Selly Manor facts for kids
Selly Manor is a very old timber-framed house in Bournville, England. It was carefully moved to its current spot in 1916 by George Cadbury, who was famous for making chocolate and for his kindness.
.jpg)
Today, Selly Manor and the old building next to it, called Minworth Greaves, are part of the Selly Manor Museum. The museum is run by the Bournville Village Trust. It's a place where you can learn about history, and it also hosts events like weddings. The museum is open all year and often has special activities. Inside, you'll find the Laurence Cadbury furniture Collection, which has old furniture and household items from the 1500s to the 1900s.
History of Selly Manor
This amazing building has been around for over 500 years! It has had different names and even two different locations. The first records we have for the house are from 1476. Back then, it was called Smythes Tenement. It was on land owned by William Jenette, who was the lord of a smaller area called the sub-manor of Selly. William Jenette rented Smythes Tenement to a local farmer named John Othe’field.
In 1561, a lawyer and manager named John Setterford, his wife Phylis, and her son William Pritchett rented the house. This family became quite successful and eventually bought the house. Phylis Setterford lived longer than her husband. When she passed away in 1608, a detailed list of everything inside the house was made. This list showed how the building was laid out and every item it contained.
From this list, we know that the middle part of the building was a medieval hall at that time. Records from 1664, which were used to collect a "hearth tax" (a tax on fireplaces), show that this medieval section was replaced. It was changed to the three-story brick part you see today. Phylis Setterford's family owned and lived in the house until 1699. After that, new owners who didn't live there didn't take good care of the building. It became less popular and its condition got worse. In 1795, the house was sold separately from the land it was on, which made its status fall even more.
.jpg)
The condition of Smythes Tenement kept getting worse. By 1853, it had been divided into three small cottages to be rented out. It was then known as The Rookery. Census records from 1861 show how crowded it was. Ten members of the Davis family lived in the smallest cottage. Four members of the Thompson family lived in the middle one. And seven members of the Williams family lived in the last cottage. The house continued to fall apart. After its owner, Edward Olivieri, died, The Rookery was put up for sale in 1907.
Moving Selly Manor
The building was in very bad shape when George Cadbury stepped in to save it. He bought it in 1907. His idea was to turn it into a museum. This museum would fit well with the other public buildings he had already built in the garden village of Bournville, near his chocolate factory. George Cadbury believed that old buildings like Selly Manor were important for learning. He wrote to his son, Laurence, saying that these old buildings help people in new cities like Birmingham think about the past.
People at the time said the area where The Rookery stood was "unlovely." To give the building a better future, George Cadbury had it carefully taken apart. Each piece was then moved to its current location. An architect named William Alexander Harvey was in charge of the project. He made sure every step was carefully recorded. The work started in 1909 and was finished in 1916. It cost more than £6000, which was a lot of money back then! The year after it was finished, the building opened as a museum. In 1952, the house was given "Grade II listed" status. This means it's a very important historic building that needs to be protected.
In 1932, another old building, Minworth Greaves, was also moved. It came from a place called Minworth and was rebuilt in the grounds of Selly Manor.
The Laurence Cadbury Collection
The museum is home to the Laurence Cadbury Collection. This is a special group of furniture and household items. They are arranged to make the house feel like it did in the 1600s.
Laurence Cadbury was George Cadbury's fourth son. The collection at Selly Manor shows how much he loved collecting interesting things. Laurence started collecting objects around 1908 when he was studying at Cambridge University. He continued collecting until the mid-1930s. Many of his items were displayed at his own house, The Davids, in Northfield, Birmingham. But Selly Manor was the perfect place for the 16th and 17th-century furniture and household items he loved so much.
You can see strong oak chests and beautifully carved pieces. There's also a lovely tapestry and unusual kitchen tools. One of the most impressive items in the collection is an 18-foot-long table. It dates back to the 1630s and originally came from Crooke Hall in Lancashire, which is no longer standing.
A detailed book has been written about the Laurence Cadbury Collection. It has full descriptions and pictures of all the items. Laurence Cadbury's personal papers, including his diaries, letters, and maps, are kept separately at the Cadbury Research Library at the University of Birmingham.
