• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Moseley Houses and care of WW2 Casualties...

Dennis Williams

Gone but not forgotten
The large homes of many of the more affluent villagers were given over to the cause, providing hospital and hostel accommodation for the wounded and their visiting family members. Moor Green House, the horne of Sir John Holder, was turned into a hostel for Belgian refugees and later a hospital for officers, which was staffed by local girls. Chamberlain's residences at Highbury also became a war hospital. Sorrento took in military casualties from 1915 and Stanley House, standing on the comer of Wake Green and Mayfield Roads, served temporarily as a hostel for Belgian refugees, as did Uffculme, whose first guests arrived in September 1914. Two years later, it was turned into a 200-bed hospital, run by the Friends Ambulance Unit after Richard Cadbury donated it to the war effort. The Dingle, Wake Green Road, was utilised by The Red Cross, and Spring Hill College was commandeered in 1914 for use as barracks for The Royal Warwickshire Regiment. This, however, was not big enough and many more men were billeted with nearby residents, and Windermere, a vacant building opposite, became officers' quarters.

Moor Green Hall, stood on Moor Green Lane opposite Yew Tree Road. It was the home of Arthur Chamberlain, brother of Joseph Chamberlain. The house was used by the Red Cross during the First World War as a military hospital. The north end of Elizabeth Road now runs on the site of the hall.

The New York Times reported an incident at the hall of the previous day in its edition of 13 February 1914:

Birmingham, 12th. A tube charged with high explosives was found to-day on a window sill of Moor Green Hall, Highbury, near here, the residence of Arthur Chamberlain, brother of the Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain.

A fuse attached to the bomb was connected with a photographer's lamp in which a candle had been burning. The flame, however, was extinguished before it reached the fuse. A postcard addressed to Reginald McKenna, the Home secretary, was found near by. It bore the words, "Militancy is not dead., but if you are not already you soon will be." A quantity of suffrage literature was left nearby.

In 1914 Joseph had been long out of politics through ill health, while Arthur was chairman of Kynoch's making weapons.

Moor Green House, the home of Sir John Holder's son, stood on the east side of Moor Green Lane just before its junction with Yew Tree Road. During the First World War it was used as a hostel for Belgian refugees and then as a military hospital. It was demolished in 1920 and the Britannic Assurance office block was built in the grounds. This has recently been converted into luxury private flats. Boundary Drive stands roughly on the site of the original house.

Moor Green Lane was largely developed with good middle-class housing in the early 20th century, although The Firs c1886, Heatherdene 1891 and Englefield c1898 are late 19th-century. Houses here were built on plots sold separately and individually designed by various architects. Building was complete by the 1920s.


Dingle Map 1888.jpeg Dingle, Wake Green Road.jpg Highbury Military Hospital.jpg Moor Green Hall .jpg Moor Green House Lodge.jpeg Moor Green Map 1888.jpeg Sorrento Maternity Home txt.jpg Uffculme Hall copy.jpg Spring Hill College.jpg Windemere Moseley.jpeg So, here are the Moseley Wartime Military ‘Hospitals’ ….and their pics where I have them….any more gratefully received….?


Moor Green House

Moor Green Hall

Highbury

Sorrento Hospital

Stanley House

Uffculme

The Dingle

Spring Hill College

Windemere
 
That photo of the Dingle brings back many memories for me although I recall it in the late 40's early 50's.

My mother worked there as a nurse when it was a nursing home under the care of Miss King and Miss Edith who I believe were sisters. As I was recovering from a serious illness, I was taken there many times to play out in the gardens with Clayton the gardener who also stoked the boilers with coke. Although I was supposed to be enjoying plenty of fresh air, (to recover from TB) I went down the stoke hole and can smell it to this day.

The grounds of the Dingle were very impressive and contained a number of horse chestnut trees and the conkers were all mine!

I was allowed inside the Dingle, which I believe was described originally as "A Gentleman's Residence" and recall the old candlestick phone in the kitchen and the bell indicator board in the hallway. I had a peep into the operating theatre as well - very exciting for a young lad.
 
Spring Hill College is, of course, now part of Moseley School. Almost opposite The Windermere Club.
 
No - the Pickwick is a different club - no longer hockey just cricket. It also has a new name Pickwick Community Hall and can be hired for functions.
Spring Hill (Moseley School) is on Wake Green Road, almost opposite is a hedge which borders Pickwick (the entrance is in Windermere Road) and on the other corner of Windermere Road is The Windermere club (in the house formerly called Windermere). I assume the road is named after the house as the Coach House exists still in Windermere Road.
 

Attachments

  • Map.jpg
    Map.jpg
    13.4 KB · Views: 6
I realize this conversation took place last summer but I have just joined the forum as I am very interested in the history of the area and was curious if anyone could tell me if The Dingle was still standing today? I have pictures of it from the 1880s - 1903 as my great great grandparents lived there at that time and I was hoping to gather as much information about the area in order to plan a visit. I am not familiar with the area except through old letters and photographs that I have recently discovered and as I live in southern Manitoba Canada any information would be very much appreciated!
 
There is a large building on the site which looks as if part of it might be the same. On maps the footprint looks similar. It was called James Gracie and was a hostel for Aston University but has been sold and is now, I think, apartments. I am pasting some maps 1916, 1952 and 1973. am not sure if it is the same building with additions.
2452dc40-024a-4548-8811-c7d83baf3c04

c92aa5a6-bb2e-45c5-bce6-0479ef411724

cd1f67c7-4e17-4270-b8ec-e9efdf467c00
 

Attachments

  • upload_2018-3-13_20-57-13.png
    upload_2018-3-13_20-57-13.png
    269.1 KB · Views: 14
  • upload_2018-3-13_20-58-9.png
    upload_2018-3-13_20-58-9.png
    158.7 KB · Views: 13
  • upload_2018-3-13_20-59-51.png
    upload_2018-3-13_20-59-51.png
    235.9 KB · Views: 14
A bit remiss of me as I should have said "welcome to the forum ". Do please post any pictures of the house if possible. I will also see if I can find an earlier map.
 
This is a google streetview of the front of the "old part" of the centre. There are now many additions made when the house was part of Aston University.
Difficult to tell if any of it is the original.
 

Attachments

  • upload_2018-3-13_22-49-38.png
    upload_2018-3-13_22-49-38.png
    496.9 KB · Views: 13
been trying for years to find any image of spring hill college so if anyone does find one i would be interested to see it

thanks folks

lyn
 
morning janice yes when it was at spring hill ...although i thought that spring hill college still at spring hill until around 1857?? i have never been able to find out just exactly when spring hill college was demolished i must check the old maps again but even if i could find a drawing of it that would be great

lyn
 
Last edited:
Sorry - I read the caption wrongly in my Moseley book. First opened in 1830 - it didn't say when it moved. The postcard is of it at Moseley.
 
ahh i thought i had struck gold for a min janice...never mind onward and upwards

lyn
 
The Old Moselians website suggests that the original Spring Hill was in "The Manor House" Spring Hill. Did you know that?
 
yes janice i had read that but still no photo or image im afraid...i will ask the library to look again when i can get up there

lyn
 
Lyn - just got back from a tour of Spring Hill College at Moseley School. I think the attached 2 photos of photos might please you. Will post the rest of my pics later. Need to see if there is a Spring Hill thread.
 

Attachments

  • Manor House Hockley.jpg
    Manor House Hockley.jpg
    121.1 KB · Views: 15
  • poster manor house.jpg
    poster manor house.jpg
    71.4 KB · Views: 15
Interesting, Janice, and despite being a pupil of Moseley Grammar from 1947-53 and a member of the Moseleians for a few years, the history of Spring Hill didn't really interest me. Interesting that Mansfield and Glover were two of the four houses when I was there, the other two being Midgley (one of the masters two taught me and had served in WW1 in the trenches) and James (will try & check the origin of this one).

Maurice
 
There is some stained glass in the entrance with the coat of arms of the Mansfield Family - it is a mirror image of the Moseley School ie the white diagonal stripe on the arms goes top right to bottom left and on the school badge it goes top left to bottom right. The badge also has an additional white border.
When Spring Hill College relocated to Oxford it became Mansfield College.
The Moseleians were doing the tour. we went round the old part and up the tower. To my disappointment the baths have been built down into and all that can be seen is some of the tiling in part of what is now a library and also through a trap door in the floor of the current drama studio. Will add more when I have had chance to resize photos for posting.
 
Janice,

James was presumably the Rev. John Angell James mentioned in this history on the Moseleians site:-
https://www.moseleians.co.uk/spring-hill-college/

Yes, I'm afraid the baths disappeared a little while ago and I've never been over the school since I left in 1953. On the one occasion that I turned up there unannounced in the 1990s, all the masters from my time had gone, the last one being biology master, Field Club organiser, and Deputy Head (after I'd left), Phil Bullock, who'd taken early retirement.

I doubt if I would recognise much of the interior now, but hanging in the hall was a copy of Hobbema's lovely painting The Avenue at Middelharnis, a copy of which hangs over my fireplace here in Crete today. I often wonder whether that was still there somewhere or whether it had been chucked out in all the rebuilding - shown below.

Maurice

Hobbema-Avenue-Middelharnis.jpg
 
Back
Top