Monday at Moseley Old Hall

Moseley Old Hall, a National Trust property, is south of Stafford and quite close to the city of Wolverhampton near the village of Coven.  We'd visited ages ago, in fact so long ago that it was before we had digital cameras, so I was looking forward to going back to view it again and see what changes had been made.

It is an Elizabethan farmhouse which was brick clad in the early 19th century when the ravages of its sitting over former coal mines became apparent.  It is still very much an Elizabethan house inside and as its owners the Whitgreaves were Roman Catholic in faith, in an era when this was quite a dangerous thing to be, the place is riddled with priest's holes and hiding places with a chapel in the attic which could be quickly dismantled and hidden away.

It's main claim to fame though is its connection with royalty namely King Charles II.  After the battle of Worcester in 1651 Charles, then Prince of Wales, was on the run for 41 days in all, so our very able guide informed us, until he finally escaped to France.  He was hidden first at the White Ladies Priory and then at nearby Boscobel House which is about ten miles from Moselely Old Hall, he famously spent a night there in an oak tree.  This is where the old celebration of Oak Apple day originates. He was then moved from there to  Moseley Old Hall.  Here is a - link - to more of the story.

We gathered for our tour near the wood pile and entered into the former brew house - now a kitchen area.

 

Downstairs is an Oak panelled room with many portraits of the Stuart Family and of the Whitgreave family plus a portrait of Jane Lane who took Charles, Prince of Wales as far as Bristol dressed as her servant.  All these people were rewarded well for their help when Charles returned as King in 1660.
 We were shown the priest holes and hiding places as we went around the house but I'm afraid it was too dark to get a decent photo as it was to get a photo of King Charles's bed.

This bed was in the attic close to the temporary chapel

A view of the knot garden from an upstairs window

Up in the roof is another 'hidey hole'

Original Elizabethan bricks in the chimney

The lady was grinding coffee for the Coffee House.  Each Monday in June there is a re-enactment of what it may have been like in a 17th century coffee house.

When we arrived the men - (only men were allowed in coffee houses - the only women allowed were servants) -  were discussing the issues of the day when the news came in and a proclamation read out informing of the death of King Charles II and the accession of his brother James as James II - immediately there was great dissent to this as he was known to be of the Roman Catholic faith.  The year was 1685.

Whilst in the coffee house I was given a pamphlet to read about the women's objections to their menfolk frequenting  the coffee houses, coffee they thought was the devil's brew.  We tasted the coffee which was served in little white dishes.

We then sought out the tree hide in the woods which was brilliant and a firm favourite with children.

 We had a lovely morning walking around the house and gardens

 the people in costume made it extra special.

 Everything here is quite photogenic and , as you can imagine, I took loads of photos.

We had a great time

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post, I'll get around to answering them soon and also to visiting you all.  This week so far is proving to be quite busy.