The Crescent Estate was the title given in 1910 to the land enclosed by the houses built along Warwick Road (then Birmingham Road), Ashleigh Road and Streetsbrook Road.
The area had been agricultural land and previously part of Solihull Hall Farm. Purchased by Thomas Chattock in May 1834 from the executors of Richard Gough, it was passed down through the family as part of their extensive landholding. By the middle of the 19th century it was estimated that they owned about a quarter of the land in the Parish of Solihull.
Richard Samuel Chattock inherited Solihull Hall Farm from his brother Henry in 1898, along with other property. Despite growing up in Solihull, he had no great interest in this rural area – his passion was in the Arts and he spent much of his married life in London – and he started to sell the land. The railway had arrived in 1852 and provided the opportunity for Birmingham businessmen to live outside the city and have easy daily access to their place of work. Henry Chattock had chosen not to part with any of his family assets but as Richard now had control of most of the land within walking distance of the Great Western Railway station, he decided to take advantage of the great demand for sites for high-end houses.
Initial development took place along the existing roads, still leaving a considerable area of farmland behind the houses for later sale. This started to be utilised when Ashleigh Road was cut through in 1903, and houses were built along it over the next few years. Following Richard’s death in January 1906, his executors continued with the land sales.
To the south of Ashleigh Road an area of some 15 and a half acres remained untouched. Its development had been anticipated, with access to it remaining at the midpoint of Ashleigh Road and at the junction with Station Road. It was sold in 1909 to Frank Charles Cooper who was a surveyor, valuer and auctioneer from Stourbridge.
Approval for a new road, Crescent Road, later The Crescent, was given that year and by May 1910, Cooper had sold two large plots and recovered nearly half of his purchase price. The remainder, split up into 23 lots, was put up for auction at The George Hotel, Solihull, on 5th July 1910.
Some plots were sold, and by the end of 1914, 17 residences had been built along the new road. World War I changed many things, and local house building was severely curtailed. The remaining Crescent plots were redefined and sold steadily from 1920 to 1925, by which time all of Frank Cooper’s initial land purchase was in the hands of other owners.
More comprehensive details of the land acquisitions and the properties built can be found in ‘The Crescent, Solihull. A history of development and ownership in the early years’ published in July 2025.
Gordon Bragg
Solihull Life 
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