Moor Hall Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Moor Hall Hotel is a hotel
in Sutton Coldfield
, Birmingham
, UK
.
In 1527, Bishop John Vesey
bought 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land for £1500 in Sutton Coldfield called Moor Crofts and Heath Yards close to the farm in which he had been born and raised. Built in brick, it was a substantial mansion
for his own occupation. When he was not in London
on Court duties or in Exeter
on church duties, he lived at Moor Hall. It is said he employed 140 scarlet liveried servants. He frequently entertained Henry VIII, which is why, it is thought, Sutton Coldfield was awarded its royal charter.
In 1551, he retired on a pension of £485 a year at the age of about 88 but lived only a further four years. When Vesey died in 1555, Moor Hall fell into the possession his nephew, John Harman.
The 1671 Valuation of Sutton Coldfield shows the property in the possession of John Addyes with a value of £61 a year. The Addyes family remained in occupation until 1762. At this time the property was said to comprise twenty rooms on three floors but was described in 1762 by an 'Impartial Hand' as 'a very poor pile of building, without prospect or indeed any any one beauty to recommend it to a man of taste' - 'the timber is said to be as valuable as the land'.
After the mid-19th century, the house saw a series of tenants and, in 1903, Colonel Edward Ansell of Ansells Brewery bought the house. He demolished it and, in 1905, constructed an entirely new modern mansion for his own occupation on the site. All of the wood carvings and stone work were created on site, and architects from all over the country came to admire the workmanship. The fireplace in the lounge bar has MCMV (1905) carved in the mantel and a stained glass window says 1906. The Ansells lived in the new house until 1930 when the whole estate was auctioned off.
It was sold for £35,000 to a local builder Robert Streather who converted the 1905 mansion into a hotel, created a golf course
on the park and in exchange was granted permission to develop the remaining land with upmarket residential properties. It was said to be the sort of place where "aged, retired gentlemen sat most of the day buried in the Times and scowling at the slightest movement or noise from their fellows". The 1905 house is still discernible as part of the much altered and extended hotel.
It was 1961 when Michael Webb bought the property and gradually developed the 17 bedroom guesthouse into the present 4 star hotel with 83 bedrooms, 8 conference rooms, 2 restaurants and leisure centre and spa. It is now owned by the Webb family. They currently own Moor Hall hotel, The George Hotel in Lichfield, The Gables near Bristol and Broads Travel in Sutton Coldfield.
The Hotel is now part of the Webb Hotels and Travel, however the golf course is privately owned.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
, 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...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
First records of Moor Hall date back to the 15th century when it was owned by a Roger Harwell.In 1527, Bishop John Vesey
John Vesey
John Vesey or Veysey was an English bishop.-Life:He was born John Harman, probably about 1462, the son of a yeoman farmer, in a farmhouse now known as Moor Hall Farm, Sutton Coldfield...
bought 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land for £1500 in Sutton Coldfield called Moor Crofts and Heath Yards close to the farm in which he had been born and raised. Built in brick, it was a substantial mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
for his own occupation. When he was not in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on Court duties or in Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
on church duties, he lived at Moor Hall. It is said he employed 140 scarlet liveried servants. He frequently entertained Henry VIII, which is why, it is thought, Sutton Coldfield was awarded its royal charter.
In 1551, he retired on a pension of £485 a year at the age of about 88 but lived only a further four years. When Vesey died in 1555, Moor Hall fell into the possession his nephew, John Harman.
The 1671 Valuation of Sutton Coldfield shows the property in the possession of John Addyes with a value of £61 a year. The Addyes family remained in occupation until 1762. At this time the property was said to comprise twenty rooms on three floors but was described in 1762 by an 'Impartial Hand' as 'a very poor pile of building, without prospect or indeed any any one beauty to recommend it to a man of taste' - 'the timber is said to be as valuable as the land'.
After the mid-19th century, the house saw a series of tenants and, in 1903, Colonel Edward Ansell of Ansells Brewery bought the house. He demolished it and, in 1905, constructed an entirely new modern mansion for his own occupation on the site. All of the wood carvings and stone work were created on site, and architects from all over the country came to admire the workmanship. The fireplace in the lounge bar has MCMV (1905) carved in the mantel and a stained glass window says 1906. The Ansells lived in the new house until 1930 when the whole estate was auctioned off.
It was sold for £35,000 to a local builder Robert Streather who converted the 1905 mansion into a hotel, created a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
on the park and in exchange was granted permission to develop the remaining land with upmarket residential properties. It was said to be the sort of place where "aged, retired gentlemen sat most of the day buried in the Times and scowling at the slightest movement or noise from their fellows". The 1905 house is still discernible as part of the much altered and extended hotel.
It was 1961 when Michael Webb bought the property and gradually developed the 17 bedroom guesthouse into the present 4 star hotel with 83 bedrooms, 8 conference rooms, 2 restaurants and leisure centre and spa. It is now owned by the Webb family. They currently own Moor Hall hotel, The George Hotel in Lichfield, The Gables near Bristol and Broads Travel in Sutton Coldfield.
The Hotel is now part of the Webb Hotels and Travel, however the golf course is privately owned.