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Aston Hall

If anyone is going to Aston Hall, have a look to see if old Buddha is still there!

Showell’s Dictionary of Birmingham 1888.C5EA2241-59EC-4F3B-A22A-92C06C39519B.jpeg
 
I have a feeling its in the Art Gallery now. It was on the staircase, but they discovered it may be worth a million pounds. So, its outside the tea room now.
 
I have a feeling its in the Art Gallery now. It was on the staircase, but they discovered it may be worth a million pounds. So, its outside the tea room now.

Thanks Morturn, a Google goes to the BBC, and it appears in the History of the World in 100 objects. Seems to have an interesting story, and of course raises the question of whether it should be in Birmingham!
 
If you mean this Buddha



They moved it from the former Buddha Gallery (now a gallery for kids) to the religious gallery. Think it was moved in 2015.

 
If you mean this Buddha



They moved it from the former Buddha Gallery (now a gallery for kids) to the religious gallery. Think it was moved in 2015.

It could well be, but I think he was found without a left foot. He was given to Birmingham in 1864 but he had not arrived at Aston Hall by 1869 as Samuel Thornton presented Aston Hall with “two beautiful and interesting columns, which formally adorned the grand entrance to the ancient temple of Sooltyangunge on the Ganges, in which the bronze idol, Buddha, was discovered.”

So are the columns still there?
 
love these pictures !

Thanks, that was during an Open Day in September 2017, Civil War Siege. Had time to look around the hall as well. If you take photos have your flash off / (down don't pop it open, I rarely or never user flash much). Is also a tea room there (if it's open). Would assume it reopens at Easter time?
 
I have been reading the posts re. Aston Hall with interest, my one and only time that I visited was way back in the early 1950s, most probably 50/51 as I was born in 1949 and from the att. photo I was just a baby in my Mothers arms. It would appear to have been a family outing as my maternal Grandparents are there, my Mothers Sister and her two sons along with my elder Brother who did not want his picture taken given he is lying down facing away from the camera. Unfortunately out of those in the photo we are the only two left.
 

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some of my photos of Aston Hall
 

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Came across “The Archaeologist” from Summer 2007, with an article about Work at Aston Hall to rediscover uthe North range. Below ground foundations, demolished over 135 yrs.


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We went last year and they have a shop now at the back of the main hall. Usual sort of things on sale, very much like a NT shop. I like the formal garden to the side and we always go to the tea shop which I think is in the old stables now and if it's nice enough we sit outside. Where was the tea shop in 2009?
 
We went last year and they have a shop now at the back of the main hall. Usual sort of things on sale, very much like a NT shop. I like the formal garden to the side and we always go to the tea shop which I think is in the old stables now and if it's nice enough we sit outside. Where was the tea shop in 2009?

crikey pen the forums visit was so long ago but i think it was on the right as you went in...i bet someone will know for sure...we are so lucky to have the hall

lyn
 
That's true Lyn. So it was originally part of the main hall. It's completely separate now and you can visit the tea shop without paying to go in the hall. I don't think we paid many years ago but I could be wrong. It's £8 now including over 60's which seems a bit steep to me. We usually go as we buy a museums pass which means you get a discount on food and drink too. Haven't been able to use it much this year.
 
I started visiting the park last year, really sorry about the damage done to the Pan fountain. I was going to visit the Hall in Spring, but now it's closed due to Covid19.
Gutted.
 
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