Queen’s Baton Relay, 26th July 2022

Having been on a 294-day journey to all 72 Commonwealth countries, the Commonwealth Games baton returned to England on Monday 4th July 2022 for a 25-day tour of the regions. After visiting Sandwell on 25th July, the baton officially arrived in the Solihull Borough at 8am on Tuesday 26th July 2022, when the day’s first Batonbearer, Wayne Elcock (BB001), carried the baton into the grounds of Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel.

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26 July 2023 0

Elmdon Park – Solihull YAC exhibition

From 15th July 2023 until 14th September 2023, the Heritage Gallery at The Core hosted an exhibition about Elmdon Park, curated by Solihull Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC).

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15 July 2023 0

The Solihull Sonnet(s)

If you look up above the Crescent Arcade in Touchwood, you will see a series of relief sculptures on the bulkhead between the Map Room (now known as the Atrium) and John Lewis. The sculpture group consists of 14 panels and was described by Touchwood’s architect, Eric R. Kuhne (1951-2016) in 2000 as “The Solihull Sonnet.”

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2 July 2023 0

Ramsgate, High Street, Solihull

Ramsgate, just off Solihull High Street, was perhaps the closest to back-to-back housing that Solihull had. One of the cottages (no. 20. High Street, pictured above) faced the High Street, whilst 14 other cottages together with wash-houses, water-closets, coal-houses, ash-pits and a communal pump were situated around a courtyard off a party entrance from the High Street.

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20 June 2023 0

Hampton Manor

The first recorded mention of Hampton Manor estate appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, and today the current manor house still stands in the heart of the village of Hampton-in-Arden just along from the Parish church where a church has stood since Saxon times.

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9 June 2023 3

Coronation celebrations in Solihull

Black and white photograph showing the top end of Solihull High Street, with flags and bunting across the street. A small crowd of adults stand looking at the photographer.

To mark the Coronation of King Charles III on Saturday 6th May 2023 – the first coronation of a British sovereign for 70 years – library staff have been researching how previous coronations were celebrated in Solihull.

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5 May 2023 0

Royal Visits: Queen Elizabeth II

Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, made six official visits to the Solihull Borough during her 70-year reign. There were other visits when she passed through the Borough, e.g. arriving at or leaving from Birmingham Airport, but there were only these six official visits, as far as we are aware.

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21 April 2023 1

The King’s Accession Proclamation

the Mayor in full regalia stands at a podium and reads from a paper

On Sunday 11th September 2022 in Solihull High Street, the Worshipful the Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Ken Meeson, read the official Proclamation of the Accession of King Charles III. It seems that this was the first local Accession Proclamation ever to have been read officially in Solihull.

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11 March 2023 0

Mayer Society

The Mayer Society evolved from the Solihull branch of the British Federation of University Women, which was established in 1973. In 1993, the Solihull association decided to separate from the national group and take the name of the branch’s second president – Marjorie Mayers (1898-1982) – whose widower, James (“Jack”) Bowen Mayers (1901-1990), bequeathed £250 to the group. For the sake of simplicity, the ‘s’ was left off the group’s name. The Mayer Society closed in October 2021.

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24 February 2023 0

Hobs Moat Ancient Monument

The Middle Ages were a turbulent time and moated properties were quite a common sight. Although they were initially built for defence they were later used more as status symbols. The Hobs Moat site has been traditionally referred to as a castle, so was probably fortified.

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21 February 2023 1

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