Blakesley Hall, Birmingham – Built in 1590
Visit This Interesting Fully-Furnished Tudor Manor House Museum in Birmingham, UK
Jun 17, 2009
Blakesley Hall was once a farm manor house surrounded by productive fields. Today, it is surrounded by houses and vehicles in the suburb of Yardley in bustling Birmingham – a showpiece in the extended family of Birmingham museums and art gallery. It is one of the few remaining wood-framed Tudor farm houses in Birmingham, and has been appropriately furnished in the style of the day. The museum offers free entry, is staffed by knowledgeable guides, and presents a wealth of historical information on wall plaques in each room. The information in this article has been gleaned from these sources.
History of Blakesley Hall
Blakesley Hall was built in 1590 by Richard Smalbroke. He was the son of an influential Birmingham businessman (also Richard), who gave his sons a good start in life, so that over the years the family’s estate grew rapidly. BY 1590, 15 years after the death of his father, Richard Smalbroke Jnr owned considerable farmlands and several buildings in the Yardley area.
Historians associated with the museum believe that Smalbroke designed the house to display his burgeoning wealth, because it incorporates expensive features such as glazed windows and a decorative herringbone pattern in the timber structure. It is also designed on the lines of a medieval grand house with the grand dining hall having more intimate family dining areas at one end and food preparation rooms at the other, with a curtain that can be pulled to shirld guests from the goings-on of the servants.
According to the Birmingham Council website, the house was subsequently sold in 1685 to the rector of nearby Sollihull, Henry Greswolde, when a brick extension was built as a kitchen with servants quarters above. In the 19th Century, Birmingham’s wealthy industrialists and businessmen again took an interest in Blakesly Hall, and the Merry family, varnish manufacturers, were last to live there.
Recent History
Because of the historical significance of the building and its state of dilapidation, the city fathers saw fit to acquire Blakesley Hall in 1932, and it opened as a museum in 1935. Sadly, World War II intervened and parts of the building were damaged in bombing raids, which closed the building till 1957. Nevertheless, when repairs were being carried out, plaster had fallen off the walls in what is now referred to as the Painted Chamber, revealing original painted designs. Much restoration work was required and the building had a final makeover in 2002, when the two parlours were restored to their original style.
The Great Hall
The Great Hall is not large by comparison with similar rooms in the houses of the gentry, and certainly not plushly furnished. It is very much the farm house style. The Long Table, a narrow dining table, is actually the original, and features in the 1684 inventory of the house. The remaining furnishings have been supplied from the museum’s collection to match the items recorded in that inventory. Another intriguing item in the room is the stitched leather beer mug and jug, which, being unbreakable, would have been used in the fields.
The Main Bedchamber
When the visitor enters this cosy, dark room, there almost seems a need for hush in case someone is asleep under the warm pile of bedclothes. The bed looks remarkably short, but the guide will quickly explain that this did not necessarily imply that earlier generations were shorter, as it was the practice to sleep semi-reclined, to aid digestion. The museum suggests that the bed would have been the most expensive item in most wealthy households, and usually featured as a separate item in wills.
In one corner is a child’s crib. In another is a long-handled brass warming pan to warm the sheets of the bed. As well , there is a strange foot-warming contraption. This consists of a wooden box with large holes drilled in the top and room for a pot of coals within. The feet were placed on top of the box. Perhaps the most intriguing item in the room is the truckle bed (trundle bed), mounted on small wooden wheels, which sits beneath the main bed. The concept seems so modern, but certainly isn’t. A rope and pulley system brings the truckle bed out or pulls it away when not in use. Museum information sheets suggest that a child or servant would have slept here.
Other Displays
The museum has gone to a great deal of trouble to recreate the atmosphere of the 16th Century. The kitchen has realistic raw chickens and meat, vegetables and fruit displayed, and cooking equipment over the fireplace . Many household items are on display. One intriguing and informative display is a glassed section of wall, laid bare to reveal the lath, and filling of manure and horsehair under the plaster.
This Grade II listed building is in Blakesley Rd, Yardley and is accessible by buses 96, 97 and 11. Admission is free, but intending visitors are urged to check whether the centre is open. Watch the times. The museum is open only from midday to 4 p.m. and is closed on Mondays except Bank Holidays. It will be closed for winter months.
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