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Soho House

Thank you David we have gone past it enough when the motorway is chockablock. Will tell Pete. Thanks again. Jean.
 
Thanks David - I'm glad I recognised Lightwoods Park as it's been a few years since I went past it.

Judy
 
I went to Soho House back in July 2010 - set on Flickr Soho House

A few shots I took. I had to fill in a form so I could have permission to take photos there.


Soho House, Handsworth by ell brown, on Flickr

A bust of Matthew Boulton

Soho House, Handsworth - Drawing Room - Bust of Boulton by ell brown, on Flickr

The Lunar Society met in this room

Soho House, Handsworth - Dining Room by ell brown, on Flickr

Matthew Boulton's study

Soho House, Handsworth - Matthew Boulton's Study by ell brown, on Flickr
 
Last time I was there my cousin leaned over the ropes to point at something in the room and set the alarm off :rolleyes:!
The attendant never left us alone for a minute from then.
 
Your photos brought back some memories Ell. They should have a plaque saying "Jayell's family lived here 1929 - 1954"! The dining room used to be the guests' lounge when it was a hotel with a french door leading across to the hotel annexe which was in Vicarage Road. In the view from the rear of the house, the bay windowed room on the left used to be my family's sitting room. I think the hotel dining room had been formed from three rooms, one of which was probably Matthew Boulton's study. I must visit again next time I get to Brum.

Judy
 
Matthew Boulton's bedroom was the room above Dining Room. This large room was used by my Mom & Dad, and me and my sister in the late 1940's as a bedroom. At weekends, when there were few guests apart from the permanent guests, I was allowed ( when I was in my teens) to use other bedrooms as a treat. Miss Boulton's bedroom was a favourite. In the days as a hotel, when my family were there, there was a single feather bed in this room. I loved sleeping in there as you just used to sink into it.
 
I bet you are loving this Judy?. A feather bed eh and I only had a feather pillow. I have asked Pete to take me one day but he is not one for visiting places like this but I am. Now if it had a fishing lake he would be there like a shot. Jean.
 
I have just read Jenny Uglow's book 'The Lunar Men' , so it was a real treat to find this thread on here. How wonderful Jayell to have lived there.
And the photos from ellbrown are terrific.
Must go and visit in the not to distant future
 
Thanks Linda. It was a nice place to visit. Don't think they get too much visitors. If you want to take your own photos, you have to fill in a form to get permission to do so. They have staff around if you want to ask any questions about the house / Matthew Boulton.
 
Not picked up on this thread before. How wonderful that Jayell was able to give us her recollections of living there. I am truly envious, lucky you to have been able to experience such an important and interesting home. As usual Ell your photos have added the icing on the cake. Thanks to both of you. Does anyone know if any progress has been made on the proper preservation of the Foundry cottages? Viv.
 
 
Lovely photos Ellbrown. I must say that none of those lovely items of furniture, clock, etc. were around when I lived there in the 1940s/50s, so they must have been sourced from elsewhere. However, the cellars I do remember and they look very much as they were when I was a child, and regularly used to go down there. I remember one birthday party in particular when I would have been about 11 or 12 and I took some friends down to see the cellars. My Dad was hiding down there, unbeknown to us, and he poked a broom handle covered with a sheet out of one of the wine cellars as we were going down the passageway. We all screamed, thinking it was a ghost, and shot back up the stone stairs to the upstairs back hallway as fast as our legs would take us!

Judy
 
I think they were the kind of items that Matthew Boulton and his family could have had in the late 18th century to the early 19th century. To make it feel more like Matthew Boulton's house and less like a 1950s hostel / hotel as it was.
 
ellbrown said:
I think they were the kind of items that Matthew Boulton and his family could have had in the late 18th century to the early 19th century. To make it feel more like Matthew Boulton's house and less like a 1950s hostel / hotel as it was.
Click to expand...

Well I suppose it's difficult to build up an authentic collection. But it would be great if some of Boulton's items were displayed there in time. I really like the Fossilry - it was at this time a fashionable thing to collect fossils. So yes, it looks like they've tried to give a taster of what life was like for this class of people. I also expect these items are displayed as showing good examples of Birmingham manufacturing. Viv.
 
My family owned Soho House Hotel from 1929 until 1956, when my father sold the Hotel to the GEC for use as student accommodation. After that it became a hostel for Police cadets. The house did become very run down and I was delighted to see that it was being renovated when I visited Handsworth in 1993. Previous to my family's ownership, the house was a hotel and before that a Girls' School.

In 1993 I was in contact with Birmingham Museums & Art Galleries who were involved in the restoration of the house. And I had a couple of meetings at Soho with the Heritage Development Officer. At that time I know they had recently bought a set of dining room chairs which were thought to be similar to a set that Boulton had. They also had Boulton's original dining room table. My grandad actually sold two Sheraton sideboards which stood in the Lounge, to Henry Ford in Detroit. In 1954 the sideboards were in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, U.S.A. I wonder if they were brought back to Birmingham? I know that the Museums & Art Gallery were in pursuit of these as they were sold again at auction in Chicago. Spurred on by this my granddad then tried to sell Ford the pair of Sheraton mahogany doors which opened into the Lounge but these were refused. They were still in place when my family left Soho, as was the original Adam fireplace in the Lounge.

The original columns from the front door porch were knowcked down by a van during the war. These were levelled off and the half columns stood by the rockery at either side of the cherry tree and steps which led up to the lawn.

Photos attached: Hotel in 1950s with my Dad on the lawn. Hotel in 1977 when used by Police showing frontage, and another showing the extension that was built after we had left. Not sure if it was built by the GEC or the Police. The last photo was taken in 1993 when the scaffolding was up and the house was being renovated.

Judy
 
Just out of interest Jayell. Do you know if the rooms were much altered since Boulton's time? I expect with a number of changes of use it would inevitably change the arrangement of rooms. Good to see your photos of the exterior over time. Thanks for posting. Viv.
 
Hi Viv

Several changes had been made over the years to the House. The attached plan was taken from an article in Country Life dated 1915 and shows the original ground floor layout. When we lived there and it was a hotel, changes that had been made to the ground floor were that the two rooms (Servants Hall and MB’s own room) before you get to the kitchen had been knocked into one and made a large Dining Room. The ante room to the right of the front door was a Writing Room, and through that was a large extension which contained a Billiard Room and also housed a large garage with inspection pit.

The pantry and larder were two separate rooms. They might have been one in Boulton’s day.

Upstairs therewas an extension to the left as you went up the staircase. This contained a shower and toilet block which faced the front. Then the corridor to the left (which last time I was there wasn’t open to the public) had two double bedrooms. This extension no longer exists.

(The attached photo, which was taken in 1993, perhaps shows better the demolition of the extension on the left. I am standing looking at the house - on the left in pink with hard hat on!)

At the end of thiscorridor was a large room which was split into two bathrooms and a toilet plus a vestibule with hand wash basin. This was an original room and still exists (maybe as offices). One of these bathrooms was converted into a small bedroom which I used as a teenager. This bathroom area was situated over the kitchen.

There were two or three large bedrooms that had been divided to make extra bedrooms.

Judy
 
Many thanks Judy. That's very helpful detail. The ground floor plan is nice to see too. I like 'own room' - as though it doesn't need any explanation as to whose room this is! And your own photo of the house shows just how much work has been dedicated to returning it to it's former state. A worthwhile investment to keep a wonderful house. You have added a lot of valuable background which has made this thread a pleasure to read. Thank you. Viv.
 
Hi Judy I really enjoyed reading the history of your time living in soho house,great photos too,Its definitely in the top 2 of my favourite Birmingham museums,Steve
 
i know ive said it before judy but what a treat for you to have lived in this wonderful house..:)

lyn
 
I certainly have very happy memories of living there Lyn. It was quite different then to how it is now of course - it was a hotel and a home, not a cold museum. Guests at the hotel were mainly regulars - reps that used to visit weekly, so they were almost part of the family when I was growing up there, and I still remember most of their names! It was a fantastic place to grow up in, and when I visit now it is hardly the same place, although I do get flashbacks now and then as to what it was like when I was young.

Judy
 
Your still young :-) - really great thread and smashing stories ~ are there still some pics missing Judy from the earlier threads due to the hack ?
 
There are indeed photos missing Stephen. I haven't looked at this thread since the Forum was hacked. I'll sort them out and replace them.

Judy.
 
You are kind thank you in advance. Soho house has fascinated me since my involvement with Avery's at Soho factory and the Watts and Boulton connection. Your stories are fascinating of the house it is a real pleasure listening to someone with first hand knowledge. That just cannot be beaten.
 
Replacing photos to go with Post #5. Here are two of my Dad, Alex Tuck, in the garden at Soho Hall Hotel in the 1950's. The one of the driveway I am still trying to find! Judy

Soho - Dad in garden 2011.jpgSoho - Dad in garden010.jpg
 
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