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Aston Hall

This postcard is for sale on eBay. It's simply labelled 'A prison room, Aston Hall' Viv.
 

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This postcard is for sale on eBay. It's simply labelled 'A prison room, Aston Hall' Viv.


Vivienne


Doesn't that door lead to this room (Dicks Garret) the servants quarters and isn't that the same door at the right of this photo.
 

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Could well be Phil. That photo's great. Never seen it before. Maybe it was referred to as the prison room because that's what the servants felt it was like. Viv.
 
When we was kids growing up in Aston, many of us kids was told the story of his wife being locked up in the top of the house in an bedroom
Also we was told of the Bet for any one dare spend a night on there own four an one hundred pounds as they said then way back it was haunted
Plus the fact on this showing of this tour around the secret passage was not shown to the public like it was in the thirty
Well that's because there was a murder during the guided tour and it was stopped and never been done before
And this was also told to us kids and many years ago a couple whom was neibours to us in the terrace of Cromwell square Lichfield red Aston
By the name of Jarrett's was actually on that day and date that the person never got through and was founded murdered
I was very surprised by the film presented by the ghost hunter for Aston manner and murder never mentionioned the lady whom appeared in the
Aston parish church yard across the road one evening in the mid fifty where it was witnessed by dozens of people
And how the city fire brigade and the Victoria police force turned out with dogs looking for a old lady
Astonian,,,,,,Alan,,,,
 
Hi Alan. I remember going to one of the Aston Halls first candlelit tours and went round blowing out he candles.
 
Interesting Alan. The wife locked in the attic sounds very like Jane Eyre. Might be a true story, or a story inspired by Jane Eyre. And a murder on a tour of the Hall! I expect it would have been reported in the newspaper. Not heard about it before. Viv.
 
This is an extract from, which explains and describes some of the ghosts of Aston Hall including "Dick" of Dicks Garret.

https://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/england/west-midlands/hauntings/aston-hall.html

Ghosts of Aston Hall
There are reputed to be many ghosts at Aston Hall: one being a grey ghost who is supposed to be Holte’s daughter. It is said that after she tried to elope, Holte had her locked in a room for sixteen years, where she went insane and may have starved to death. This story may not seem so far fetched when you consider Edward Holte (1600-1643), the oldest son of Thomas Holte, had married Elizabeth King against his father’s wishes and was disinherited. Following the death of his other son George in 1841, Thomas remarried and tried for another boy child rather than allow Edward to inherit Aston. Edward was killed at the Royalist Oxford Headquarters in 1843 and Thomas’ new baby son died in infancy. Thomas and Edward never reconciled though he did allow Robert (Edward’s son) to be his heir.
Other ghosts include a housekeeper who worked there in 1645 who appears wearing a green dress, and Dick, who was a houseboy accused of stealing who hung himself in the servants’ quarters. This room is now known as Dick’s Garret and the caretaker is reputed to have seen his swinging ghost on several occasions.
 
I was in Aston Hall on Tuesday, the small room where she was supposed to be locked up for 16 years now has a tape of footsteps, and a film of a shadow gliding across the room, couple of children were not very impressed.
There will be no more candlelit tours due to cost cutting, according to the guide last years cost £80,000.
 
£80,000 !! Find that incredible. Maybe Aston Hall needs to work harder at all this. There must be less expensive ways to get the public in. Don't they have sleepovers/sleep with the curator type events? Missing a trick if you ask me with all that mystery/ghostly stuff around the place. Kids (and grown-up kids!) would love it. Viv.
 
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Another view (top) of Dick's Garret looking from the other end and Phil's photo from post #7646 (bottom) for comparison. Looks like it could be approached from both ends. Meat (?) hooks have gone in the top photo. Wonder why there's a small flight of steps leading through the wall/ceiling - to access the roof? Looking at the Hall's roofline there must have been a few garrets like this. Viv.

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This magic lantern slide is currently on sale on eBay and is labelled Aston Hall c1910. Very interesting view of one part of the Hall, with statues in niches. Can't make out what/who the statues are, but a nice feature. Never seen these before. Viv.

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Hi viv
I cannot believe its that amount of money to open and run the tour of our great Aston hall
After reading your thread I emeditly rang my daughter and told her about the hall and the ceasing of the tour
She replied to me was another one and the cost it was stated last year about stopping it
Because of the rising cost but they pulled it off this year
I see you said we need some attraction to bring people in ,have we got this place listed on the
History of our country and city site seeing for the American people whom are really interested in our
English History ,I know there is a big majority of the society whom are really interested in
Out Heritage and our castles and now our DR Tony from China as bought into the famous
Aston Villa foot ball grounds of graduar looking and as Aston Hall As English Heritage
And its over looking the villa grounds from above may be bring tourists from there as well
If we get the tourist board of our city council to promote it it good pay div,s for us
And may be we good get the people of enactments in there pure costumes of that period
Within the grounds of the hall or in Aston park its self like years ago we had a varsity of shows
And spectacular carrying on,s during and after the war years in the 1940,s
The picture that was showed of the side of the hall from early 1900,s was like that up till around the end of the forty/early fifths when things was slowly to be altered area yards from that black door was an archway
You would walk through into the grounds around the side gardens with pathe ways
Going different direction inside the archway there was a big grey old kitchen very cold feeling
Where you could get a glass of lemade a cake for kids or tea for the adults or Lyons made ice cream
Or a packet of smiths crisped with a blue packet in it
Once you came out of that kitchen there was the old fashioned mixing bowls and pots and pans
In fact it would have been the rear of the house and where there was bed rooms around the other side
Which you would see on your approach coming into Aston park and making your way down to the Hall
On the trip advisors clipps I never seen the big flower beds or the big urn,s that was at the end of the paths
Which was a set of three or four possible more to be ex act garden brick steps you would have to walk down
A series of six steps in sequence turning one or two on the separate leading was a small firgure or some think
But once you came down you would be right at the very corner of the house you would be at the very top
Of the hugely hill which was very steep in deed and you was over looking the Aston villa grandure
Faceure sign all most in line with the name and it was great in the winter when we had snow
Because half of Aston kids was there with there sledges going down that fast you would go straight through
The big fat bushes that was in front of the street fenceing your knees and face would be pushed up right to it
If our American friends travel out to Stratford I am Sir we can get them to Aston Hall
Best wishes viv , as always Alan,,Astonian,,,,,
 
Thanks Alan. It's grade 1 listed and, although owned by B'ham City Council, it's been run since 2012 by the Birmingham Museums Trust. Maybe the exorbitant costly tours were carried out during the reign of the City Council! I been reading about what the Trust does and it sounds like the way the Trust is now managing the Hall and its activities are on much more sensible financial lines. They do hold re-enactments and a big money-maker must be weddings. What a lovely venue for a wedding it would be too!

This 1858 drawing of the Hall, Church and grounds shows how vast it is - a great Jacobean example. It was the first historic house to go into municipal hands. Viv.
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Hi viv,
Just logged in and I seen your input for The Aston Hall thread and I also have to say how brilliant the drawings are
And spectacular and brilient how you found this drawing and brilliant of you posting up on the forum for all of
Us members on this brilliant sight.
Do you know whom actually drawn this picture ofAston hall ,
I would certainly would have loved such drawings like these is there any chance it can be done or bought
Was there any photocopyies made I would certainly pay for one,
I certainly walked around the whole of the gardens from one end to the other and around the buildingat the top right hand of the picture there was bedrooms and you can see the long garden wall and you can see the little gate
That took you into the gardens and the huge lawns you can see below the two little bed rooms windows
There was a little paths and the garden gate you would walk through behind the building
And there was a little entry below those for little roof tops of bedrooms slap bang on the ground flor was there old big kitchen where I said all you could get was an ice cream and a cup of tea and a cake
And there was only two little tables it was not set up in those days like a tea room it was really bare
Inside and very cold you could walk out from between those trees in those days
If you walked along those trees you see on the right hand to the end of the building at the end of the true lined
You would walk area paces you would come to that great stair cases of the gardens you would walk
Up a series of steppes which twisted as you walk up they was a very wide steps
And they had bushes and figure heads on each stair landings and you would be back up on to the garden
And you could walk back to the tea room or go strait across back to that little gate
And back of the main hall building and follow around the paths and you would come to the main entrance
I have spent hundred of hours down and around there at Aston hall like wise with the Aston parish
Church where I was a choir boy for years where I got two half crowns for the choir practice
In the week and for doing two Sunday services
Thanks for coming back with such wonderful pictures and for my memory of old
Best wishes Alan,, Astonia ,,,
 
Hi Alan. Both the drawings (prints) are on sale on eBay at the moment - the aerial view of Aston Hall is £12.95 and the entrance gate print is £9.95. Viv.
 
Hi viv,
Many thanks for your replying to my thread on Aston Hall and thanks for the info, where to get copies
I will be ordering them both tomorrow and one again thanks for putting the pictures up
And there prices
,and may I take this opportunetity on my last threads regarding William henry street
For your responds, just of late I am getting the old senior moments
In other words I am looseing the plot with every day things
Best wishes and a big thank you Alan,,,,
 
Two more images. The first is a drawing of the Gallery in 1858. The second is also the Gallery, photo taken in 1928. Is that a sedan chair on the right on the second image? I have a very vague memory of seeing one at Aston Hall, but it must be at least 50 years ago. Viv.

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An account of interior features and improvements to the interior decor of the Hall in 1866 (originally posted by Mikejee in "From Burmingham Post 150 years ago" thread)

Viv.
 

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