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Swanshurst Farm

B

bilsat

master brummie
When Swanshurst Farm was demolished one of the new houses built in Swanshurst Lane was called "Berry Mound" built on the site of the old farm. I took a look today but can't find it, anyone know where it is or what No the house is?
Photos replaced

swanshurst farm 1.jpgswanshurst farm 2.jpg
 
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Hi Florence.
It was demolished in 1917 and the remaining buildings in 1920 when they built the houses
 
what a bueatiful original medievil house with some tudor and georgian additions , what a catastrophey to demolish it it couldn't happen to-day where in Birmingham was it exactly??
paul
 
Hi Paul.
The Farm was located in South Birmingham on the border of Moseley and Billesley near the juction of Yardley Wood Rd and Swanshurst Lane in the B13 area, there is a park there now called Swanshurst Park
 
As has been said what a wonderful building such a shame it's lovely to see the photo though thanks to bilsat.
 
The farm is shown on this 1902 map, why does the map always fold just where you need the detail.
Looking on Google Earth none of the houses on Swanshurst Lane stands out from the rest .

Colin
 
thanks bilsat, as has been posted thanks for the thread very interesting topic, though a part of Birmingham unknown to me, makes you wonder though what other fantastic buildings have been demolished through the years.
regards
paul
 
Super photo's Bilsat...and a lovely old building. Had it been restored it would have complimented Sarehole Mill, just down the road. Two 'gems' within a few minutes walk of each other.

Florence
 
As a child growing up in Yardley Wood before the war, Swanhurst was one of our local parks along with Trittiford,
Birmingham had much to be proud of in those days, the BCT gave a service second to none. In the rush hour there
was a bus every three minutes into to town, either a 13A or 24. I went back a few months ago for my sister in laws
funeral and the area now looks very run down. to be perfectly honest I dont think I would like ito live Birmingham again.
Bernard
 
I go up and down Swanshurst Lane all the time on the 11A / 11C.

Last winter took shots of the lake when it was very misty in the snow.

The trees in Swanshurst Lane (in the mist)


The trees in the mist by Swanshurst Park on Swanshurst Lane by ell brown, on Flickr

A few shots of the frozen lake (last winter)


The frozen and misty lake in Swanshurst Park by ell brown, on Flickr


The frozen and misty lake at Swanshurst Park by ell brown, on Flickr


The frozen lake in Swanshurst Park by ell brown, on Flickr
 
An exhibition just finished at Sarehole Mill of material relating to the sale of the "Yardley Estate" which included land stretching from Hall Green to Billesley and along the Cole. The sale (around 1900) was conducted in a number of lots by Knight Frank and Rutley who produced a splendidly detailed survey to go with the sale catalogue which is on display. I don't know where the documents are held normally, perhaps Hall Green Library which was mentioned in some of the material accompanying the exhibition. Can't remember if Swanshurst Farm was one one of the lots though. I lived on Bibsworth Avenue as a boy in the 40's; this is off Swanshurst Lane and would have been almost in the farmyard being just south of the farm's location.
 
Hi Max.
I did see the exhibition at Sarehole Mill but I was very disappointed with what was there! That catalogue is available as a friend of mine has it, I believe it was bought off Ebay. When I went to see it the area was all taped off and I was told to just go into the roof area and to ignore the signs telling you that it was private.........When asked if copies of the catalogue were available the staff were very vague, shame as I was expecting more.
 
I agree; the staff there did seem rather shame-faced about the rather feeble nature of the exhibition lacking any background on who lived on the farms, who were the "masters" of the Yardley Estate, why they had to sell up, or who bought the lots at auction and why. Obviously almost without exception they have since been developed. However the maps and old photos did tell a story and I wasn't sorry to have visited.

It was also nostalgic visiting childhood haunts and we walked along part of the so-named "Shire Trail" parallelling the River Cole to Warwick Road to catch the bus back to base. It was wryly amusing to see how the powers-that-be have commandeered Tolkien and built up the association from a very flimsy base; after all he lived in the immediate locality only for a couple of years and I doubt they were the most formative. His work was known in my teenage having been serialised in the 50's on Schools Radio but as far as I'm aware the local association was never made - it's all of recent manufacture possibly mostly post-dating the films. I had visited the mill back in the 60's but then it was the Boulton connection that was billed. Of course, the local boy who made good was Tony Hancock who I think was from Southam Rd or maybe Sarehole Rd itself. Why can't some immaginative soul in the Museums Department conjure up some metaphorical connection between his lugubrious persona and the locked gates of the mill or the endless circularity of the No 11 bus which stopped outside?

Also on the positive side, I recommend the cakes at the Sarehole Mill tearoom but perhaps all this will change next season with the cutbacks.
 
Max Beran said:
An exhibition just finished at Sarehole Mill of material relating to the sale of the "Yardley Estate" which included land stretching from Hall Green to Billesley and along the Cole. The sale (around 1900) was conducted in a number of lots by Knight Frank and Rutley who produced a splendidly detailed survey to go with the sale catalogue which is on display. I don't know where the documents are held normally, perhaps Hall Green Library which was mentioned in some of the material accompanying the exhibition. Can't remember if Swanshurst Farm was one one of the lots though. I lived on Bibsworth Avenue as a boy in the 40's; this is off Swanshurst Lane and would have been almost in the farmyard being just south of the farm's location.
Click to expand...
It's a bit late to reply to your comments on Swanshurst Farm but Iam new to forum.

My ancestors-the Dolphin/Dolfin and variations-moved into the farm in the 14th century after the demise of the Swanshurst family. They moved in from the parishes of Solihull and Tamworth. Most likely due to the Swannyhurst (as they were known) dying out due to the 1349 plague hitting the parish

I hold many copies of wills some dating back to 1200s up to when the farm was sold by John Dolphin in the 19th century, when he moved into Hall Green Hall.
Swanshurst was in the parish of Yardley Worcestershire until Yarley wasIncorporated in Birmingham in 1911.

It is a most interesting family that spread into Shenaton, Staffordshire and wider areas. Should anyone by interested let me know and I'm more than happy to share my information. It has taken som 40 years to pull
All the information together and I'm still uncovering information. As was usual in previous centuries. Yeo men Farmers ans the middling sort of term combined husbandry with iron working. I have much info regarding blade and sword fording in Bordealey and Deritend area the family were involved in. Many made the swords that supplied the Parliamentary army against Prince Rupert in the defence of Birmingham

Incidentally in 1685, one of the relatives to Swanshurst was put in the pillory at the Bull Ring for three Saturdays in a row for speaking sedition against James 11 in favour of the Duke of Monmouth.
 
What wonderful history, Dolohinfamil, it is because of people such as you, that our English history, is preserved and expanded, to younger generations, Birmingham has such great history, and was so important through time, not just the Industrial revolution. Great read, thanks for posting. Paul
 
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