Sutton Coldfield Local History Research Group

These are the two Maps referred to in William Midgley’s “Sutton Coldfield Town and Chase (1904)”, the text of which book is to be found on this website under Links/Book and above.

This comprehensive history of Midland Lodge and its architecture, liberally illustrated, was written originally to support an application to the Planning Committee of Birmingham City Council for Local Listing of the building. The article was previously published in Volume 13: Spring 2017 of the SCLHRG’s Proceedings and has now been brought up to-date. A later article, “Two Remarkable Tenants – Midland Lodge” was published on our website in November 2017. The two articles are meant to complement one another.

The sale of land owned by the Bagot family of Pype Hayes Hall in 2 tranches of approximately 350 acres each, in 1881 & 1888, in order to develop the Minworth Sewage Farm for the newly created Birmingham Tame & Rea Drainage Board was to have a major impact on the hamlet of Minworth, adjacent Minworth Greaves, the nearby village of Curdworth and other local settlements.

Did you know that Birmingham was for three centuries Britain’s most historically important centre for printing outside London. Also, 19th century Birmingham came to be regarded as the most artistic town in England. This is the background history to an account of three local men, one a highly regarded illuminating artist, one a printer and author, and one an artist, designer and naturalist who together produced a commemorative illuminated book for the 1911 Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. As if this were not enough, we are presented with a potted history of the While family of Sutton Coldfield and their association with While Road.

One of a set of pamphlets researched by the late Ken Williams, this on the subject of Newhall Water Mill.

In 2016, Walmley residents were expecting a vast swathe of their ancient landscape shortly to be engulfed in housing and industrial development.  As a result, Mike Hodder, formerly the City Archaeologist but also member of Sutton Coldfield Local History Research Group, decided to lead a walk around the area to point out many of the places there which still had some historical significance.

“Sutton Park Town & Promenade Gardens” by Absalom Peers was published in 1869.  It is a short book of 32 pages with a further 28 pages of advertisements.  To a large extent it copies details contained in Agnes Bracken’s “History of the Forest and Chase of Sutton Coldfield” of 1860, but it also gives accounts of some of the events which occurred between 1860 and 1869, as well as introducing new stories from the past.  This article contains the whole text of the book, including the fascinating advertisements, with a commentary intended to supplement, and in some places, to correct the text. There is also an index to the Guide.

Proof of pottery manufacture in Sutton Coldfield in the Middle Ages discovered by Mike Hodder in medieval papers.

This is the fourth in a series of articles on the Headmasters of Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School. The Reverend Albert Smith M.A. was Headmaster for nearly 40 years between 1863 and 1902. An intelligent and kindly man, he was in charge during periods of great change at the School.  At one stage it looked possible that the School would move to the old Royal Hotel, later to become the offices of Sutton Town Council, but this did not prove to be a practical proposition.  Later, a move to Moat House was contemplated, but again this did not come to fruition.  He did, however, oversee a large extension to the south side of School House in 1887. Throughout his time at Bishop Vesey’s he constantly strived to increase the number of pupils at the School but, in the end, he was not successful.  This was mainly due to the fact that two schools, forming part of the King Edward VI Foundation, proved to be more popular, due in part to their close proximity to the newly created railway line between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield in 1862.  The schools in question were King Edward’s High School in New Street, Birmingham, situated just a few hundred yards away from New Street Station and King Edward’s School in Aston. Albert Smith eventually retired on the 30th April 1902 and took up a ‘small living’ as Vicar of St. Mary Magdalene’s Church at Duns Tew in Oxfordshire.

Roger Lea was one of the founders of the Sutton Coldfield Local History Research Group in the 1980s.  He set up a course which new members could attend to equip them with a sound knowledge of the history of the area.  These walks were an invaluable part of the course, leaving members with a visual knowledge that would  remain for ever.  Of course, some things have changed since then, but these notes can still be used as a guide to finding out more about the surroundings of area