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Blakesley Hall

  • Thread starter Thread starter O.C.
  • Start date Start date
My husband & I bought our first house just around the corner from Blakesley Hall, Clements Rd.. actually.
We had our wedding reception at the Blakesley Pub. We often visited the hall, but I expect it has been improved since 1962. My father new the Hall and the area well as a boy, and he told us that rumour had it that there was a secret tunnel from a priests hole in the Hall, leading to Yardley Old Church. Don't think anyone ever found it though.
 
Old Acsonian, I would find it hard to believe there would be a tunnel from Blakesley Hall to Yardley Old Church as the lye of the land from Blakesley Hall goes downhill some way to Stoney Lane, then sharply uphill to the church probably about 3/4 of a mile away, quite some engineering achievement for the time, and all done in secret.
I was born in Clements Rd at the newsagents shop run by my Mum and Dad, though well before your time living there.
 
Elmdon Boy said:
Old Acsonian, I would find it hard to believe there would be a tunnel from Blakesley Hall to Yardley Old Church as the lye of the land from Blakesley Hall goes downhill some way to Stoney Lane, then sharply uphill to the church probably about 3/4 of a mile away, quite some engineering achievement for the time, and all done in secret.
I was born in Clements Rd at the newsagents shop run by my Mum and Dad, though well before your time living there.
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I agree with you entirely about the lie of the land regarding a secret tunnel. We lived next to those shops. No.54 but I understand that house has gone and a new estate is where the old allotments were.
 
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visted here last week the tour was great and abit of a laugh, love the history of this place
if u get chance get a vist in soon, hope u like the photos
 
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Hi, I’ve been looking at my family history and I’ve been told my Great Great Grandad Walter fire service helmet was once on display at the hall. Wondered if anyone had any information on this?

Thanks,
Adam
 
jennyann said:
I have never visited Blakesley Hall but have passed by it. Unfortunately, when the more recent renovations were underway the Hall was closed and so on that visit I wasn't able to take the tour.

Going back a few years now and on one of my visits to Birmingham and added to the fact that the Midland Education was still operating on Corporation Street at that time I ventured in for a good look round. On the second floor, whilst I was paying for my purchases I spotted a medium, size box which contained a few old Wills that had been taken from the safe of a city solicitor. They were marked for sale and at approx one or two pounds
each so I decided to have a look through them. I ended up buying four wills and two apprenticeship documents. I was thinking of framing them when I went back to Canada.

One of the wills was made out by a tenant of Blakesley Hall in the late
18th century. The wills are all on parchment and handwritten in copper
plate handwriting which in itself is a work of art. The wills were never framed and I have decided to donate the will made out by the tenant of Blakesley Hall to the Hall since I believe that this is where it belongs. Next time I visit Birmingham I will bring it with me.

Hi There,

Were any of the wills you have in the name of West, my gg grandfather lived close by and his brother had a connection to the hall in the 1800,s
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Welcome Willis002. Do you have any other information about your GtGt Grandad's fire service ? Do you know where he was stationed ? Might help with identifying what happened to the helmet. Viv.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Welcome Willis002. Do you have any other information about your GtGt Grandad's fire service ? Do you know where he was stationed ? Might help with identifying what happened to the helmet. Viv.
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Hi,

I haven't been to Blakesley Hall for the last 50 odd years, but I seem to remember that
there was a firefighting museum attached to the right hand side of the Hall viewed from the road.

I wonder if it's still there.

Kind regards
Dave
 
No the only museum there is just the Blakesley Hall Museum! Just Houses around Blakesley Hall Road in Yardley of no interest. Although Old Yardley Village is a short walk away!

There is an old barn to the right but not sure if it's in use or not!
 
ellbrown said:
No the only museum there is just the Blakesley Hall Museum! Just Houses around Blakesley Hall Road in Yardley of no interest. Although Old Yardley Village is a short walk away!

There is an old barn to the right but not sure if it's in use or not!
Click to expand...

Hi Ell,

Yes, I'm sure the old barn housed the fire museum, and I was wondering
if that is where Walter's fire helmet was displayed. If the hall has any records
where the collection went, Adam might be able to trace it's whereabouts.

When I first got married, I lived in Wash Lane with my inlaws, and we often used
to walk down to the Hall at the weekends. We were married at St. Edburgha's
church, and before that I lived in Stechford, so I remember the Hall very well.

Kind regards
Dave
 
Vivienne14 said:
Welcome Willis002. Do you have any other information about your GtGt Grandad's fire service ? Do you know where he was stationed ? Might help with identifying what happened to the helmet. Viv.
Click to expand...

Hi Viv,

Thank you for replying. I don’t have much information unfortunately, I know he used to live at church terrace so maybe a station locally? His full name was Walter Crisp Starkey, as far as I’m aware he was a volunteer or part time in the service around 1901 as he was a Gardener by trade.

Thanks,
Adam
 
Dave89 said:
Hi Ell,

Yes, I'm sure the old barn housed the fire museum, and I was wondering
if that is where Walter's fire helmet was displayed. If the hall has any records
where the collection went, Adam might be able to trace it's whereabouts.

When I first got married, I lived in Wash Lane with my inlaws, and we often used
to walk down to the Hall at the weekends. We were married at St. Edburgha's
church, and before that I lived in Stechford, so I remember the Hall very well.

Kind regards
Dave
Click to expand...

I don’t live too far away, I may pop down and see if they have any records stored there.

Adam
 
Most areas which were small towns and not part of any city usually had their own fire brigade, usually volunteer manned.
Much of what is now Birmingham was part of neighbouring counties until the early 20th. century. A local history group may have details about former Parish or Urban District councils fire brigades.
 
There was definatly on old fire tender, I think of the horse drawn type in that barn in the 1950s. I lived just round the corner in Clements road
 
Dave89 said:
Hi Ell,

Yes, I'm sure the old barn housed the fire museum, and I was wondering
if that is where Walter's fire helmet was displayed. If the hall has any records
where the collection went, Adam might be able to trace it's whereabouts.

When I first got married, I lived in Wash Lane with my inlaws, and we often used
to walk down to the Hall at the weekends. We were married at St. Edburgha's
church, and before that I lived in Stechford, so I remember the Hall very well.

Kind regards
Dave
Click to expand...

I think the old barn is still in use am sure schools use it
 
Old Acsonian said:
I agree with you entirely about the lie of the land regarding a secret tunnel. We lived next to those shops. No.54 but I understand that house has gone and a new estate is where the old allotments were.
Click to expand...
Hi, I remember the paper shop in Clements road very well, it was next door to Winnies, where Winnie and her husband Harold worked and their so Duggy. And the cat who used to sleep on the counter. I remember the old red phone box outside the two shops and for some strange reason I can remember the number, it was 021 783 2031. My childhood pal was Julian pallet who lived at 100 Clements road which was just a couple of doors down from the paper shop. My aunt Beryl lived at 80 Clements road and I lived round in homelea road. Stephen Stokes
 
Lynda Harvey said:
OH yes. Happy days ok. David and I did most of our courting around Blakesley Hall. When we married we had our reception at the Blakesley Pub. Is it still there I wonder? Spent our first night at a Hotel at the bottom of the Road, but cannot remember the name. I do know we walked to the Yew Tree and bought fish and chips before we went to bed.:rolleyes: Over forty years ago now.
Lynda
Click to expand...
The hotel at the bottom of blakesley road was called the homestead.
 
Steve, I was born above the paper shop in Clements Rd in 1949. My Mum and Dad ran the shop Singletons until 1956.
I used to play in the field at the back which was the cricket club, and went to Hobmoor infants school.
Was your Aunt Beryl Rasen. My pals at that time was Mick and John her sons.
 
Elmdon Boy said:
Steve, I was born above the paper shop in Clements Rd in 1949. My Mum and Dad ran the shop Singletons until 1956.
I used to play in the field at the back which was the cricket club, and went to Hobmoor infants school.
Was your Aunt Beryl Rasen. My pals at that time was Mick and John her sons.
Click to expand...
Hi elmdon boy , I went to hobmoor primary school as well, and so did my mom and dad before me, I also used to play on the cricket ground at the back of Clements road which was called the Marlborough cricket club. Adjacent to the cricket field were the allotments where my dad had two plots. In the corner of the cricket field just inside the allotments was a pond where I spent hours as a kid collecting frog spawn and catching frogs. I was at hobmoor primary from 1965 until 1970, then I went to Waverley grammar until 1975. I was then a regular at the yew tree pub until the early 1980’s so you could say I learned all I know on the hobmoor road. My mom and dad got married at Yardley old church where I was christened in 59. In my teens I would go to the swan , bloomers, the ring o bells, the Rio grande at the yew tree and very occasionally even to the blakesley. Happy days indeed.
 
As we know recycling and repurposing is nothing new. Henry Donne who bought Blakesley Hall c1899) when it had fallen into disrepair used pew ends from Christ Church for a staircase at the Hall. Apparently the pew end numbers can still be seen on the staircase. Nice to know some items are/were reused in this way. Viv.
 
Many uses were put to the timbers of the wrecked fishing smacks of Devon - there were a great many - as a result of the Great Storm of 1866.
I believe our ancestors would be horrified at most and incredulous at the least if they saw our present day throw away society of the last fifty years. Older people frequently have those earlier traits - of "waste not want not".
 
Played crown green bowls at the back of the hall
A good bowling green had top teams play against us
Midweek night's a Saturdays
 
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