Selly Manor Museum and Minworth Greaves, Bournville

Sitting on their corner plot in the lovely village of Bournville, looking for all the world as if they had been there for centuries but you'd be wrong in thinking so as all is not as it seems.

Selly Manor dates back to Mediaeval times and once stood in nearby Selly Oak. It was moved piece by piece to its present position by George Cadbury, chocolate maker and founder of Bournville. 

Known as Smyths Tenement it was a successful and prosperous house until c.1695 when change of ownership brought about a gradual decline in its status.  By the 19th century it was divided into three dwellings and called The Rookery but  later that century it was empty and unused when George Cadbury decided he wanted it in his new village.

Inside on the ground floor are a parlour, a dining hall and a kitchen.  These rooms are full of furniture and objects collected by Laurence Cadbury in the early years of the 20th century.

On the next floor is a bedchamber and a solar room and above them a garret which would have been servants quarters.  In the garret are helmets and armour from the museum's collections some of which you can try on.

In the solar was a rack of Tudor style costumes, lace collars, ruffs and hats all could be worn and tried for size.  They were all beautifully made in sumptuous fabrics and colours.

 Minworth Greaves is a cruck framed building thought to be around 750 years old.  It was moved from near Sutton Coldfield by Laurence Cadbury in 1932 and rebuit near Selly Manor.  .

The person on duty said that it had originally been moved so that parts of it could be used in the Manor but it was decided it was such a wonderful building it should be rebuilt in its own place nearby.

Inside it houses the ticket office, reception and shop

The outside sits beautifully in the wonderful garden created around the two buildings.

A few more photos below

 The Knot garden.  All the plants in the garden are what would have been grown in Tudor times.  Like herbs both culinary and medicinal, fruit and vegetables all for household use.

 Another entrance to the house.

 I love this side of the house with its different roof levels and chimneys.

Wild flowers at the side of Minworth Greaves.

I hope you have enjoyed visiting these two wonderful buildings.  After our visit here we followed a little section of the Bournville Heritage Trail.

Dudmaston Hall

The first visit we made on our few days away was to Dudmaston Hall, a National Trust property near the village of Quatt which is in between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster.   We always travel to places away from motorways and huge city centres if we can and National Trust properties are wonderful for stopping for leg stretches, lunches, picnics and other facilities.  We'd been past this place on a couple of occasions but we'd always found it closed.  This time it was open so we spent couple a couple of hours there including eating our picnic before we continued with our journey.

Apparently Dudmaston Hall has been lived in by the same family for 875 years, passing down the generations through inheritance or marriage and has never been sold. The present house dates from the 17th century and is still lived in by members of the family.  Because it is still a family home photography isn't allowed in the hall but there are many surprises inside as alongside the period room settings there are two galleries full of modern art and sculpture.

We took a stroll in the gardens and down towards the water which is known as the Big Pool.

The plants and flowers down by the pond were lovely and the gunnera was high enough to be able to walk under the leaves.

This is the public exit to the house, straight out under a lovely pink rose entwined with a deep purple clematis.  The last exhibition just before we left was my favourite.  Several objects from the collection had been chosen and put on display with a time line around the walls of both British and World events to put them into context plus the history of the family at the same time.

Shepherd's Hut in the orchard

Bright geraniums against the old brick wall

Around the garden were modern sculptures and also photos of what certain areas would have looked like in the late 19th century.

A photo of the family in the 1890s

Flowers by the Big Pool

and in the Kitchen Garden

I loved these modern gates to the courtyard, they are called The Eternity Gates and were commissioned in 1983 by Sir George and Lady Labouchere to commemorate their ruby wedding. 

There was a small version of this sculpture on the piano in one of the galleries.
The sculpture called Spaceframe 1970 is by Anthony Twentyman.

It was beginning to drizzle with rain so it was time to move on towards Kidderminster and Bromsgrove and our next destination.

Five on Friday

I wasn't sure if  I'd be able to join in with this week's Five on Friday as we have been away for a few days and there has been lots of catching up to do since we got home yesterday.  As you can imagine I had lots of photos to download but I've found a few and will write a longer post about some of the visits in later posts.

Below are five random photos taken at places we have visited over the last few days. 

1.  Selly Manor Museum in Bournville - we spent a happy afternoon wandering around both village and museum.  More in a later post.

2.  Henry the Cat who seemed to follow us around as we visited both the ruins of Bordesley Abbey and the Forge Mill Needle Museum in Redditch.  There are little black and white cat toys called Henry in the shop as he is such a popular part of the visit.

 3.  Geological Bear - one of the 100 plus bears that can be found around the Birmingham area as part of the Big Sleuth Trail and painted by school children who are members of the Little Bears Detective Club whilst fund raising for the Birmingham Children's Hospital.  This bear was in the foyer of the Lapworth Museum on the Birmingham University Campus.

4.  Pitcher Plants in the Gilbert Orchid House at Winterbourne House and Gardens at the opposite side of the Birmingham University campus to the Lapworth Museum.  With the wonderful Barber Institute in between.

5.  Tired legs and feet after walking from the station to the Lapworth Museum, across the campus to the Barber Institute and then a little further to Winterbourne House and gardens and of course, walking around each place as well.  More about all the places we visited in further posts.

Joining in with Tricky and Carly from the FAST blog for this week's Five on Friday. Click on the link below to see others taking part.

Spotted in the Last Few Days

Just thought I'd share a few photos taken over the last few days.  It has been too warm to go very far so we've spent quite a bit of time in the garden in the late afternoon and evenings with just a couple of early morning walks or shopping trips making sure we are home by noon.  

Here are a few things I've spotted whilst out and about or in the garden.

 Water Lily on the pond at Consall Nature Park

 Beautiful white horse at the gate of a field on one of our walks

Common Orchid in the Wildflower Meadow at Westport Lake

 Damsel Fly and Yellow Rattle in the wildflower meadow at Westport Lake

 Young Coot at Westport Lake

Barley growing on the bridge over the Trent and Mersey Canal near Westport Lake probably grown from bird seed placed on the bridge.

Seeds from what we think might be Poplar tree draped along the side of the Trent and Mersey Canal near the Wedgwood Factory at Barlaston.  If anyone knows what tree it is please leave a comment to let me know.

Brimstone Moth in the garden on the side of the greenhouse.

Mrs Fox and one of her three cubs late one evening in our garden.

The new bronze sculpture of Stoke-on Trent's most well known Author, Playwright and Essayist Arnold Bennett in front of the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.  It was commissioned by the Arnold Bennett Society, funded by the Denise Coates Foundation and gifted to the city.  The sculptors were Michael Talbot and Carl Payne.

His most famous works are probably The Card, the Clayhanger Series of Novels and Anna of the Five Towns, there has been a production of Anna of the Five Towns at the New Vic Theatre and an exhibition on Bennett's life and works including his paintings in the Museum.  All to celebrate 150 years since his birth.  He is also well known for Omlette Arnold Bennett which is made with Smoked Haddock, Eggs and Parmesan Cheese.

Five on Friday - Five from the Garden

I haven't joined in with Five on Friday for a couple of weeks so I thought I'd just quickly participate this week and show you five flowers from the garden.

As you can see from the photos it's looking very blue and orange at the moment.

 1.  French Marigold

 2.  Hardy Geranium

 3.  California (n?) Poppies

 4.  Blue Borage

5.  Clematis 

Joining in with Tricky and Carly at FAST blog click on the link below to find more bloggers joining in this week.