Old Hall, Willenhall
| Old Hall | |
|---|---|
| File:Old Hall, Willenhall.png The Old Hall between 1900 and 1930 | |
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| Alternative names | Wilkes Mansion |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Type | Manor house |
| Location | Walsall Street, Willenhall |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 52°34′59″N 2°03′09″W / 52.5830°N 2.0525°WCoordinates: 52°34′59″N 2°03′09″W / 52.5830°N 2.0525°W Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed. |
| Completed | 1413–22 |
| Renovated | 1660 |
| Closed | 1932 |
| Demolished | 1934 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | Two |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Richard Wylkys |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Richard Wilkes I |
The Old Hall, also known as the Wilkes Manor House, was a manor house along Walsall Street, Willenhall in England. The Willenhall Library occupies the site today.
History
The Wylkys (Wilkes) family moved to Willenhall during the early 15th century,[1] and Richard Wylkys, who signed the Bentley deed in 1413,[2] built the first Old Hall using wattle and daub along Walsall Street between 1413–22.[3]
In 1659, the Old Hall was among the buildings damaged during the great fire in Willenhall during 1659,[2] and the Old Hall was rebuilt in brick in 1660 by Richard Wilkes I.[1]
In 1725, Richard Wilkes III received a fortune with his first wife, Rachel Manlove, and they moved to the Old Hall.[2][4] His second wife, Frances Unett inherited the estate when Wilkes died in March 1760, and her intended heir, Thomas Unett, died in 1785. This allowed the building to be auctioned on 10 September 1789 and the estate on 4 August 1791.[1] John Beebee purchased the building and he attempted to sell it in 1813 and 1823 before it was successfully sold to John Read in 1826.[3] Read sold the building no later than 1871 to Charles Neve, who rented it whilst he lived in Wolverhampton, and it was then owned by George Grimley, who lived there with his family and two servants during the 1880s.[1]
In 1918 or 1919, the Old Hall was sold to David Waine, a lock manufacturer, and he rented it to Arnim Fuoss, a physician and surgeon. Waine sold the building to Willenhall Urban District Council for £3,000 in 1923, and Fuoss continued to rent from the Council until c. 1932,[1] while the Council initially planned to convert the building into a fire station and Town Hall, but the project was eventually abandoned.[5]
The Old Hall was demolished in early 1934, and the foundation stone for the new Willenhall Town Hall building was laid by the chairman of the council, G. G. Evans, in 1934.[6] It was designed in the Neo-Georgian style, built in red brick with stone facings at a cost of £11,749 and was officially opened by the wife of the Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, the Countess of Harrowby, on 20 March 1935.[6]
Description
In 1725, the Old Hall estate consisted of about 450 acres of land,[7][5] with 455 acres present in 1791.[3]
The building preserved fine plaster ceilings.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Local Personalities and Prominent Families". Willenhall History Society. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Shaw, Stebbing (1798–1801). The History and Antiquities of Staffordshire. 1 & 2. London: J. Nichols – via Internet Archive. Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Hackwood, Frederick William (1908). The Annals of Willenhall. Wolverhampton: Whitehead Bros. – via Internet Archive. Search this book on
- ↑ Carlyle, Edward Irving (1900). . In Lee, Sidney. Dictionary of National Biography. 61. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 250–251.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Willenhall History Trail" (PDF). Walsall Council. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Willenhall: Local Government". Wolverhampton History and Heritage. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ↑ "Wilkes, Richard". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29411. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ↑ "Shops and buildings". Willenhall History Society. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
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