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Primrose Hill Farm Hole or Holme Farm

Vic

knowlegable brummie
Can anyone tell me any history about Primrose Farm (Kings Norton) previously known as Hole (Or Holme) Farm and why the name was changed? I'd also be keen to know anything about the Field Family who owned it etc.
 
A relative of mine William Grantham b 1840 d 1928 is on the 1891,1901,1911 census a farmer living at Hole Farm Westheath
The information I have is that it was later called Primrose Hill Farm and was a 15th century timber framed house.
i payed a visit to see it a few years ago and you can not view it.Its been modernized and is a private care home
Regards
John Hughes
 
A relative of mine William Grantham b 1840 d 1928 is on the 1891,1901,1911 census a farmer living at Hole Farm Westheath
The information I have is that it was later called Primrose Hill Farm and was a 15th century timber framed house.
i payed a visit to see it a few years ago and you can not view it.Its been modernized and is a private care home
Regards
John Hughes
Thats very interesting John - do you have any other information/photos etc - you are correct it is a private care home now. Do you know any of Williams background or that of his family/their lives/lifestyle whilst living there? Was he a farmer or renting the property to live? sorry to ask so many quesions.
 
Here is a cutting from 30.12. 1972 in theBirm Post about the farm

Primrose_Hill_farm__kings_norton.jpg
 
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It is not clear if he owned the farm or rented.he was a farmer all his life,in 1881 he was a farmer of 17 acres at Groveley
Farm Coften Hackett.In 1911 he was a widower aged 71 living with 6 relatives on the farm.His son John Grantham was
married to my grand mothers sister but by 1911 he was a widower.William died in1928 aged 88,living at 223 Newcome Rd
Handsworth.
If you google Primrose Hill Kings Norton a site A History of Birmingham Places and placenames should come up.
This will give you photos of the Farm and a history of it.
Regards
JH
 
The story of this farm amazes me. From seeminghly lost cause in 1972, on the verge of demolition, to a wonderfully restored piece of 500/600 year old history. It was formerly known as ‘The Hole’ or ‘Hole Farm’ a name probably derived from medieval flood meadows. It was still referred to as Hole Farm in 1889.

Seems incredible it’s survived into the present day, especially given the planners attitude to these ancient buildings at the time. Sometimes hope is restored.

The Google images below show it sitting in amongst a modern housing estate. It now seems to be part of a care home complex. Viv.
1516E48A-D331-4A37-AA44-A7DF0E5C8AEA.jpeg
 

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Here is a cutting from 30.12. 1972 in theBirm Post about the farm

Primrose_Hill_farm__kings_norton.jpg
Hi
Here is a cutting from 30.12. 1972 in theBirm Post about the farm

Primrose_Hill_farm__kings_norton.jpg
Hi

Wow has this brought some memories back. This was my Aunt Mary who
Here is a cutting from 30.12. 1972 in theBirm Post about the farm

Primrose_Hill_farm__kings_norton.jpg
hi this brought back many memories, this lady ( my mums sister) was my Auntie who had been married to Bruce. Spent my six weeks summer holidays on that farm which seemed a long way from Cheshire where I still live. Many hours down the shippen milking the cows and taking food down to Edward and Charles her Son's when harvesting. Auntie Mary left the farm and moved to nearby Hawksley Hall where she farmed with her two sons Edward and Charles. This is exactly how I remember her and the farmhouse. Thank you so much.
 
Welcome to the forum, wombat. I saved the cutting over 40 years ago, when I lived in Birmingham. Glad you found the item interesting and it brought back memories so many years later
 
I lived in primrose hill far 1987- 1992. My dad tried to get it restored with little help from planning department. We had to move as it wasnt suitable for four young children. We looked after it with a caretaker until 1997 when it was sold to another person, who unfortunately left it with no security and it ended up being set alight. My dad used to get the local lads to cut all the bushes back, on a saturday afternoon and pay them for their work.

Lots of stories about what happened to it after the garden centre but it was a home for my family for a time.

It is now an adult care facility
 
I have just discovered this thread and it has answered a question. I have been researching my Field family who came mainly from Tanworth in Arden - or that's what I thought. I had a mystery as my 9 x great grandfather was Poole Field, son of John Field and Frances Poole. We had a death date for him in Tanworth but no baptism, despite the parish records being available as both scanned images and transcription.

A week or so ago an Ancestry hint popped up which solved the mystery - he was baptised in Kings Norton on 16 January 1628-9, along with his twin Edward. I then tried to find the rest of the family, which was challenging as there are so many John Fields in the parish. Luckily Poole's baptism entry describes his father as John Field, gentleman and I then found daughters Frances in 1626 and Mary in 1627, followed by Anne in 1631 'daughter of Mr John Field'. Then came two more births, John in 1633 and Frances in 1636, father 'Mr John Field of The Hole, Kings Norton'.

The family then moved to Tanworth where two more children were born.

This thread has told me where 'The Hole' was and I am so grateful! What is even more remarkable is that I visited the house in 1995 on a Vernacular Architecture Group conference! That was long before I had started researching my family history so I had absolutely no idea I was in my ancestral home. I wonder if the care home would let me visit it again? (Post-virus of course!)

I really am thrilled to have discovered all this. Thank you so much. Linda Hall
 
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I lived in primrose hill far 1987- 1992. My dad tried to get it restored with little help from planning department. We had to move as it wasnt suitable for four young children. We looked after it with a caretaker until 1997 when it was sold to another person, who unfortunately left it with no security and it ended up being set alight. My dad used to get the local lads to cut all the bushes back, on a saturday afternoon and pay them for their work.

Lots of stories about what happened to it after the garden centre but it was a home for my family for a time.

It is now an adult care facility
I lived in the road next to your farm. Had many a good times there. Your dad (and mum) were lovely. Always let us local kids come and play in the farm field (accessed over the fence in the alley). I stayed overnight a few times. I remember your mum suggesting that there could have been a tunnel or priest hole under the kitchen floor as when she banged the tile floor with a broom it was hollow. I still remember a lot about the internal layout of the house. Happy days and memories. It would have been great had your parents been able to restore it properly and for it to have stayed a family home.
 
Here is a cutting from 30.12. 1972 in theBirm Post about the farm

Primrose_Hill_farm__kings_norton.jpg
it is great that the old house was saved and is being used but i do wonder if poor mrs cummins ever did get her house in the country after being forced out...i do hope so

lyn
 
Hello I’ve just come across this post. I’m really interested in the history. My ancestor William Grantham lived on the farm & I believe (although not yet sure) his dad Richard Grantham also lived there before passing when William seems to have taken over the farm at this point.
 
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