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Moseley Old Hall, National Trust - A Wolverhampton and West Midlands Gem!

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Moseley Old Hall is located in Fordhouses, north of Wolverhampton in Staffordshire. The hall was built in the late 16th or early 17th centuries. Associated with Charles II's 1651 escape.

Where is Moseley Old Hall?

Moseley Old Hall is at Moseley Old Hall Lane, Featherstone, Wolverhampton, WV10 7HY. Close to the M54 in Staffordshire.

In brief

The estate was owned by the Cordsall family until it was purchased by Henry Pitt of Bushby in 1583. The hall was built around 1600. It is associated with King Charles II who stayed here on 8th September 1651, after escaping the Battle of Worcester (the final battle of the English Civil War).

Moseley Old Hall (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown

Moseley Old Hall - history

A timber framed late 16th century house, with brown brick with blue brick dressings dating to around 1870.

Moseley Old Hall (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown

The house is located in Fordhouses, north of Wolverhampton, it is famous for being one of the resting places for King Charles II during his escape to France following his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

Moseley Old Hall (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown

The Cordsall family owned the estate until it was bought by Henry Pitt of Bushby in 1583, he later built the Hall by 1600 (exact date is unknown).

Moseley Old Hall (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown

Henry died in 1602, and the house was inherited by his daughter Alice who later married Thomas Whitgreave from Bridgeford, Staffordshire.

Moseley Old Hall (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown

After the Battle of Worcester on 3rd September 1651, which King Charles II lost, he was on the run from the Parliamentarians and arrived at Moseley Old Hall on the 8th September, he left the house two days later, having planned the route of his escape to the continent.

Moseley Old Hall (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown

The Whitgreave family moved to Moseley Court in the 1820s, few changes were made to the Hall until around 1870s when the outer wall was replaced with bricks, descendants of the family owned it until 1925 until the estate was sold.

Moseley Old Hall (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown

The house fell into disrepair, until it was bought by Will Wiggin from Bloxwich in 1940 who started to repair the house, but the Second World War interrupted work which he was unable to complete before his death. The Wiggin family transferred ownership of the Hall and an acre of land to the National Trust in 1962, who owned it to the public in 1963. The roof and brickwork was repaired in 1981.

Moseley Old Hall - interiors

There is several rooms to see inside of Moseley Old Hall, but they are quite dark, with candle light, and closed curtains, to protect the contents that the National Trust put inside. You get a guided tour of the Hall.

Entrance Hall

The head of the family sat at the big chair below the clock and was the Chairman of the Board! Was upside down spoons on the table. Charles II was forced to spend several hours in the priest hole when Parliamentarian soldiers marched to the front door accusing Thomas Whitgreave of fighting at Worcester for the Royalists. After some rough treatment, they accepted his story, that he was too ill to travel, and left, never entering the house.

Moseley Old Hall (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown

The King's Room

This is the room that King Charles II slept in betwen the 8th and 10th September 1651. The darkest room in the Hall.

Moseley Old Hall (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown

Mr Whitgreave's Room

Mr Whitgreave was the owner of the house when Charles II came to stay. After a few hours rest, Charles was brought into Thomas Whitgreave's room and introduced to Dame Alice, Thomas's mother; he invited her to dine with him - a great honour! From the window in the small study Charles watched in dismay as soldiers from his defeated Royalist army straggled past, making their way back to Scotland.

Our guide was the lady dressed as a maid on the left. Lets say that the man also in a costume was Mr Whitgreave (he soon left the room).

Moseley Old Hall (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown

The Dressing Room

Candles near a tapestry. They are electric (the guide turned them on and off by touching the "flame").

Moseley Old Hall (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown

Chapel in The Attic

Where a Roman Catholic Priest called Father Huddlestone held secret Mass here. If discovered the Priest would have paid with his life and the family with imprisonment or worse.

Moseley Old Hall (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown