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Blakesley Hall

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Blakesley Hall a dwelling house dating from the end on the 16th century to the beginning of the 17th century it opened as a museum in 1935
The upstairs room has a strange wavy floor were a WW2 bomb went through the roof without exploding and twisted the floor about a bit
It is in Blakesley Road (Stoney Lane end ) Yardley ...Well worth a visit
Photo from 1930c
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I echo that Cromwell, and would add that admission is free. For those without cars the No.11 Outer Circle bus passes the end of the road.
 
Thank you for the information I shall add to my list of places to visit. The photo is wonderfull Cromwell.
 
Blakesley hall is local to me and it is a lovely place to visit I take the grandchildren as there's is a nice picnic area and a little cafe for a cup of tea and lots of lawn for the kids to run about, I bought a photo from the little shop they have of the merry family who lived there in 1910.
 
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Hello

When my siblings and I were younger, we used to walk to Blakesley Hall.
We lived in Treeton croft Kitts Green/South Yardley.

Actually we used to walk alot .. go to Eldom Airport, Chelmesley Woods catch the bus to the Lickeys. Hop on the train from Lea Village Station go a few stops for a bit of country.

regards Pam
 
I have never visited Blakesley Hall but have passed by it. Unfortunately, when the more recent renovations were underway the Hall was closed and so on that visit I wasn't able to take the tour.

Going back a few years now and on one of my visits to Birmingham and added to the fact that the Midland Education was still operating on Corporation Street at that time I ventured in for a good look round. On the second floor, whilst I was paying for my purchases I spotted a medium, size box which contained a few old Wills that had been taken from the safe of a city solicitor. They were marked for sale and at approx one or two pounds
each so I decided to have a look through them. I ended up buying four wills and two apprenticeship documents. I was thinking of framing them when I went back to Canada.

One of the wills was made out by a tenant of Blakesley Hall in the late
18th century. The wills are all on parchment and handwritten in copper
plate handwriting which in itself is a work of art. The wills were never framed and I have decided to donate the will made out by the tenant of Blakesley Hall to the Hall since I believe that this is where it belongs. Next time I visit Birmingham I will bring it with me.
 
I have visited this place quite recently and has enjoyed a large money injection which has seen the surroundings be transformed into a more appealing location. There is now a visitor centre (which offers a short history through images of the building) and there is a car park.

I recommend it. It is quite fascinating seeing the artefacts they have uncovered from under the floorboards (including the corpse of a cat!:Aah:). It is also fascinating looking at the 400 year old wall paintings. I preferred seeing it as a kid (I'm actually 20 so it wasn't too long ago), as I found some parts of it quite amusing - such as the shoot down the centre of the building where you send your... waste;).

You'll find that you'll only spend about 1 hour to 2 hours here but it is well worth a visit as I said. Here's a picture I took a few weeks back of it (sorry that it isn't quite the 100 years old you may have been looking for:rolleyes:).

DSC_0287.jpg
 
Hi Carlb1964. Thanks for posting the photo. It looks super and I look forward to my visit there.

Re: your family names. In my class at Marsh Hill Junior School, Erdington was a boy called Brian Burdett. This would have been late l940's early l950's.
 
Re: Another modern photo

carlb1964 said:
Taken on 28/03/2007.
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When we were growing up I used to walkto Blakesley Hall from Acocks Green or if we were luck and had the money we would get the Bus I remember that on the gate was a light beam that counted you in every time you broke it. We used to keep walking past it making it count us again and again. (As young boys do) somtimes we arrived soaked due to walking in the rain. Little did I know that in later years I would marry a girl who lived a few houses down from it and who's father is still alive at 87 years of age and has lived there all his life. He can remember Blakesley Hall as a small child he would play there somedays I will ask him about what he knows of the bomb and about his childhood there.:) ohh! happy days ---------j.d.h
 
OH yes. Happy days ok. David and I did most of our courting around Blakesley Hall. When we married we had our reception at the Blakesley Pub. Is it still there I wonder? Spent our first night at a Hotel at the bottom of the Road, but cannot remember the name. I do know we walked to the Yew Tree and bought fish and chips before we went to bed.:rolleyes: Over forty years ago now.
Lynda
 
jennyann said:
Hi Carlb1964. Thanks for posting the photo. It looks super and I look forward to my visit there.

Re: your family names. In my class at Marsh Hill Junior School, Erdington was a boy called Brian Burdett. This would have been late l940's early l950's.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply Jennyann but I haven't come across a Brian Burdett in my family tree, thanks all the same.
 
I used to live in Blakesley Road from 1952 - 1959 with my grandparents. They had lived there through the war years. I well remember Blakesley Hall having spent many hours there. Especially on the top floor where there used to be a diorama of Birmingham. There used to be bulbs on different locations which used to light up at the push of a button. I also remember the coaches and fire engines that used to be housed where the tea shop now stands. My grandfather used to be the cellar man at The Blakesley pub, which I believe has now been demolished.
 
It is a nice place to visit, I have a photo of Blaksley hall I picked up at an antiques fair, but the window panes are different so I don't know if they were replaced at some point.
 
I remember visting Blakesley Hll several times in the sixties.I used to go with a group of friends and it was something to do in the long holidays.My main memory is of large wooden floors that were not level.It sounds as if things have changed a bit,must vist again after all these years.:)
 
Blakesley Hall, Kitchen fireplace with range, Childrens Dining table, this old clock won`t stand up!!.Len.

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Dave & Len in the reception area at Blakesley Hall. Len. (Dave is the one without the beard!!) ;):D:D:wave:
 
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Love that photo you guys. Thanks for posting. I will be going to Blakesley Hall in October to present them with an original will from the l8th Century for one of the Farmer tenants who lived there. It is all in original long hand writing
on parchment. I found it years ago at the Midland Educational in Corporation Street for 75p. It belongs to Blakesley Hall and hopefully they will frame and hang it.
 
jennyann, Hope you have a good visit to Brum in October and your gift of the will is well received by Blakesley Hall, Dave and myself are good pals. Len.
 
Len,

That's a great photo of yourself and Dave. Glad you posted it along with the others.

Jennyann,

That is wonderful that you are donating that will to Blakesley Hall. It's certainly a well travelled document!

Ann
 
Lovely photo's Len and Dave!:)

Jennyann what a lovely gesture. I hope they do display it then we can all see it. I hope you have a lovely trip maybe we could arrange a forum get together if you have the time.:)
 
Last time I was in Brum Blakesley Hall was closed for some renovations. I will be in contact with them before I visit. It will more than likely be in October that I visit, probably for a month at least as I have a lot of people to see....
looking forward to seeing old friends, relatives, neighbours, etc. My brother Bill and I hope to visit my Uncle Bill's grave in Laventie, France also. He was killed in WW1. It would be great to meet some of the Forum members. I will keep you posted when I finalise my travel arrangements.
 
ellbrown, Super photos, the folks living there must have felt the cold with out c/heating!. Len.
 
Thanks. They probably had a fire using coal in the old days. Is at least one chimney. This was in the countryside 500 years ago.
 
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