If you were to look for ‘the Cottage Estate’ in Sutton Coldfield today, there would be no current maps that would indicate its whereabouts, or give a clue as to its size or where it was situated, and yet, in the 16th century, it was to became a major feature of the development of an extensive area north of the town.
The first cottage thought to be built on the estate was derelict by approximately 1800 but was replaced by a new building known as ‘the Cottage’, which became a local landmark in the 19th and 20th centuries. This house can still be seen today, although considerably changed from its original design.
‘Mulroy Road’, in which ‘the Cottage’ is situated, was built around 1910.
What follows here is the early history of this estate, using archival material in Sutton Coldfield Library, together with research articles written by the Sutton Coldfield Local History Research Group and now on its website (www.sclhrg.org.uk), particularly those of Roger Lea in his ‘History Spot’. I also have to thank Ian Phillips for passing on to me all the notes and plans which he made in the 1990s, which now form an important part of this article, and whose former house deeds provided the evidence leading to the foundation of the ‘the Cottage Estate’.