Penns Hall
Encyclopedia
Penns Hall is a hotel and country club operated by Ramada International
on Penns Lane, Walmley
, Sutton Coldfield
, Birmingham
, England
. It is a Grade B locally listed building.
was operating two water mills for corn milling and for blade sharpening in Sutton Coldfield.
The Websters, a Presbyterian family, operated a blade mill at Perry Barr
, Birmingham
and in about 1750, Joseph Webster (1) acquired the additional lease of the Penns Mills which property in 1776 comprised a house and two dwellings adjoining a wire mill and a fulling mill, called Penns Mills.
He and his son Joseph Webster (2) developed a wire drawing business and additional premises were taken on at Plants Mill and Hints Forge. Joseph Webster (3) further expanded operations and in 1812 built cottages for the workers adjacent to the mills. This Joseph was Warden of Sutton Coldfield in 1810.
By 1815, when Joseph Webster (4) was born Penns Hall had become a substantial mansion and on census day in 1851 he was employing 105 men and 43 boys at the mills. He was also farming 30 acres (121,405.8 m²). His brother Baron Dickinson Webster
, born 1818, was a Justice of the Peace
, a freemason, a member of the Aston Union and of the Turnpike Trust and was Warden of the town in 1844 and in 1855-1858. A man of some prominence, he was much involved in the negotiations with railway companies regarding their plans for routes to and through Sutton Coldfield. His business interests included the manufacture of wire
, and in 1998 a blue plaque
was erected at the hall, by the Sutton Coldfield Civic Society, honouring his involvement in the first transatlantic telegraph cable
.
In 1855, the business of Websters was merged with that of Horsfall at Hay Mills
, Birmingham
and, in 1859, the whole business was transferred to Hay Mills and the Penns Mills were closed down, with serious financial consequences for many workers and the economy of the Walmley area of Sutton Coldfield. Joseph (4) died in 1860 and in 1865, Penns Hall was bought by James Horsfall, whose son Henry was resident there in 1891. In 1947, the property was sold to Ansells who in 1950 converted the property into an hotel.
During the 1980s, the hotel became famous as the location for exterior filming of the British Television Soap Opera, Crossroads. The hotel filled in as the Crossroads Motel (Later known as the Kings Oak Country Hotel) and the entrance to the real hotel's conference facilities was dressed to look like the main entrance to the fictional hotel. A shot of some of the hotel rooms overlooking a lake were used as part of the closing credits to the show.
Ramada International
Ramada International is the company that owns, operates, and franchises hotels using the Ramada name outside of the United States and Canada. Ramada International was formerly owned by Marriott International, a competitor of Cendant, which owned Ramada in the United States and Canada...
on Penns Lane, Walmley
Walmley
Walmley is an area of Sutton Coldfield, England. It is in south Sutton Coldfield, near to Minworth, Wylde Green, Erdington and south of Thimble End. It is approximately northeast of Birmingham city centre...
, 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...
, 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 B locally listed building.
History
In 1618, John PennJohn Penn
John Penn is the name of:* John Penn , Pennsylvania proprietor, only son of William Penn born in America* John Penn , colonial governor of Pennsylvania, grandson of William Penn, son of Richard Penn, Sr....
was operating two water mills for corn milling and for blade sharpening in Sutton Coldfield.
The Websters, a Presbyterian family, operated a blade mill at Perry Barr
Perry Barr
Perry Barr is an inner-city area in north Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Perry Barr ward and the wards of Handsworth Wood, Lozells and East Handsworth, and Oscott, which elect three councillors to...
, 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...
and in about 1750, Joseph Webster (1) acquired the additional lease of the Penns Mills which property in 1776 comprised a house and two dwellings adjoining a wire mill and a fulling mill, called Penns Mills.
He and his son Joseph Webster (2) developed a wire drawing business and additional premises were taken on at Plants Mill and Hints Forge. Joseph Webster (3) further expanded operations and in 1812 built cottages for the workers adjacent to the mills. This Joseph was Warden of Sutton Coldfield in 1810.
Baron Dickinson Webster
Baron Dickinson Webster , son of Joseph Webster of Penns Hall, Sutton Coldfield , England, was a Justice of the Peace, a freemason, a member of the Aston Union and of the Turnpike Trust and was Warden of the town in 1844 and in 1855-1858 .A man of some prominence, he was much involved in the...
, born 1818, was a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, a freemason, a member of the Aston Union and of the Turnpike Trust and was Warden of the town in 1844 and in 1855-1858. A man of some prominence, he was much involved in the negotiations with railway companies regarding their plans for routes to and through Sutton Coldfield. His business interests included the manufacture of wire
Wire
A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...
, and in 1998 a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
was erected at the hall, by the Sutton Coldfield Civic Society, honouring his involvement in the first transatlantic telegraph cable
Transatlantic telegraph cable
The transatlantic telegraph cable was the first cable used for telegraph communications laid across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. It crossed from , Foilhommerum Bay, Valentia Island, in western Ireland to Heart's Content in eastern Newfoundland. The transatlantic cable connected North America...
.
In 1855, the business of Websters was merged with that of Horsfall at Hay Mills
Hay Mills
Hay Mills is an area of Small Heath in east Birmingham, England. It developed around a Victorian steel wire mill.- James Horsfall and Joseph Webster:...
, 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...
and, in 1859, the whole business was transferred to Hay Mills and the Penns Mills were closed down, with serious financial consequences for many workers and the economy of the Walmley area of Sutton Coldfield. Joseph (4) died in 1860 and in 1865, Penns Hall was bought by James Horsfall, whose son Henry was resident there in 1891. In 1947, the property was sold to Ansells who in 1950 converted the property into an hotel.
During the 1980s, the hotel became famous as the location for exterior filming of the British Television Soap Opera, Crossroads. The hotel filled in as the Crossroads Motel (Later known as the Kings Oak Country Hotel) and the entrance to the real hotel's conference facilities was dressed to look like the main entrance to the fictional hotel. A shot of some of the hotel rooms overlooking a lake were used as part of the closing credits to the show.