Gilbertstone
Encyclopedia
Gilbertstone is a residential suburban area straddling the border of Yardley
and South Yardley
in Birmingham
, West Midlands
.
from the Ice Age
, is now kept at Blakesley Hall
in Yardley.
's strip map of Coventry Road. Gilbertstone developed as a result of the construction of the now-demolished Gilbertstone House, which was built between 1866 and 1867 for Samuel Thornley, on the site of a small farmhouse. It was bought by Richard Tangye
in 1883, a major benefactor to the Birmingham Art Gallery. The house had extensive grounds which crossed into the area of Lyndon End and Bickenhill
. It had a pool with a boathouse. On the side of the house was a 65 feet (19.8 m) tall tower.
It was recorded in 1905 that the mansion and grounds straddled the boundaries of the counties of Warwickshire
and Worcestershire
.
Thomas Rowbotham lived in the house whilst developing the nearby roads. He gave land for the construction of St. Michael and All Angels Church, although that piece was exchanged for the site the church was actually built on. He also sold various pieces of land for development. Sir Hanson Rowbotham sold the estate for £250,000 and the house was demolished in 1937. The 300 acres (1.2 km²) estate was to be used for the construction of 3,000 houses, however, World War II
suspended the construction of the properties on site.
Visitors to the farmhouse and the manor on its site included John Bright
, Catherine Hutton
, William Hutton's
daughter, and members of the Royal Colonial Institute.
The area the estate covered is now crossed by Saxondale Avenue, which is the exact location of the house, Sunnymead Road and parts of Wensley Road, Brays Road and Wychwood Crescent. Manor House Lane reflects the former land usage of the nearby area. Moat Lane, bordering Gilbertstone, receives its name from one of the two moats in Gilbertstone, the remains of which can still be seen in Gilbertstone Recreation Ground alongside Moat Lane.
The area was damaged by night bombing raids by the Luftwaffe
during World War II. When the war finished, the area was developed as part of the postwar redevelopment. A new housing estate was built in Gilbertstone with 576 houses. 207 of these (36%) were designed by RIBA
approved architects leading to criticism over the aesthetics of the area.
In 1950, Gilbertstone became home to a primary school, designed by Crouch, Butler and Savage in a typical postwar style. The wooden structures, which had formed Oaklands County Primary School, had been completely dismantled from their site in Dolphin Lane in Acocks Green
and reassembled in the new estate. The buildings were demolished in 1998 following concerns over the stability of the structure. In 1998, construction work on the new buildings commenced and were opened by Estelle Morris
on March 24, 2000. The school was able to construct the buildings following a cash injection by Birmingham International Airport.
Yardley, Birmingham
Yardley is an area in east Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee.Birmingham Yardley is a constituency and its Member of Parliament is John Hemming.-Features:...
and South Yardley
South Yardley
South Yardley is one of the 40 electoral wards in Birmingham, England. The name of the ward was changed from Acocks Green Ward and with the name change, the boundary changed with Acocks Green village and Acocks Green railway station being lost and the boundary being extended north to Bordesley...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, 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...
.
Etymology
It is unknown where the name actually came from but a local legend states that a man named Gilbert lifted an enormous stone to move the boundaries between his and another person's land so that he could gain more land. The supposed stone, which is an erraticGlacial erratic
A glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres...
from the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
, is now kept at Blakesley Hall
Blakesley Hall
Blakesley Hall is a Tudor hall on Blakesley Road in Yardley, Birmingham, England. It is one of the oldest buildings in Birmingham and is a typical example of Tudor architecture with the use of darkened timber and wattle-and-daub infill, with an external lime render which is painted white...
in Yardley.
History
Gilbertstone was shown as a separate entity to Yardley in John OgilbyJohn Ogilby
John Ogilby was a Scottish translator, impresario and cartographer. Best known for publishing the first British road atlas, he was also a successful translator, noted for publishing his work in handsome illustrated editions.-Life:Ogilby was born in or near Killemeare in November 1600...
's strip map of Coventry Road. Gilbertstone developed as a result of the construction of the now-demolished Gilbertstone House, which was built between 1866 and 1867 for Samuel Thornley, on the site of a small farmhouse. It was bought by Richard Tangye
Richard Tangye
Sir Richard Trevithick Tangye was a British manufacturer of engines and other heavy equipment.-Biography:...
in 1883, a major benefactor to the Birmingham Art Gallery. The house had extensive grounds which crossed into the area of Lyndon End and Bickenhill
Bickenhill
Bickenhill is a village, civil parish and ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, on the fringes of the West Midlands conurbation.-History:...
. It had a pool with a boathouse. On the side of the house was a 65 feet (19.8 m) tall tower.
It was recorded in 1905 that the mansion and grounds straddled the boundaries of the counties of Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
and Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.
Thomas Rowbotham lived in the house whilst developing the nearby roads. He gave land for the construction of St. Michael and All Angels Church, although that piece was exchanged for the site the church was actually built on. He also sold various pieces of land for development. Sir Hanson Rowbotham sold the estate for £250,000 and the house was demolished in 1937. The 300 acres (1.2 km²) estate was to be used for the construction of 3,000 houses, however, World War II
World 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...
suspended the construction of the properties on site.
Visitors to the farmhouse and the manor on its site included John Bright
John Bright
John Bright , Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He was one of the greatest orators of his generation, and a strong critic of British foreign policy...
, Catherine Hutton
Catherine Hutton
Catherine Hutton was an English novelist and letter-writer.Born in Birmingham, the daughter of historian William Hutton, Hutton became a friend of the scientist and discoverer of oxygen Joseph Priestley and the novelist Robert Bage...
, William Hutton's
William Hutton (Birmingham historian)
William Hutton was a poet and the first significant historian of Birmingham, England.-Biography:...
daughter, and members of the Royal Colonial Institute.
The area the estate covered is now crossed by Saxondale Avenue, which is the exact location of the house, Sunnymead Road and parts of Wensley Road, Brays Road and Wychwood Crescent. Manor House Lane reflects the former land usage of the nearby area. Moat Lane, bordering Gilbertstone, receives its name from one of the two moats in Gilbertstone, the remains of which can still be seen in Gilbertstone Recreation Ground alongside Moat Lane.
The area was damaged by night bombing raids by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
during World War II. When the war finished, the area was developed as part of the postwar redevelopment. A new housing estate was built in Gilbertstone with 576 houses. 207 of these (36%) were designed by RIBA
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
approved architects leading to criticism over the aesthetics of the area.
In 1950, Gilbertstone became home to a primary school, designed by Crouch, Butler and Savage in a typical postwar style. The wooden structures, which had formed Oaklands County Primary School, had been completely dismantled from their site in Dolphin Lane in Acocks Green
Acocks Green
Acocks Green is an area and ward of south Birmingham, England. It is named after the Acock family who built a large house in the area in 1370. Acocks Green is one of the four wards making up Yardley formal district...
and reassembled in the new estate. The buildings were demolished in 1998 following concerns over the stability of the structure. In 1998, construction work on the new buildings commenced and were opened by Estelle Morris
Estelle Morris
Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley, PC was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley from 1992 to 2005, and served briefly in the Cabinet as Education Secretary.-Early life:...
on March 24, 2000. The school was able to construct the buildings following a cash injection by Birmingham International Airport.