. This is most likely the origins of the name Rowton. There is a tumulus near the well that favours that viewpoint. Another possibility is that Saxon dedication of the Holy Rood to the well. There are also the remains of others, Keepers Well and Lady's or Druids Well. Also, in Sutton itself was Robin Hood's well. but little or nothing is known of this. Romans
Remains of the Roman road, north from Droitwich, can still be traced running northwards along the western boundary of Sutton Park. Marching along this road known Ryknild or Icknild Street, the Romans effectively bypassed the remote wilderness area that later became Sutton Coldfield. They may have refreshed themselves at Rowtons Well, which is adjacent to the road, on their way to Letocetum a Roman settlement situated near the junction of Ryknild Street with Watling Street ( now known as Wall). They remained in Britain until the 6th century and it was not until about 669 AD that Bishop Chad established his base at Licidfelth. http://mtor.suttoncoldfieldatoz.com/R.html The excavated bathhouse of an army post on Watling Street, the great Roman road running from London to Viroconium (Wroxeter). In addition to the bath house there are partial remains of the buildings associated with the staging post. A museum displays finds discovered on the site. The staging post of Letocetum was an important stop on the main Roman road to north Wales. The foundations of a mansio, or Roman inn, have been discovered. Letocetum began as a 1st century army post. Later, a town grew up on the site. A series of forts were erected, covering up to 30 acres. No trace of the forts remain. Upon the Roman withdrawal from Britain to protect the Roman Empire on the continent in the 5th century, the area of Sutton Coldfield, still undeveloped, passed into the Anglo Saxon kingdom of Mercia. It is during this period that it is believed Sutton Coldfield may have originated as a hamlet, as a hunting lodge was built at Maney Hill for the purpose of the Mercian leaders. The outline of the deer park that it served is still visible within Sutton Park, with the ditch and bank boundary forming the western boundary of Holly Hurst, then crossing Keepers Valley, through the Lower Nuthurst and continuing on south of Blackroot Pool. Due to the marshy ground at Blackroot Valley, a fence was probably constructed to contain the deer, and the ditch and bank boundary commences again on the eastern side, on towards Holly Knoll.
This
became known as Suth tun or Sutton; meaning south farm. "Coldfield"
denotes an area of land, a place where charcoal burning
took place. Sutone, as the manor became known, was held by Edwin,
Earl of Mercia during the reign
of Edward the Confessor. Upon
the death of Edwin in 1071, the manor and the rest of Mercia passed into
the possession of the Crown, then William the Conqueror, resulting in
Sutton Chase becoming a Royal
Forest. The manor of Sutone was mentioned in the Domesday
Book of 1086, where it was
rated at eight hides, making it
larger than all surrounding villages in terms of cultivated land.
The manor remained in the possession of the Crown until 1135. When King
Henry I exchanged it for the Manor of Hockham and Langham in Rutland, with
Roger de Beaumont, the 2nd Earl of Warwick. The manor remained in the
possession of the Earldom of Warwick for about 300 years, with numerous
exceptions (?). As Sutton Royal Forest was part of this and no longer in
Crown possession it reverted, for a while, to Sutton Chase. |
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Sutton is first recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086. It is a name commonly found across the country and comes from the Old English suth tun meaning 'south farm'. Where it was south of is unsure, perhaps the ecclesiastical centre of Lichfield, maybe Tamworth which was the capital of the Anglian kingdom of Mercia, or possibly it was named as being in the south of the Chase. At the time of the Conquest, Sutton belonged to Edwin, Earl of Mercia. He was the grandson of Godiva. Edwin struggled to the last for English freedom and was put to death in 1071. Godiva's husband, Leofric, would often stay in Sutton on his way to his home in Beverley Regis from Coventry. During the time of Shakespeare Sutton Coldfield was 'clean, well paved with quaint half timbered homes surrounding the church', being prosperous. The Arms of Sutton Coldfield are based on the Arms of the towns greatest benefactor, John Harman, otherwise known as Vesey. Born in Sutton in the fifteenth century, he attained high office during the reign of King Henry VIII, being consecrated Bishop of Exeter in 1519. From the Arms of Vesey, the town Arms have taken the cross on a silver field with a stags head in the centre, and four birds, one on each arm of the cross. The stag surmounting the helmet holds two gold crossed keys and a sword, which are taken from the Arms of the Bishopric of Exeter. The mitre on the shield is a further allusion to Vesey as Bishop. The gold greyhound and red dragon supporters were used on the Arms of the early Tudor kings and commemorate the fact that Henry VIII granted a charter of incorporation for Sutton Coldfield to be a Royal Town in 1528 and placing the Chase and Manor in the hands of a local body for the benefit of the inhabitants in perpetuity. The town has a historical connection to the British Royal Family, resulting in it receiving the title of Royal Town when it was a municipal borough in its own right and part of Warwickshire. When the Local Government Act 1972 came into force in 1974, Sutton Coldfield became part of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands county. The earliest known signs of human presence in Sutton Coldfield have been discovered on the boundaries of the town. Archaeological surveys undertaken in preparation for the construction of the M6 Toll road revealed evidence of Bronze Age burnt mounds near Langley Mill Farm, at Langley Brook. Additionally, evidence for a Bronze Age burial mound was discovered, one of only two in Birmingham with the other being located in Kingstanding. Excavations also uncovered the presence of an Iron Age settlement, dating to around 400 to 100BC. John Harman, the eldest son of William and Joan Harman, was born in about 1462 in a property on the estate of Moor Hall in Sutton Coldfield. It is likely he was brought up in the household of distant relations of his mother, the Veseys, whose name he adopted as his own.
He studied at Oxford and in 1489, having taken holy orders, was appointed chaplain to the household of Henry the Sevenths' Queen, Elizabeth of York, a post he held when the future King Henry the Eighth was born to the Queen in 1491. Vesey rose to distinction as a result of natural ability, hard work, ambition and a pleasing manner. He was, in his 40's, well entrenched in the ecclesiastical hierarchy. While hunting one day in Sutton Park, Henry the Eighth, accompanied by Bishop Vesey was subjected to a sudden and quite unexpected charge by a wild boar. Before the animal could harm the King, however, it fell dead with an arrow through its heart. The cry went out for the kings unknown saviour to be brought forward so that royal gratitude could be shown in some tangible way. Much to the Kings surprise, the unseen marksman was found to be a young and beautiful woman and when Henry was told that her family had been dispossessed of their property, he ordered that restitution should be made to them. Furthermore, to the young woman herself, he presented the Tudor Rose, his family emblem, which he said should henceforth also be the emblem of Sutton Coldfield, the girls native town. In 1790, Royal Sutton Coldfield was mentioned in a Warwickshire book as a small hamlet with 14 taverns!! Much has changed in Sutton Coldfield, mainly since the forced boundary changes of 1974 which saw a proud and independent Sutton Coldfield merged with the metropolis of Birmingham. The arrival of the railway enabled businessmen to live further afield and they moved out of Birmingham to Sutton Coldfield, the rail also brought the folk, the day tripper, from town to the Royal Park. Another book describes Birmingham as 'not' a nice place to live due to the industry, dirt and 'poverty.'
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Sutton Coldfield 1843 Sutton Coldfield is in the Birmingham division of Hemlingford hundred, 7 miles N.N.E. of Birmingham and 25 miles N.N.W. of Warwick. This town, having fallen into decay, was revived by the benefactions of John Vesey, a native of the place, bishop of Exeter in the time of Henry VIII Vesey procured for the town a charter of incorporation, paved the principal avenues, built a moot-hall and market-place, founded and endowed a free school, enlarged and embellished the church, and introduced the clothing manufacture, building many houses which were to be free for such as followed that business. The parish has an area of 13,030 acres, and contained, in 1831, 757 houses, namely, 736 inhabited, 18 uninhabited, and 3 building ; with a population of 750 families, or 3,684 persons, about half agricultural. The town has a neat appearance, and contains some handsome houses. The church is handsome, and comprehends a nave with side aisles and chancel. The nave is modern : the chancel contains the effigy of Bishop Vesey with his mitre and crosier ; he died A.D. 1555, at the age of 103. On the town-hall, a neat brick building, are the arms of the prelate emblazoned on a shield, surmounted with a mitre. South-west of the town is ‘the Coldfield,’ a bleak and cheerless tract of 13,000 acres, extending into Staffordshire ; and N.W. and W, of the town is Sutton Park, containing about 3,500 acres, granted to the poor of the town as pasturage by Bishop Vesey ; it was anciently the park and part of the chace of the lords of the manor, and contained some large pools or pieces of water. Some branches of the hardware manufacture, especially the manufacture of spades, saws, axes, and gun-barrels, are carried on, and gave employment, in 1831, to 34 men. The weekly market is on Monday, and there are two yearly fairs for cattle, sheep, and pedlery. The corporation of Sutton Coldfield consists of a warden, two capital burgesses, and twenty-two aldermen ; the title of the corporation is ‘The Warden and Society of the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield.’ It is not included in the Municipal Reform Act. The warden and the two capital burgesses are magistrates. Quarter-sessions are held, but their criminal jurisdiction has gone into disuse, and offenders are committed for trial to the county : the Court of Record is also disused. The borough is co-extensive with the parish. The income of the corporation consists of a rental of nearly £750, and the interest of £18,000 3 per cent. consols : this is expended in supporting three (or rather six) schools and ten almshouses, apprenticing two poor maids yearly, and other purposes chiefly charitable. The living is a rectory, of the clear yearly value of which there is no return ; in the rural deanery of Arden, in the archdeaconry of Coventry, and in the diocese of Worcester. in the archdeaconry of Coventry, and diocese of Lichfield and Coventry, rated in the king's books at £33. 9, Q., and in the patronage of William Bedford, Esq. The church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is a fine ancient structure, built probably In the thirteenth century, though combining different styles of English architecture: the aisles were added by Bishop Vesey, whose effigy, in a recumbent posture, with a mitre on his head and crosier in his right hand, is in the chancel: part of the nave fell down about seventy years ago, and was rebuilt by the corporation, at the expense of £ 1500. Grammar School The free grammar school was founded, in the reign of Henry VIII, and endowed with land in the parish, by Bishop Vesey. The salary of the master in from £300 to £400 per annum, and a handsome house was erected for him, chiefly at the expense of the corporation, on the condition of his teaching twenty-four poor boys additionally In reading, writing, and arithmetic. National schools, in which about two hundred and forty children of both sexes are educated and clothed, are supported from funds belonging to the corporation. Almshouses for five aged men and five aged women, with gardens attached, were built and are supported by the corporation. Among various charitable benefactions, four marriage portions, of £24 each, are allowed annually to four poor maidens, natives or long resident. Near Driffold house, so called from the custom of driving and folding the cattle of the parishioners, a farm-house occupies the site of the old manor house, formerly an episcopal palace of great strength, of which a few remains are still visible. At the north-west extremity of Sutton, near the Chester road, is a pool called the Bowen, at the extremity of which are the remains of a fortification, called Loaches Banks, enclosing a quadrangular area of nearly two acres, surrounded by three large mounds and three narrow trenches, supposed to be an ancient British camp, from the neighbouring heath being named Drude heath (i. e. Druids' heath) : it is defended on three sides by a morass, and accessible only on the side from the Coldfield, where it is protected by a larger mound. [Lewis 1831] There were, in 1833, ten day-schools, with 450 children, namely, 216 boys and 194 girls, and 40 children of sex not distinguished in the returns. About one in eight of the population was under daily instruction. Of these ten day-schools, six were endowed from the funds of the corporation ; and there was, besides, a richly endowed but nearly useless grammar-school ; the income of which was nearly £500 per annum, but the scholars seldom amounted to five. There was one Sunday-school with 16 boys and 40 girls. http://www.oldtowns.co.uk/countyframes/warwick.htm |
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Town Hall
The Moot Hall, or Town Hall, was built for the sum of £4,400 around 1852. Included in the building was a Library and a News Room, admission 1p. 'Antique Halberds and other quaint weapons used by the ancient watchmen are (were) on display in the Town Hall. On Trinity Monday of each year these are taken out and given an airing, born by the eldest members of the Parish tottering under the weight and headed by the Town Sergeant, in a curious green velvet uniform, carrying the silver mace of the Warden in procession to where the annual fair is located.' The income of the Corporation is derived purely from Trusts, nothing from rates. Considerable additions to the income is derived from the sale of timber, entrance fees to the park and other minor sources, totalling some £3000 a year. Surplus is devoted to educational and charitable needs. Five buildings served as Sutton Coldfield's Town Hall over a period of 450 years. The first, the Moot Hall built in the Vesey years, was essentially an open market hall with an assembly room above. It was demolished and replaced in 1671 and its replacement was demolished in 1854. The old workhouse on Mill Street had become redundant in 1834 on the formation of the Aston Union, and that building was from 1854 used as offices for the Corporation. However an early agreement between the Warden and Society and the Birmingham, Lichfield and Manchester Railway Company to provide the town with a railway link was not honoured and the Corporation was able to collect £3000 on a penalty bond. These proceeds were utilised in the building of a new Town Hall. George Bidlake a local Wolverhampton architect was commissioned and designed the new brick building in an Italian Gothic style incorporating a square tower. The first stone was laid on site in Mill Street by Mrs B D Webster wife of the then Warden and the building opened in 1859. The tower was reduced to a stump in about 1970. The new building incorporated assembly rooms, a magistrates court, a library and offices. The town, and the work of the Corporation, grew rapidly in the second half of the 18th century. In about 1900 the Sutton Sanatorium which had been housed in the Royal Hotel building from the demise of the hotel, was itself closed down and in December 1901 the Corporation bought the building from the Charity Commissioners for £9000. Further costs of £400 were incurred in converting the building for use as the Town Hall. In February 1903 the old Town Hall and adjoining offices ( formerly the workhouse) were sold by public auction and raised £4150 and the new Town Hall was extended by the addition of assembly rooms and a new Council Chamber. The extension which is now known as the 'Town Hall' was designed by A R Mayston and built by T Elvins of Birmingham, and came into use in December 1905. There was an official opening ceremony in September 1906. A new entrance to the Town Hall now faced north, and the open space at the front of the building was landscaped and designated ‘ King Edward Square’. Also in 1905 a fire station together with a tower was added to the building; the opening ceremony was held on 1st December 1905. Following the provision of a new fire station on Lichfield Road in 1963, the old building was converted to the present Bedford Suite; the fire tower still stands ; it was renovated in 2005. The Town Hall remained as the seat of local government until Sutton Coldfield robbed of its independence in the 1974 boundary changes. http://stoz.suttoncoldfieldatoz.com/T.html
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Moxhull Hall
The Manor of Moxhull was owned by the Lisle family from the 16th century and later by the Hackett family. The last Andrew Hackett died in 1815 and his widow married Berkeley Octavious Noel, a grandson of the 4th Earl of Gainsborough. Their son sold the estate to Thomas Ryland. The original manor house, which stood in Moxhull Park, now the site of Belfry Golf Centre was destroyed by fire in about 1900. Losses in the fire included a fine oak staircase which had been installed from Kenilworth Castle in 1760. The then Lord of the Manor, Howard Ryland, Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, built a new Manor House, Moxhull Hall a short distance away at Holly Lane, Wishaw. His grandson, Thomas Howard Ryland, sold the estate in 1926 and it fell into the owner ship of two other owners until, in 1969, Moxhull Hall was converted into an hotel. (copied from wikipedia) |
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Ashfurlong Hall
There was a stone house in 1574 but I can find nothing on this. The present house, Grade 2 listed, is mainly Georgian with some Tudor stonework. Its early origins as stone cottages can be deduced from the rear elevations. In 1671 the owner was Thomas Scott and the house and land was valued at £48. The enlargement of the property and conversion from a farmhouse, was the work of Thomas Vaughton who was Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1804 and who had six daughters all born in Sutton Coldfield between 1801 and 1817. The building is now residential. See buildings |
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Four Oaks Nowadays, for those of us with little capital, Four Oaks is looked upon as 'snobby' - where the residents stand aloof and out of touch with reality. People from outside, when I say I live in Sutton Coldfield ask me if I live in one 'of those big houses' and 'you have a garden the size of Wembley'. nothing could be further from the truth. Four Oaks first appears on the map in 1785. Four Oaks Park or the Four Oaks Estate lies south and west of Four Oaks Road as far as the railway line. Early 20th-century houses here were built on the parkland of Four Oaks Hall from which the district derives its name. It is alleged that three of the original oaks may survive in a garden in Hartopp Road. The 17th-century mansion was built for Lord Ffolliot c1680 on land formerly part of Sutton Park near Luttrell Road. A good write up of the area can be found at this url: http://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-f/four-oaks/ - many local people look at Four Oaks as an area which stole land from Royal Sutton Park. The disposition of the homes support this. Money talks? Crossed Palms? oh yes! See also four oaks |
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Peddimore
Peddimore Hall, 1 mile
south of Langley Hall, is a building of c. 1660 of two parallel
conjoined ranges facing west, of red brick with red sandstone
angle-dressings and moulded plinth. The front has a middle stone doorway
with a pediment inscribed DEVS NOSTER REFVGIVM. The front windows have
been modernized, but there are old mullioned and transomed windows to the
east block. The building is surrounded by a moat crossed by a bridge. Some
of the farm-buildings are timber-framed. |
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CRYSTAL PALACE
The railway vastly increased the number of visitors to the clean airs of Sutton Park and Job Cole ( born in Somerset in 1819 ) saw an opportunity to improve their visit and his earnings simultaneously. In 1868 he converted his market garden site at Wyndley into a pleasure ground and built a Crystal Palace; an imitation of the famous Great Exhibition of London building.( The site is now occupied by the Clifton Road Youth Centre). The attractions of his site included a hotel, stabling for 30 horses, accommodation for parties of up to 2000 people, 30 acres of grassland, steam and rowing boats on the pools, amusements, dancing, military bands, a fun fair and later zoological gardens. The gardens included a fernery, an Italian garden, croquet lawns, a bowling green, cricket, archery, an ornamental lake and shady avenues for ‘spooning’ (?? - mk). By 1890 ownership was in the hands of Charles Earle. He introduced a miniature railway in 1907. In about 1910 Pat Collins a famous showman, acquired the business. He enlarged the funfair with modern and exciting equipment. In 1950 he sold the Big Dipper from Sutton to the organisers of the 1951 Festival of Britain. Over the years public interest waned and the site and attractions deteriorated. The funfair was closed and the Crystal Palace demolished in 1962. From information supplied by David Wilcox. |
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History of Good Hope Hospital
Good Hope Hospital began life as a large Victorian house, which was purchased in the spring of 1943 for £5,000 for use as a convalescent home for patients from the Sutton Cottage Hospital. Good Hope stayed as a convalescent home until the early 1950s, when during the 'Cold War', two single story wards were built as a place to evacuate people from Birmingham in the event of a nuclear attack. A central kitchen was completed by April 1958, and this was the showpiece of the hospital as it provided a diet kitchen, pastry, vegetable and meat preparation rooms, stores and accommodation for the chef. The house was converted to provide residential accommodation for medical staff. Modern Buildings The Sheldon Unit was opened in 1967, comprising of four wards. The Richard Salt unit, a seven-story block, was officially opened by the RT. Hon. Lord Aberdare in 1971. The Fothergill Block was originally built as a Maternity Hospital, the seven story building housed the Baby Care Unit, Pre-natal Clinic and wards, was opened on 24th October 1967 by HRH The Duchess of Kent. The Education Centre was opened as such in march 2001. Previous to this, it was the College of Midwifery. The Partnership Learning Centre was originally a Postgraduate Medical Centre and was opened on 15 July 1967 by Sir Max Rosenheim, the then President of the Royal College of Physicians. Rreatment Centre built in 2003. It provides outpatient and diagnostic services for patients. The first phase, a new endoscopy suite, opened in July 2005. The second phase, the outpatient and diagnostic services, opened in September 2005. It is better known locally as 'No Hope' hospital. Information provided by David Wilcox |
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Sutton Coldfield Race Course
In the 1840s a race course was built in Sutton Park, it stood above the gravel pit, which is now the Rangers depot and workshops. It extended to just beyond the railway. Famous jockey Tiny Wells won his first ever race here. But the Corporation had second thoughts about the impact on the Park and ordered its removal. In 1868 a new racecourse was constructed between Westwood Coppice and Longmore Pool. Over 139 years later evidence of the old first racecourse can still be seen, take the right fork over the bridge by park house--past holly knoll and further up on the left the curve of the track can be seen sweeping through the cutting the section behind is now overgrown with trees and bushes. |
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Old Moor Hall 1905
Moor Hall takes its name from a medieval family.
They may have taken their name their name from the settlement of Moor near a
moor or 'marsh' locally. William de la More is documented in 1327. Ridge
and furrow visible east of Moor Hall on the golf course is evidence of an
organised medieval field system here. The first written record of Old Moor Hall
is in 1434 in the ownership of Roger Harewell. Believed to have been the
birthplace of Bishop Vesey c1462, the house is a Grade II* Listed building in
sandstone with surviving 14th-century roof timbers and lancet windows of c1520.
It has a circular staircase and timber floor and must originally have been
timber-framed, although no timber framework survived the rebuilding of 1527 and
the early 20th-century.
http://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-m/moor-hall/
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The Quarry My granddad worked for Harry Williams Builders. Their works were in a disused sand quarry. Work ceased however, when the pit became prone to rapid flooding. Where was this quarry? The quarry became known as James Pool and it was in fact situated on the corner of Bedford road and Barnard road. It was also the quarry where they tested the tanks as shown on the WW2 page.
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Beggars Bush
A hawthorn bush growing alongside the Chester Road once marked
the boundary between Warwickshire and Staffordshire and it is said that when a
beggar died under the bush neither of the counties would accept responsibility
for his burial. The origins of the Bush Inn on the Warwickshire side are not
known, but a public house stood there in 1841; its landlord was William Goodwin
and he lived there with his wife and six children. In 1861 Goodwin took a new lease of 99
years at £40 pa from the land owner, the Rector Rev WK Riland Bedford, built a
new pub (adjacent in Jockey Lane) and five cottages and converted the old pub
building into three cottages. The licence changed hands. In 1881 Alfred King was
the publican. In 1891 John Foden was recorded as both licensee and a farmer. The
name change took place between 1891 and 1907; a photograph bearing the latter
date clearly shows the name to be ‘The Beggars Bush’ and the landlord George
Harding. The building was demolished and a new one erected in the 1930s, but I
heard it referred to as the Hawthorn Bush in earlier days. The hawthorn bush was lost to road widening scheme
when it was removed from the centre of the roundabout being dug up. However, I
was told when this occurred that the bush had been transplanted into the nearby
park. The road widening scheme has actually made local traffic far worse than
when the roundabout (& the bush) was there. |
Boldmere The triangular area we know as Boldmere is bounded by the Chester
Road in the west, Sutton Park in the north and the railway in the east. This
barren, pebbly and unpopulated part of the Common land is described on Speeds
map of 1610 as ‘Cofield Wast’, Chester Road was once the main route from the
south to the then port of Chester, the principal port for Ireland and its route
through Sutton was notorious in the 18th century for robbers and highwaymen. In
1729 a London merchant was murdered here and his attacker was hanged on Gibbet
Hill overlooking Chester Road . The route was turnpiked* in 1759. The name Boldmere is generally thought
to have been taken from Baldmoor Lake which was once situated adjacent to the
Chester Road. Very little is known of the lakes origins or of its disappearance.
No lake is shown on Speeds 1610 map. The 1841 census lists a small settlement
named as ‘Baldmoor Lake’ and comprising ten dwellings and a malt house ( later
the Oscott Tavern). The lake does not appear on later maps but the census of
1881 shows a Captain Holloway and his family living at ‘Lake House, Chester
Road’. The present Lakehouse Drive is thought to mark the location. The larger
area saw some limited development after the Enclosure Act 1825 brought Common land into private ownership. In
1841 there were 38 households housing 192 people including three farms (along
the edges of Sutton Park) one pub ( the Bush Inn ) and 34 cottages mostly
situated around the junction of Jockey Lane and the track to the Powell's Pool
and the Park. The Catholic church was built in 1840 and new roads were cut in
anticipation of the development to be encouraged by the coming of the railway.
Girls and Infant schools were opened in 1848 and a new church St Michaels was
built in 1857.Several large houses including ‘Boldmere House’ and ‘Normanhurst’
in the vicinity of the church at this time. The railway was delayed a little and
did not open until 1862 when stations were built at Wylde Green and Chester
Road. Thereafter housing and other building progressed rapidly. *Turnpike,
a road built in the United Kingdom by a
Turnpike trust,
a body set up by Act of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for
maintaining the principal highways during the 18th and 19th centuries.
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Anchorage
‘The Anchorage’ was an 18th century mansion standing on the
Lichfield Road. A long way from the sea its name suggests perhaps it was built
for a retired nautical man. In 1868 it was owned by Rev C B Greatrex and in 1869
was sold to Richard Hurst Sadler with a view to redevelopment. In the event the
old house was retained and sold to Thomas Moxham a gunmaker and maltster. Sadler proceeded with plans to develop the
extensive fields to the west of the Lichfield Road and in 1870 laid out
Anchorage Road roughly on the line of the Reddicroft path to Tamworth Road.
Building plots were offered for sale, one of the sale conditions being that no
house should cost less than £500. The properties built for middle class
occupation were mostly individually architect designed , many in the Arts and
Craft style. The architects included all the best of the local professionals
including Bateman, Crouch and Butler and Bidlake. Four houses were built in
1872/3. Wellington Terrace on the Lichfield Road was completed in 1885. The rest
of the Anchorage Road house were erected between 1888 and 1913. The article ‘ The Anchorage Road Estate’ by
Janet Lilleywhite in ‘Scenes of Suttons Past’ published by the Sutton Local
History Research Group provides much detail of this development. The biggest
house on the road , ‘Oakhurst’ built for George Lowe, became the local hospital
maternity unit in 1946 ( it had four wards and fourteen beds) and remained so
until 1967 when the new maternity block was built at Good Hope hospital. The old
‘Anchorage House’ was demolished and the new fire station was built on the site
in 1963.
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School House Farm Referring to early maps of Sutton Coldfield you can see references to School Farm. This farm belonged to Bishop Vesey Grammar School. During the 1950s the land was sold off to fund development costs at the school. Farmland stretched from Bedford Road along to Tamworth Road and to the site of the new cemetery. David Wilcox recalls the harvesting.
"I remember at harvest time the cutting of the corn and the sheaves being stacked in stooks. Later on these sheaves were taken back to the rickyard in the farm for eventual threshing. In the autumn the threshing contractor would come and thresh the corn. The above image is reminiscent of scenes which I remember at the farm. |
Sutton Coldfield 1800
Interesting points: Trinity Hill is called Blind
Lane. There is a structure opposite the Gate called simply 'hovel'. The
Blacksmiths is on The Parade and opposite there is another 'hovel.
Workhouse on Mill Street. Pubs, long gone, Coach & Horses, The Sun, Royal Oak,
Queens Arms, The Talbot, The Dun Cow (later Beehive), The Red Lion. By the
Police station in Coleshill Street is a 'lock up'. The Gate, which is still
there, it led out into the 'wilderness' beyond and to the Park. I suspect that the hovels above were description 2 below.
My attempts to contact the above named group in the map index drew a blank, as
the number online is NOT the Research Group. The Gate led through to the Park at
this time but is now slap in the centre of town. The Gate Inn, in this map, is
incorrectly marked, but only just. The original Gate Inn was in Reddicroft where now stands the
Telephone Exchange. The Gate, as we know it, is further down at the base of Mill
Street. Please note than the annotations are from 1979.
1. a ramshackle dwelling place
2. an open shed for livestock, carts, etc.
3. the
conical building enclosing a kiln
Images The West Midlands Police have something known as "Copper Cards" which depict early Police images and Sutton Coldfield images obtained from the Sutton Coldfield Library. I was in the local "nick", on another matter, and asked about these and was very kindly given a full set in a wallet. Having spoken to Sutton Coldfield Library (Marian Baxter) I can now share these images with you all. These images are copyright.
Miscreants were punished by placing them in these
stocks, in public. Some think they should be brought back!!
1920 opened as Blue Lagoon night club. In 1930s
became the Happy Hour. in 1990 it became Chicanes Sutton Coldfield's new 10 pin bowling alley 1966 - Pathe News Link Type in '10 Pin Bowling Sutton Coldfield' into Google
Another postcard (below) loaned to me from David Wilcox. The Council House 1905
Brief History of the Public House
In medieval times, ale houses were private dwellings where the home owner sells ale, usually home brewed. Should lodging be on offer it was probably little more than a straw pallaise on the floor, probably in a barn. Inns were bigger accommodation, and purpose built for the accommodation of travellers. The earliest of Inns were built by Monasteries to provide for pilgrims. Then came the Tavern, taverns sold wine and usually catered for the gentry of the time. Taverns existed alongside the Inn in towns, but were unlikely to be found in the more 'common' village. All three became centres of social activity, but the larger ones, had arena's for the likes of cock fighting or early dramas. Signs. An alehouse would have a pole outside garlanded with foliage. An Inn and a Tavern would have a pictorial sign by which they could be identified by an illiterate people, a tradition which has 100% survived to this day. During the 18th C the term ale house began to be replaced by Public house. Taverns were being replaced by coffee houses. A Hotel, the first of its kind, was built in Exeter in 1768. Actual purpose built public houses began to be built in the early 1800s. These were mainly in London and larger provincial towns. Legends and ghost stories are prevalent in Sutton Coldfield as in many other places, we have a drummer boy in the Three Tuns. With the coming of the railway, coaching taverns began to decline. and now, the pubs in Sutton Coldfield!
List of Pubs in Sutton Coldfield in 1874 Barley Mow - John Pinder - Mere Pool Crown - John Frederick Rymond - Four Oaks Cup Inn - Joseph Clibbery - Maney Dog Inn - John Willetts - The Dam Emanuel College Arms & Inland College Arms - Robert Green - Mill Street Fox and Dogs - William Burton - Little Sutton Fox Inn - John Weldon - Walmley Gate - Thomas Jackson - Mill Street Hawthorn Bush - Wm. Higgs - Chester Road Horse and Jockey - Thos. Bond - Maney King's Arms - Wilson Hughes - Coleshill Street Museum Tavern - James Hugh Nevill - Mill Street New Inn - George Guy Hastilow - Ley Hill New Road Tavern - Samuel Smith - Hill Old Duke Inn - Chas. Hy. Atkins - Duke Street, Maney Old Sun Inn - Chas. Kemp - Coleshill Street Park Tavern - Henry Middleton - Four Oaks Promenade Gardens Hotel - Job Cole - The Park Railway Tavern - Samuel Bradbury - Station Street Royal Hotel Co. Ltd. - Thos. Halbeard, sec. & Miss Emma Clisby, mgress Station Commercial and Posting Hotel - George Jones - Station Street Swan Commercial and Family hotel - Thomas Corbet - High Street Swan - James Penny - High Street Sutton Park Inn - William Nicholls - New Oscott Three Tuns Commercial and Posting Hotel - George Catlin - High Street White Horse - Joseph James - Whitehouse Common White Lion - Edmund Rochford -Hill Wylde Green Hotel - John William Chandler - Wylde Green
and the Vesey Memorial Gardens (approx 1930s)
GPO Images
Ralph Readers Gang Show Ask anybody from the 50s era about Ralph Reader's Gang Show and you will receive a detailed description of these entertainers. Not many people know that the first ever performance by this group was at the RAF Base here in Sutton Coldfield. RAF 216 Maintenance Unit entertained the Gang Show earlier than his more popular well known show in 1957 in Sutton Coldfield. Here is an image of the RAF visit. Reader's Gang Shows were popular amongst the Scouting Movement for a long time but this was the first WAAF show involving two local WAAF ladies.
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Some of the historical Information on this page can be found in wikipedia, online.
http://atod.suttoncoldfieldatoz.com/B.html
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