Moseley Old Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Moseley Old Hall |
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| Coordinates | 52°38′15″N 2°06′09″W / 52.6374°N 2.1024°W |
Moseley Old Hall is a very old and interesting house found near Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom. It's famous because King Charles II hid there in 1651! He was escaping after losing a big battle called the Battle of Worcester. Today, the National Trust looks after the hall, and it's a special Grade II* listed building, which means it's very important historically.
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History of Moseley Old Hall
Moseley Old Hall is located in Staffordshire. It has a long and exciting history.
Building the Hall
The land where the hall stands was bought by Henry Pitt in 1583. He built the hall around the year 1600. It was first known as 'Mr Pitt's new hall at Moseley'. The building was made of wood and was in a quiet, wooded area. When Henry Pitt died in 1602, his daughter, Alice Pitt, inherited the hall. She later married Thomas Whitgreave.
King Charles II's Great Escape
Moseley Old Hall became famous during the English Civil War. After the big Battle of Worcester in September 1651, King Charles II was on the run. He needed to escape from the Parliamentarians, who were his enemies.
In the early morning of September 8, Charles arrived at Moseley Old Hall. He had traveled from Boscobel House. He was cold, wet, and disguised as a worker. His shoes didn't fit, and his feet were bleeding.
- Thomas Whitgreave, the owner of the house, welcomed him.
- Thomas's mother, Alice Whitgreave, also helped.
- John Huddleston, the Catholic priest living there, gave Charles dry clothes and food.
- Charles finally got a proper bed, his first since the battle!
- Huddleston even cleaned and bandaged the King's sore feet.
Later that day, Charles had to hide in a secret priest-hole. This was because Parliamentarian soldiers came to the hall. After they left, Charles rested in a four-poster bed. He stayed for two days, planning the rest of his escape. He left with John Huddleston by his side.
Later Years of the Hall
Around the 1820s, the Whitgreave family moved to a new house nearby. Few changes were made to Moseley Old Hall until about 1870. At that time, the outside wooden walls were replaced with bricks. The old windows were also changed. A new hallway was built on the first floor.
The Whitgreave family owned the house until 1925. After that, it was used as a farmhouse and started to fall apart. In 1940, Will Wiggin bought the house and began to fix it. But the Second World War stopped his work, and he couldn't finish it before he died.
The National Trust Takes Over
In 1962, the Wiggin family gave Moseley Old Hall and some land to the National Trust. The hall opened to the public in 1963. At first, it was almost empty. Most of the furniture and pictures you see there now were given or lent to the Trust later.
In 1981, the roof and brickwork were repaired. The decorative wooden parts on the roof edges were also replaced. Today, the hall is fully restored and looks just like it would have in the past. It has old furniture from that time. The actual four-poster bed that King Charles II slept in is still in the King's room! In 2023, the Trust bought John Huddleston's old prayerbook and put it on display.
Inside the Hall
Moseley Old Hall has several rooms to explore:
- The ground floor has an entrance hall, a parlor, and a brew-house.
- The first floor has Mr. Whitgreave's room, the King's Room, a dressing room, a study, and a corridor.
- The second floor has a chapel, an ante-room, a bedroom, and attic spaces.
The hall is a Grade II* listed building, meaning it's a very important historical site.
The Gardens
The garden at Moseley Old Hall is designed to look like a 17th-century garden. It's a beautiful enclosed space with plants from that time.
You can find different areas in the garden:
- A herb garden
- Topiary (plants shaped into fun designs)
- A fruit orchard
- An arbour (a shady spot with climbing plants)
- A walled garden
- A 'knot' garden, which has plants arranged in patterns that look like knots.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in South Staffordshire
- Listed buildings in Featherstone, Staffordshire
