Dordon Hall

Dordon Hall, built from red sandstone and one wing built in brick and is situated on Dunns Lane, Dordon.

This post –medieval farmhouse, with elements dating from the 16th or 17th century, was extensively remodelled in the early 18th century by William Sant, who built its prosperous-looking, symmetrical sandstone facade. The building's complex irregular plan and crow-stepped gables suggest earlier Tudor origins, and it features timber framing with whitewashed brick infill, along with latter-day brick and sandstone additions.

Medieval Origins: The earliest part of the house has a timber-framed structure with an irregular plan, indicated by features like jowled posts to the gable ends and hints of a pre-Tudor origin. Early 18th Century Facade: William Sant, a prosperous landowner in the 1720s, commissioned a new facade for Dordon Hall. This addition was built from regular coursed sandstone, featuring a string course and a moulded cornice, giving the building a more formal appearance. Later Additions and Alterations: In the 19th century, the building underwent further alterations and rebuilding, with modifications to the front range, including the addition of a Cl9 ribbed door with a rusticated surround. Some parts of the original timber-framed left wing were also rebuilt with brick.

Materials: Dordon Hall is a combination of materials, including timber framing, whitewashed brick, and sandstone for the main front elevation. Gables: The building displays crow-stepped gables, a distinctive architectural feature that indicates its earlier Tudor-era origins.

Interior Features: The interior includes broad stop-chamfered beams and an altered open fireplace with fire windows, showcasing elements of its historical construction.

William Sant was buried at Grendon Church on 14th April 1779 and here is a copy of his will.

Amington Hall

The current building known as Amington Hall was built in 1810. Designed by Samuel Wyatt – he also designed Soho House in Handsworth – it replaced the Amington Old Hall farmhouse, both are Grade II Listed. Owned by the Repington family, who had held the estate since 1539.

Ownership passed down to eventually reaching Charles Henry Wyndham A’Court. He rented it out to wealthy tenants, as did his son Charles a’Court Repington on his father’s death in 1903.

Eventually Charles Junior sold the building to former tenant Sydney Fisher, owner of Kettlebrook Paper Mill – their wealth is indicated by the 1911 Census records showing he living at the hall with his wife, four children, a butler, footman, hall boy, governess, two lady maids, and five house maids.

Arbury Hall

Ancestral home of the Newdigate family, built on the site of the former Arbury Priory. One of Nuneaton’s most famous ‘sons’, author George Eliot – actually a famous daughter, Mary Anne Evans – was born on one of the estate farms, her father was the estate’s land agent. She used Arbury Hall as the model for Cheverel Manor in Scenes of Clerical Life, it is the setting for Mr Gilfil’s Love Story.

. In more modern times the film Angels and Insects was filmed here; and became the fictional Hoxley Manor in BBC’s The Land Girls.

The Newdigate baronetcy was created on 24 July 1677 and became extinct with the death of the 5th baronet in 1806. The family name is later noted as Newdigate-Newdegate.

The 300 acre estate has a system of private canals. Connected to the Coventry Canal, there are six distinct sections, and a seventh (The Griff Hollows Canal) not connected to the others. The entire system covers 6 miles and has 13 locks – one a Y-shaped feature is the Triple Lock, with two separate entrances leading to different branches. A few visible signs remain on the estate today.

Arbury Park in South Australia is named after Arbury Hall. A 17-room Georgian-style house constructed in 1935 for politician Sir Alexander Downer, close friend of Sir Francis Alexander Newdigate-Newdegate (1862-1936) MP for Tamworth, Nuneaton, and Governor of Tasmania and Western Australia, which is why he chose the name.

Pooley Hall Colliery

The Pooley Hall Estate surrounded the hall built by Sir Thomas Cockayne in 1509. Later the hall became the property of Charles Jennens and subsequently the Hon. Charles Finch MP. When the Coventry Canal opened in 1789 – it runs within twenty metres of the hall – it was probably inevitable that coal would be extracted from the extensive coalfields.

The first shaft was sunk in 1849 and completed in 1849, with the first coal extracted the following year. By 1897 the colliery had been formed and a branch line built to connect to the Trent Valley Line – remains of the bridge across the canal can still be seen.

In 1921 the Pooley Hall miners did not join the miners’ strike and in June the striking miners at Baddesley and Birch Coppice marched on Polesworth to persuade them to join the strike – but 200 policemen had been drafted in and a baton charge left several striking miners unconscious. Eventually the strikers accepted the reduction in salary and extension of the working week, as the Pooley Hall miners already had.

In 1924 the colliery was visited by the Duke of York – the miners selected to meet the future King George VI were instructed to wear their Sunday best suit and a flat cap (if you didn’t own a flat cap, go out and buy one!) Further evidence of the conditions they worked in was hidden by whitewashing the pit bottom, while an underground toilet was installed (the first in the country) complete with rosewood seat. Nobody could use this toilet until the Duke’s visit was over, and within the week the bucket toilet was removed as the stench was overpowering.

The miners did join the strike of 1936, but as the family also owned Tamworth Electricity Company, they used the suddenly available labour to dig trenches for the electricity cables to bring electricity to surrounding villages.

The colliery closed in 1965 – much of the buildings had to be demolished due to subsidence. Today 154 acres of the estate is Pooley Hall Country Park.

A Walk Around the Former Local Mines (in Staffordshire and Warwickshire)

As part of the research for a forthcoming book, I recently walked a route looking at some of the industrial heritage between Tamworth and Atherstone. This is a long circular walk but could easily be made shorter or turned into a linear walk by using the canal or railway to begin at Atherstone. I shall start at any point on the Coventry Canal from Fazeley Junction to Amington Green and head east towards Coventry, aided by Ordnance Survey Map 220.
No matter where you begin note when you cross under bridge 63 and the signs for Hodge Lane Nature Reserve, for we will catch up with this later. Other than the canal itself, the first sign of coal comes at Alvecote, with its marina and the Samuel Barlow pub, named after a haulier who will have moved tons of coal. Pass under Robeys Lane and opposite the ruins of Alvecote Priory, to the left is the Alvecote Pools beyond the railway, created when the ground subsided post-mining and subsequently flooded. This is part of Pooley Hall Nature Reserve, also known as Canal Pool. Note the adjacent spoil heap offers excellent views if you wish to climb it.
Soon you will hear the M42 and as we approach the canal narrows – here the railway once crossed the canal, the arch on the opposite side from the tow path is modern strengthening but on the towpath side the brickwork of the bridge support is typical railway architecture. Beyond note there is a marker post, it has a blue arrow and indicates we are walking the Miner’s Way. Just before where the M42 crosses is bridge 56, leading to Pooley Country Park, take this bridge and follow the metalled road – noting the images steniclled on the support of the motorway bridge. When you see the parking for disabled signposted, take a slight detour and take in the visitor centre and the former winding wheel for Pooley Hall.
Continue and alongside a straight stretch, note the war memorial erected by the colliery to those who fell in the Great War who had previously worked the mine. There are good views across to the left of the canal and countryside. At the bottom of this path is the B5000, turn left, cross the canal bridge, then at the crossroads go straight on and cross the canal again along Grendon Road. Ignore Common Road and take the second right, St Helena Road. Just past Rowena Gardens there is a field gate on the left, here a stone marks the site of the Little Jim’s Cottage miners’ cottage. Look on the right and the first of three stiles heading off to the right where it takes you to a gate, almost invisible until quite near. Turn left here, then at the top at Hollies Cottage, take the path to the right around the cottage, through a kissing gate, and then up a well-trodden grassy path to the top corner of the field and another kissing gate. Walk through, turn left, and take the left path across the stile.

Keep the hedge on your right and walk on until reaching the metal gate, and stile. Cross the road, the meeting of Dunns Lane and Church Road, and follow the footpath waymarked straight ahead through the small wood. Here another stile points us straight ahead, this field passes between the site of the former pit to the right, beyond the woodland, and on the left is the remains of a spoil heap. Follow the hedgerow to a gap, then take a short detour through this gate to see said spoil heap not yet reclaimed by nature. Come back through the gate and turn left and head for the corner of the field. Across the stile and take the drive on the right. This brings you to the A5 Watling Street.
Here head downhill along the bust A5, crossing after the island until reaching the houses lying back from the road on the right. Turn in and find Waste Lane, which we follow south along here along a broad and well-made track. After a while reach Folly Lane and turn right. The aptly-named Waste Hill is to the right and in a while you reach the summit of this road where you will find a metal gate on the left. Pause and look across to see Merevale Hall on the top of the hill in the distance. Shortly we reach the junction with The Common, turn right along this road using the footpath on the opposite side as we skirt Baddesley Common. Eventually reaching Baddesley, take the third road on the left which is New Street, note the monument in the form of the winding wheel dedicated to the miners on the corner.

Walk down New Street until just before the end where it turn sharply left there is a footpath waymarked to the right, follow this gravel path to Watery Lane at the bottom where we turn right. Follow this until we reach the first waymarked path on the left. Through the kissing gate and head to the right across the field to the gap in the hedge ahead. Continue on and come to a crossing over a brook. Cross here and turn left. Pause to see the major railway viaduct above, we will be following the path of the disused railway for a while. Pass under the viaduct and straight ahead to a gate. Go through the gate and turn right. Now keep the hedgerow on the right to parallel the former railway. Occasionally there is the opportunity to pop in to see and even walk the former track bed, but don’t follow it too far as it does not give access to the rest of the walk, although once it did take coal away from the mines here.

Keep going until you have seen the embankment become a cutting and shortly there is a waymarker pointing diagonally across the latter part of the field to a stile. Cross the stile and turn right keeping the hedge on the right and soon come to a gap in the hedge and another stile. Emerge on the road and turn left, take the second footpath on the right and follow the markers taking you around the field keeping the hedgerow on your right. At the far corner is a kissing gate, go through and skirt the single property there by a narrow path. Follow this and along the drive away from the house come to another gate. Go through and keep the woodland on your left and walk between it and the fence until reaching a plank bridge which we cross and come to a kissing gate opposite, go through and at cross the field to the gap where two footpaths form a crossroads, turn right here. Ahead is a kissing gate and you can see further evidence of the dismantled railway to the right as we near. Ascend the steps and then turn left and quickly right across the remains of the disused railway. Now we see a tunnel (albeit effectively a large pipe) which we will go through to emerge between two green fences. On the right is the freight terminal, on the left the railway lines still run with rolling stock here. At the end the path funnels and takes us down to another tunnel, emerging and turning left along the gravel path where the spoil heap is visible to the left. As the path runs out, take the gate on the right and cross the railway track. Turn immediately right and then left when this track terminates at the gate. Soon we come to the modern industrial estate with roads named after former collieries. Cross over and turn left. Follow this through three traffic islands to emerge at Watling Street via Danny Morson Way. Cross at the pedestrian crossing and turn right. Opposite a large old building is an ungated gap which we follow.
Along this track to the top of the rise and turn right through a narrow pathway and eventually come out on Green Lane and a dog leg to the right on to Cockspur Street, turn left at the junction and after the junction of the left, Cockspur Street becomes Hermitage Lane as you leave Birchmoor. At the end of Hermitage Lane we reach the B5000 again. Turn left and we can now choose between Robeys Lane on the right, this a metalled road with no pathway and nothing of interest until we reach the ruins of the priory and the marina again, when we can follow the canal back west to our chosen starting point. Perhaps of more interest would be to continue and turn right at the second traffic island. This is Mercian Way and passes an industrial estate and new housing until, after another two traffic islands, a grassy area to the right heralds the start of Hodge Lane Nature Reserve which we can follow through to the canal and then back west to our chosen starting point on the Coventry Canal.
Altogether this is a walk of more than ten miles (depending upon the starting point). No great climbs but gently rolling landscape with an excellent mix of former industry and modern countryside. As stated at the beginning there is ample opportunity to cut the route short at several points.

Jesse Joseph Quartermaine of Upper Gungate in Tamworth

It is 1901. To be precise, Saturday 26th October 1901, and for Jesse Joseph Quartermaine of Upper Gungate in Tamworth a fateful day.

A procession of wagons pulled by traction engines was passing through heading for the city of Lichfield. These owned by Danks and Co, they were transporting three large colliery wheels from Tamworth to Hanley. The convoy called at the Constitution Inn shortly after 10am, where food and three quarts of ale were consumed by the six men. Shortly after they stopped at the top of the hill to take on water from a pool. As they set off, Jesse walked up one side of the wagons and his brother Harry up the other side. After a few yards a shout was heard and the engines stopped.

It was then Jesse was found under the last wagon, both legs virtually severed. For some three or four yards a great deal of blood showed the extent of the incident, the progress marked by a trail of blood, bits of flesh, trouser and bone. It was generally thought, though none had observed such, he had fallen while riding the draw-bar. Perhaps he was attempting to climb into that third wagon. Police and doctors were called and he was taken to the Lichfield Victoria Nursing Home. In shock and bleeding greatly they attempted to save his life by amputating both legs at the thigh. To no avail. He died at 1:40pm that day and left a widow and three children.

Train Accident near Tamworth

1907 – Monday 1st July and the communication cord is pulled on the LNW express from Liverpool at 2pm and stopped at Tamworth. Guard discovered it had been pulled by Mrs Higham, wife of the MP for Sowerby in Yorkshire said her 3.1/2 year-old child had fallen from the train. All trains alerted as far back as Stafford and all stations began a search.

At 4:30pm news came through that the child had been found at Hademore and, badly hurt but alive, was at the cottage of Mrs Smith near Whittington Bridge. Stationmaster Mr Mathews of Tamworth had a down train stopped and accompanied the mother back to Hademore and Whittington, first aid being administered by the district nurse and Dr Homan of Lichfield soon after arriving. A platelayer ganger had been working when he noticed something moving, it proved to be the child. He carried the child to the cottage after sending a lad to find the nurse whom he had noticed cycling by a few moments earlier. A policeman sent to summon a cab from Lichfield but met the ambulance on the way. How the door came open on a train travelling at 60mph was never discovered, he was a large boy for 3.1/2 years and it was suspected he had managed to open it himself.

His escape was deemed a miracle, his fall smashing several large stones. He bounced for some 40 yards, coming to rest on the outer edge of the opposite line. He was inches from the line when found and, although conscious, had not attempted to move which was fortunate as the down express had passed not two minutes after he fell here. The driver of the down train had seen the body of the child and felt certain he had hit the mother, as he assumed she would be carrying the infant. He reached Lichfield and alerted the stationmaster who had summoned the ambulance. Father arrived from London Euston later that evening, returning the next day where he made a statement thanking all for their assistance and stating his son was ‘progressing nicely’.

The Lichfield Mercury thought the headline “Excitement on the Train Line near Lichfield” appropriate.

Bad Career Move

December 1864 and at the Glascote coalmine in Tamworth tragedy strikes. A former policeman, now working in the mine, is killed when a single lump of coal fell 450 feet and hit the poor man so hard it resulted in his death.

The Castle Inn Fire

On 2nd November 1838.chambermaid Mary Gardner, cook Harriet Bonner, waitress Mary Ann Rooth, barmaid Caroline Smith and kitchen maids Mary Chatterton and Harriet Buswell had all retired to bed by 1:30am on the Friday morning. About two hours later the alarm cry went up when someone called out FIRE! Landlords Mr and Mrs Webb awoke and, on opening the door to the passage, discovered their path was blocked by the smoke and the great heat. On returning to their bedroom they escaped via the rear window, having attracted the attention of those below.

Initially the proprietors were assured the girls were safe. However, it soon became clear they were most likely still inside. A ladder was found and a search discovered the bodies of the girls. Five of the girls had died as a result of asphyxiation, barmaid Caroline Smith discovered at the top of the stairs with her hands and face badly burned. At the inquest a verdict of accidental death was recorded. The cause has never been understood.  

Four days later one of the most elaborate of public funerals ever seen in Tamworth took place. All the shops closed at 4pm as a mark of respect and to allow the funeral procession to come from the Kings Arms to the churchyard of St Editha's. The streets were thronged with mourners and, despite the vast numbers, all was completely silent. All six were buried in a communal grave, later topped by a memorial paid for by public subscription. The massive funeral costs were covered by their employer, Frederick Webb of the Castle Inn. 

In the 1960s the remains were removed and reburied at Wigginton Cemetery. Close to one corner of the church lies a headstone to William Smith and, as inscribed on that headstone, nearby the remains of his daughter, Caroline.

Don't Pull the Communication Cord

July 1st 1907 and at 2pm the London and North West Railway's express from Liverpool stops at Tamworth after someone had pulled the communication cord. When the guard investigated he found it had been pulled by Mrs Higham, none other than the wife of the MP for Sowerby in Yorkshire. She claimed her son of 3.1/2 had fallen from the train. Quickly all stations and signalmen on the line between Tamworth and Stafford were alerted and all traffic stopped as the search began.

By 4:30pm news filtered through that the child had been found near Hademore Crossing and was being treated by a district nurse at the cottage of a Mrs Smith near Whittington Bridge. In Tamworth the stationmaster, a Mr Matthews, stopped the down train and accompanied Mrs Higham as she went to check on her son. They arrived at the same time as Dr Homan who reported the child to have been badly hurt but would live. He had been discovered by a platelayer ganger working on the line. Noticing movement at the side of the line he investigated and found the young boy. He had carried the child to the cottage after sending his colleague for the district nurse whom he had seen cycling past just moments earlier.

How the door came open on a train travelling at 60mph was never explained, although he was a large child for his age and perhaps he had done something to contribute to the accident. Indeed, his bulk will have helped protect him as an examination of the trackside revealed he had collided with and broken a number of large stones as he bounced along for some 40 yards before coming to rest alongside the line used by traffic in the opposite direction. Although conscious he had not attempted to move which was fortunate indeed as the down express had passed him two minutes after he came to rest here. The driver of the down train had seen the body of the child but surmised he must have hit the mother, hence stopping at Lichfield to raise the alert.

Later that evening Mr Higham MP arrived from London Euston. He made a statement in the House the following day, thanking all those who had had a hand in the rescue and informing them his son was "progressing nicely".

Perhaps the oddest part of this potentially tragic tale came in the form of the newspaper headline, for the Lichfield Mercury led with the odd choice of EXCITEMENT ON THE TRAIN LINE NEAR LICHFIELD.

Yes it's me on your Television

Follow the link to this CrowdFunding site, as I do my bit to raise money for a venue for our local Literary Festival. Speaks for itself although worthwhile just pointing out this chap is on Countdown being broadcast November 4th 2015.

Any authors, publishers, poets, editors, et al out there who would like to come to Tamworth and take part in any of our future events just drop us a line, we are always glad to hear from you.

Thank you for your time and your help!

The Police, Peel, Murder and Drayton Bassett

What is now home to the theme park of Drayton Manor was, as the name implies, a large estate. It lies largely within the boundaries of Drayton Bassett. This village uses the name of the family who held this manor for centuries until, through marriage, it passed to the Peels who built the estate. The most famous member of the Peel family is Sir Robert. As MP for Tamworth he delivered what amounted to the first pre-election manifesto. He spoke from the window of the town hall, addressing the crowd gathered below who probably never realised just what they were witnessing.

Even today the name of Sir Robert Peel is more likely to be associated with two other landmark events. Scholars of political history will undoubtedly point to the long-running debate over the Corn Laws which dominated his political career, although most will remember him as the founder of the modern police force. The latter is only partially true. While he did establish the Metropolitan Police Force in London in 1829, the thousand-strong force known as ‘Bobbies’ because of the association with Sir Robert, there had been a professional body to police the capital for some eighty years.

This earlier force were the Bow Street Runners, formed by author Henry Fielding in 1749, they originally numbered just six officers. Yet the name is something of a misnomer as they never ran and considered the term ‘Runners’ derogatory, nor indeed did they patrol a beat. These men were an arm of the courts, hence Bow Street, and arrests were solely as officers acting on behalf of the judiciary. They were disbanded in 1839, ten years after the formation of Peel’s force and eighteen years before legislation meant cities throughout the land had to introduce their own professional police force.

Parliament would have done well to ensure the significant drop in crime in London was mirrored across the land much earlier. Especially considering events of August 15th 1844 in Drayton Bassett. At the time the villagers were dependent upon the Peel estate for a living, be it directly in the service of the family or as tenant farmers. Fifteen years after the first ‘Bobbies’ were seen in London, the term ‘Peelers’ was more likely to be used by the criminal fraternity, the villagers were horrified when they learned of the murder of William Sudbury by William Walker. Perhaps the village ‘Bobbie’ will have been sufficient deterrent to prevent a quarrel escalating to such a degree.

Years later and our story returns to Market Street, Tamworth. The image below shows the town hall where that first manifesto was delivered, the event marked by placing the statue of Sir Robert Peel below the window. The unknown photographer’s position is some twenty yards or so in front of two buildings facing one another on the end of this ancient street. That to the left is now home to a Wilkinson’s store, yet previously had been a Berni Inn named the Peel Arms, named after Tamworth’s most famous son. Opposite we still find the Castle Hotel. One public bar here was renamed after the Peel Arms had closed and chose to adopt another supposed reference to the father of modern policing. However, as we have seen, the name of the Bow Street Runner is incorrect as it had no connection with Peel.

Whilst they should be congratulated in at least attempting to find an original name, and producing an attractive and relevant sign to accompany same, sadly my research when producing books on place names has shown such errors are commonplace and avoidable.

I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.

2013

As this will be my last post of the year and the media is full of what has happened in the last twelve months, I thought I would offer some thoughts of my own. Over the last twelve months or so, some five books in the Through Time series with my name on have been released. As the name suggests these compare modern images with similar views from yesteryear and below I offer a taster from these books, where the older view in each case date from around a century ago.

In these images from Tamworth Through Time we see identical views looking up the hill in my home town of Tamworth, with Tamworth Castle on the right. The road is known as Holloway because it was quite literally hollowed out by the constant passage of wheels, hooves and feet as they crossed the River Tame at what was for centuries the only bridge for miles over this river.



A view of Dr Samuel Johnson’s Birthplace from Lichfield Through Time. Born here in September 1709, he was a sickly baby and his aunt is held to have announced on seeing him for the first time how she ‘would not have picked up such a poor creature in the street’.



From Stafford Through Time come these views of Stafford Common Station. The old image is at it appeared in August 1968, with the modern view from below the bridge featured in the earlier picture.



Two very different scenes from Solihulll Through Time but taken from the same position. What is now Riverdale Drive opposite Malvern Park was previously the former Solihull Brickworks. However there is one remaining landmark, out of shot to the left in both these images, of a Post Office pillar box which is still in daily use.



When photographing English Riviera Through Time, my favourite part of the world, I was struck by something clearly evidenced by these images. First we see the village of Galmpton around 1907, the home of Agatha Christie is situated behind the camera. Note the sapling in the old image is the same tree as that dominating the modern view. This is also true of the background which is devoid of trees in the old image but, although largely hidden in the modern view, litter the scene today.



The same is true in this view of Anstey’s Cove where vegetation is the dominant feature in the twenty-first century.



As usual I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you. Meanwhile I shall take this opportunity to say to one and all a very Happy New Year and wish for you everything you would wish for yourselves.