sharing Solihull's local history
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.
Continue reading “Hampton Manor”
Berry Hall is a name that has been used for two different buildings in Solihull. The name originally referred to the 15th-century half-timbered farm house on Ravenshaw Lane. However, this building was renamed Berry Hall Farm after the estate was bought by Birmingham steel pen-nib manufacturer, Joseph Gillott (junior), from Henry Ludlow on 21st January 1867.
Joseph Gillott transferred the Berry Hall name to a new mansion which was designed for him by architect Julius Alfred Chatwin. Work on the new house apparently began in 1870 and was completed in 1880.
Continue reading “[New] Berry Hall”
It’s said that a ghost haunts the historic Malvern Hall in Solihull. There are reports of a ghost being seen on the stairwell in the early hours of the morning. The luminous figure apparently appears around midnight and descends the staircase before disappearing.
Malvern Hall was built some 300 years ago on the site of Malvern Farm. The name comes from the de Malverne family who owned an estate on this site in the early 14th century (Welcome to Solihull by Joy Woodall and Mollie Varley, 1984). John Burman, writing in the Birmingham Weekly Post, 12th March 1954, noted that there was little doubt that the name was taken from Simon de Malvern, a “substantial resident” of Solihull in 1332.
Continue reading “Malvern Hall and the Greswold, Lewis and Wigley families”
On 13th July 1990 the official opening took place of the new Sixth Form block at Saint Martin’s Girls’ School. The Sixth Form occupied the site of the former stables at Malvern Hall, adjacent to the former Solihull Lido in Malvern Park.
Saint Martin’s School had moved to Malvern Hall, Solihull in 1989 and was the third school to occupy the historic site – the previous two being Solihull High School for Girls (1931-1974) and Malvern Hall Comprehensive School (1974-1989).
On 1st September 2020, Saint Martin’s School merged with Solihull School, so Malvern Hall now houses its fourth educational establishment – Solihull Preparatory School. It seems timely to look back at the schools that have occupied this stately home over the last 70 years.
Continue reading “Schools at Malvern Hall”
The first two Conservation Areas in Solihull – the centres of Solihull and Knowle – were declared as such on 28th June 1968, with a declaration appearing in the London Gazette, 2nd July 1968.
Continue reading “28 June 1968 – Solihull’s first Conservation Areas”
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