Rivers : Merritt’s Brook & Griffin’s Brook

[Gazzo]

Can anybody help with who was Merritt or Griffin that these brooks were named after? Flowing into Bournbrook, unique that the same piece of water had 3 names in less than 3 miles. Also, does anybody have any details on Ley Hill House (Ex Kunzel residence) that used to be at the top of Ley Hill Park, Northfield.

 

[Rupert]

I would suspect that the naming has to do with people who lived there...maybe worked there. Anyway the included link shows the 1890 map of the two brook portions. The water is flowing from bottom left to right. I suspect that there is a decent drop in the direction of the stream, judging by the few benchmarks, and a pool has been formed by banking up the stream. Up to that point the brook is called Merritts. Beyond there it becoms Griffins Brook. So perhaps the owner of the land (Manor House) had the rights to the water in the brook to that point. Seemingly for his fish pond...they cultivated fish for eating. He might have had a water mill there too if there was enough water and perhaps his name was Merritt. There is no indication of the existance of a mill by 1890 but the boat house is indicated for netting the fish maybe. Similarly for Griffin although there is no indication of anything prior to the brook becoming a Bourne (boundary for something) and entering the Rea. If you page up though you will see that above Griffins Brook is Griffins Hill. If you page across to the right by clicking on the map you can see a few things going on there. Can't determine what though.

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/m...d=9254&ox=1428&oy=1787&zm=1&czm=1&x=338&y=204

Ok. just to the right of the above map is Griffins Brook House and on the other side of the brook is the entrance of the boundary (Bourne) Brook I think...by the strange encirclement (maybe just an ornamental pond). This brook runs down from the hill above from another fish pond and from what I remember of such arrangements, fish have a habit of escaping downstream so maybe that encirclement was a way of corraling them before they got away alltogether just a guess. Maybe there are other ideas about this facet. Anyway perhaps beyond this point it all became the Bourne. Link below and map but the map does not seem to tie in with the 1890 survey which shows the Bourne Brook as a separate entity, further to the north west. The on line OS 1890 maps are a bit confusing here. Actually most of the ponds are still there including the Manor House pool and the encirlement down stream is now a model boating pool called Heron Pool. The fish pond up the hill is now a duck pond and the streams can still be picked out on GE linking it all. We need some older maps.

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/m...d=9254&ox=2091&oy=1604&zm=1&czm=1&x=565&y=154

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/image.aspx?compid=22970&filename=fig12.gif&pubid=104

 

[Phil]

Hi Gazzo

I can tell you a little about Ley Hill House, Christian Kunzle sold the house and grounds to Birmingham Parks Department in the late 1930's for around £22,000 and shortly before its demolition in 2002 it was used as the local neighbourhood offices. This photo was taken in 2002 shortly before demolition.

Phil

 

[carolina]

Merrits Brook and Griffins Brook was the original limit of Northfield and apart from Aston, Northfield was the largest of all other Birmingham manors. Broc is old name for brook which usually denoted a muddy stream. (Whereas bourne was clear water).

 

[Gazzo]

Love looking at the old maps. A veritable feast for 'Time Team' fanatics. Shame all these great buildings are lost forever.

 

[carolina]

Hi Gazzo coincidentally I was looking for a street name and came across this. Whether this may prove to be somewhat the same as Merrits I am not sure.

Griffins Hill - Located on the Bristol Road by the Selly Oak Colleges, this hill derives its name from a family who lived in the area before 1800. Similarly named is Griffins Brook which runs west-east north of Griffins Brook Lane into Wood Brook/ The Bourn at Bournville Lane.

Take a look at www.billdargue.jmdo.com and you can find many street names and the reasons for their names. Carol

 

[Stitcher]

This is one 'Leonard Seabourne'in Merritts Brook Lane. He is standing outside his cottage shop. 1952.

 

[harborne]

Phil thanks for that photo of Kunzle House (as we knew it). We used to live across the road at one point and I used to love that building, I even drew it and painted it. Don't know where that ended up! It was a lovely yellow-brown coloured building and I was so sad, on visiting Northfield some years later, to find it had gone. I've been looking for a photo of it for years now.

Chris