West Midlands Historic Houses

Aston Hall

Sir Thomas Holte (1571-1654) began to build Aston Hall in 1618 and the house was probably completed in 1635, though work on the gardens may have continued up to the Civil War. The Hall was one of the last great Jacobean houses to be built in Britain and was one of the largest houses and certainly the most impressive and ornate of its period in Warwickshire

Trinity Road, Aston, B6 6JD  Tel: 0121 327 0062

Back to Backs  

Birmingham's last surviving court of back to back houses built literally back-to-back around a communal courtyard.You can discover the lives of some of the former residents who crammed into these small houses to live and work. With fires alight in the grates, and sounds and smells from the past. Note: visits by guided tour only (advance booking advised).

55-63 Hurst Street/50-54 Inge Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B5 4TE Tel: 0121 666 7671

Baddesley Clinton 

Home to the Ferrers family for over 500 years. A medieval moated manor house with three "priest holes" and beautiful gardens.

Rising Lane Baddesley Clinton Village, Knowle  Solihull B93 0DQ  Tel: 01564 783294  Email

Bantock House

Bantock House, a Grade II listed building, re-opened in May 1999 following a major refurbishment, funded largely by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The ground floor of the house has been restored to its former Edwardian glory, revealing the Bantocks’ elegant lifestyle. The first floor, now devoted to the history and development of Wolverhampton, displays some of the town’s finest examples of decorative art.

Finchfield Road Wolverhampton  WV3 9LQTel:  01902 552195

Blakesley Hall 

The Hall is a timber-framed farmhouse built, in 1590, by Richard Smalbroke a man of local importance whose family already farmed in Yardley and operated a mercer’s business in the High St, Birmingham. The Hall is typical of the timber-framed buildings once common throughout the West Midlands. Notable features include the exterior, timber decoration in close studding (ground floor), herringbone (first floor) and lozenge (second floor) patterns. There is now no truly comparable building within Birmingham. The recent extensive renovations have restored the Great and Little Parlours on the ground floor which were altered when the Hall became a Museum in the 1930’s. In these rooms the family would dine, away from the sevants, perhaps entertaining guests. They would also use these rooms to write letters, read or prepare accounts away from the rest of the household

Blakesley Road Yardley Birmingham B25 8RN  Tel: 0121 464 2193

Himley Hall &  Park

Started life in the 18th century when a medieval manor house on the site belonging to the Earl of Dudley was demolished to make way for a great Palladian mansion. The 180 acres of grounds were designed by Capability Brown to include a great lake fed by a series of waterfalls from a higher chain of smaller pools
 
Himley, Dudley, DY3 4DF Tel: (01902) 326665

Moseley Old Hall 

Elizabethan house, famous for its association with Charles II, where he hid after his defeat at the battle of Worcester in 1651

Fordhouses  Wolverhampton   WV10 7HY  Tel: 01902 782808   Email

Packwood House 

A much restored Tudor house with 17th century furniture and renowned collections of stained glass and tapestries

Lapworth  Solihull  B94 6AT Tel: 01564 783294  Email

Selly Manor

Visit two of Birmingham’s oldest houses. These two beautiful timber-framed manor houses were actually moved and rebuilt in the village of Bournville by the Cadbury family. Both timber-framed houses have beautiful oak furniture and domestic objects. A visit to Selly Manor is like stepping back in time to a Tudor house, and offers a fascinating insight into life centuries ago.

Maple Road,Bournville,BirminghamB30 1UB    Tel: 0121 472 0199.  Email

Soho House

Soho House Museum was the home of Matthew Boulton, one of Birmingham’s most famous sons. Boulton is famous for his associations with James Watt and the Lunar Society and left his mark on industrial development in Birmingham. The house has been painstakingly restored to its Eighteenth Century glory and reflects Boulton’s taste and style. There is also a temporary exhibition gallery and education room on site that has a lively programme of community focussed exhibitions and events.

Soho Avenue (off Soho Road) Handsworth Birmingham B18 5LB  Tel: 0121 554 9122

Wightwick Manor 

Built in 1887 by Edward Ould with interiors designed by C E Kemp. Contains one of the best collections of William Morris and the Arts & Crafts movement. There is a Thomas Mawson designed garden.

Wightwick Bank, Wolverhampton, WV6 8EE  Tel: 01902 761400   Email