Castle Bromwich Hall
Encyclopedia
Castle Bromwich Hall is a Jacobean
Mansion in the village
of Castle Bromwich
, which is situated in the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
in West Midlands
, England
. It is a Grade I listed building.
for Tamworth
in Staffordshire
. It was single storey with a plain entrance. It was then bought by Sir John Bridgeman (son of Orlando Bridgeman, keeper of the Great Seal
) in 1657. He extended and improved the property in 1672, adding the second floor and a large front porch. The porch projected out by ten feet from the main building. Above the twisted columns of grey stone of the porch are two figures in niches, called Peace and Plenty. The coat of arms and monogram of Sir John is carved into the stone above the doorway. The Hall was sometimes rented out.
The Bridgemans were created Barons Bradford in 1792 and (Earls
) in 1851. A marriage also brought Weston Park
into their possession.
). The garden door passed through a grapevine which was always trimmed into the form of a cross. The Hall and Long Gallery were panelled with dark oak timber, and the dining room with pitch pine from the USA. The ceilings were adorned with designs of fruits and shells. In 1810 a tapestry of three sections made in Brussels
was hung in the drawing room. One of the windows in the Long Gallery had the arms of Sir Edward Devereux and his wife Katherine. There were many secret doorways and hiding holes. Built into the high garden wall was a brick open air cold water bath dated 1733. The garden maze with 6 ft high holly hedges was a mirror image of that at Hampton Court. The North Garden has double iron gates which lead into the adjacent Church grounds.
The last family member to live in the Hall until her death in 1936 was Lady Ida Bradford.
She really loved this home and the village, holding the garden fete in the Hall grounds and mingling with the villagers.
. Post war it was leased out as an apprentice training centre for the GEC
, and then used as building company offices while the outbuildings were used by other small companies.
The Hall was sold in 2007 to Theodore Alexander, furniture designers and manufacturers who plan to restore the property and open their European showroom there in 2008.
In 2009 Castle Bromwich Hall was put up for sale, with the estate agents Knight Frank, with an asking price of £5,000,000. It was sold for £1,750,000, underwent extensive restoration and opened as a hotel in October 2011.
The Hall is usually only open to the public for hotel accommodation only. The surrounding Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens
are the one of the last examples of Formal English Gardens in the country and have been restored by Castle Bromwich Gardens Trust (established 1985) which holds a long lease from the City of Birmingham. These gardens are a popular tourist attraction and are open to the public.
The conservation area of Castle Bromwich
is centred on the Hall.
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
Mansion in the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale,...
, which is situated in the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, in west-central England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary...
in West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is a Grade I listed building.
History
The Hall was built between 1557 and 1585 by Sir Edward Devereux, MPMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Tamworth
Tamworth (UK Parliament constituency)
Tamworth is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. It was single storey with a plain entrance. It was then bought by Sir John Bridgeman (son of Orlando Bridgeman, keeper of the Great Seal
Great Seal of the Realm
The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom is a seal that is used to symbolise the Sovereign's approval of important state documents...
) in 1657. He extended and improved the property in 1672, adding the second floor and a large front porch. The porch projected out by ten feet from the main building. Above the twisted columns of grey stone of the porch are two figures in niches, called Peace and Plenty. The coat of arms and monogram of Sir John is carved into the stone above the doorway. The Hall was sometimes rented out.
The Bridgemans were created Barons Bradford in 1792 and (Earls
Earl of Bradford
Earl of Bradford is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was first created in 1694 for Francis Newport, 2nd Baron Newport. However, all the Newport titles became extinct on the death of the fourth Earl in 1762. The...
) in 1851. A marriage also brought Weston Park
Weston Park
Weston Park is a country house in Weston-under-Lizard, Staffordshire, England, set in more than of park landscaped by Capability Brown. The park is located north-west of Wolverhampton, and north-east of Telford, close to the border with Shropshire...
into their possession.
Features
The Hall is famous for having twelve windows (one for each Apostle) and four dormers above (one for each EvangelistFour Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
). The garden door passed through a grapevine which was always trimmed into the form of a cross. The Hall and Long Gallery were panelled with dark oak timber, and the dining room with pitch pine from the USA. The ceilings were adorned with designs of fruits and shells. In 1810 a tapestry of three sections made in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
was hung in the drawing room. One of the windows in the Long Gallery had the arms of Sir Edward Devereux and his wife Katherine. There were many secret doorways and hiding holes. Built into the high garden wall was a brick open air cold water bath dated 1733. The garden maze with 6 ft high holly hedges was a mirror image of that at Hampton Court. The North Garden has double iron gates which lead into the adjacent Church grounds.
The family
The Hall has had many famous visitors including The Duke of Connaught, The Duke and Duchess of Teck, The Duke and Duchess of York, Prince and Princess Christian, Queen Mary and William Gladstone.The last family member to live in the Hall until her death in 1936 was Lady Ida Bradford.
She really loved this home and the village, holding the garden fete in the Hall grounds and mingling with the villagers.
Modern times
It was then used for storage during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Post war it was leased out as an apprentice training centre for the GEC
GEC
The three-letter acronym GEC may mean* Government Engineering College, Delhi, India* Government Engineering College, Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, India* Goa Engineering College, Goa, India* Government Engineering College, Barton Hill, Trivandrum...
, and then used as building company offices while the outbuildings were used by other small companies.
The Hall was sold in 2007 to Theodore Alexander, furniture designers and manufacturers who plan to restore the property and open their European showroom there in 2008.
In 2009 Castle Bromwich Hall was put up for sale, with the estate agents Knight Frank, with an asking price of £5,000,000. It was sold for £1,750,000, underwent extensive restoration and opened as a hotel in October 2011.
The Hall is usually only open to the public for hotel accommodation only. The surrounding Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens are situated to the west of Castle Bromwich Hall, a Jacobean Mansion. They are in the old centre of Castle Bromwich, a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull of the English West Midlands area.-History:...
are the one of the last examples of Formal English Gardens in the country and have been restored by Castle Bromwich Gardens Trust (established 1985) which holds a long lease from the City of Birmingham. These gardens are a popular tourist attraction and are open to the public.
The conservation area of Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale,...
is centred on the Hall.