Berry Hall and the Tippetts family

[doug1944]

Does anyone have any knowledge of Berry Hall, which I am told was situated on the Solihull side of town. The family who lived there were the Tippetts, who I believe had transport connections. My interest is that a long departed family friend, Mary Taylor, was in service with them, and the Tippets family were highly respected as kind and thoughtful towards the staff. Can anyone remember any of this ?View attachment 67968

 

[mikejee]

Have you looked at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Berry_Hall

 

[doug1944]

Many thanks mikejee. Some really interesting stuff and a great waste of a magnificent property.

 

[Wendy]

Very interesting piece of information just shows how bureaucracy can cause such a terrible waste of such a magnificent house.

 

[Phil]

Berry Hall.

Although I live in Solihull and have done for the largerpart of my life I know very little of its history and of its people.

What little I have learnt is that Berry Hall is a 15th Century house on Ravenshaw Lane in Solihull that was renamed by Joseph Gillott the then owner of the Berry Estate in c1870 as Berry Hall Farm. He did this because he wanted to name his newly built residence as Berry Hall.

Despite his wishes they just became known as the “New” and “Old” Berry Halls with the new hall being demolished in the 1980’s.

The New Hall was purchased from Mr Gillott in 1907 by a Mr William Upton who later that same year shot himself but his widow lived in the house until she died in 1938 when the house was sold to a Mr Harold Tippitts of Sutton Coldfield who lived there until 1957 when the property was sold by auction.

The new owners tried over the next few years to obtain planning permission to change the hall into a hotel but were refused on each occasion. After many years of neglect and lack of care the hall became a danger and was ordered to be demolished by the Council on safety grounds in the late 1980’s.



Photos

1. Old Berry Hall (Berry Farm).

2. New Berry Hall

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[Wendy]

Thank you for the wonderful pictures of this magnificent house such a waste to loose something so beautiful.

 

[Astoness]

only one word for it phil...tragic...

 

[BrianDicks]

I am looking at the history of new Berry Hall in respect of the previous owners, the Upton's, of printing works fame. That said, William Upton, who reputedly shot himself dead by accident, had a substantial shreholding in the GWR and also one of the original directors of the BMMO Co (later known as the Midland Red). I am intrigued that the Tippetts had transport connections. Was this in vehicles, trains, or something else ?