MOOR GREEN HOUSE

MOSELEY LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY

MOOR GREEN HOUSE

Moor Green House stood in a thirteen-acre estate enclosed by the current Moor Green Lane and Yew Tree Road. The original Moor Green House was occupied from 1868 by Mr Thomas Clemont Sneyd Kynnersley (b. 1803), a lawyer, Stipendiary Magistrate in Birmingham, JP for Warwickshire, Deputy Lieutenant for Warwickshire, JP for Worcestershire and Staffordshire, Deputy Chairman of Warwickshire Quarter Sessions and Recorder of Newcastleunder-Lyme. TC Sneyd- Kynnersley was interested in Reformatories, Industrial Schools and Prisoners’ Aid Societies. The house and land were bought by Sir John Holder of nearby Pitmaston. In 1899 he gave it to his son, Mr Henry C Holder, who built a new Moor Green House. Henry Holder carried out considerable demolition work and his new residence cost £8,000. It was approached by a long carriage drive from Moor Green Lane and had an ornamental lodge, tastefully laid out grounds and gardens, an extensive walled garden, a peach house, several greenhouses, motor houses to accommodate the then ‘new-fangled’ petrol engine vehicles and a 6-tie cow house, fodder store and calf pen. Henry Holder lived there briefly with his wife Evelyne and their three daughters and one son and eight staff, including a cook, four maids, a nurse and governess. Sir Henry Holder died on 3 August 1945. As a private residence, Moor Green House was little used, and it acted as a hostel for Belgian refugees, including Rev. Father G. Veracx, during the First World War. It later became a military hospital, as an annexe to Highbury, and was designated the 4th Auxiliary Hospital, Moseley. After that the house once again became vacant. After the Great War, Moor Green House was purchased by the Britannic Assurance Company at an auction sale at the Grand Hotel on 13 May 1920, and the house and grounds were adapted to serve as a centre for recreational activity. Bathrooms and

Moor Green House partly demolished

changing rooms were incorporated, on the first floor for ladies and on the ground floor for men. Infinite care was taken throughout the remainder of the building to preserve its original character and its country house atmosphere. Converting the grounds was a more formidable task. Volunteers from Broad Street corner toiled Saturday after Saturday to provide new levels for turf for a cricket square, tennis courts and a bowling green. The official opening was on 25 May 1921 and during the next ten to fifteen years Moor Green was the scene of intense social and sporting activity. Moor Green was virtually closed down during the Second World War and the various sports sections were gradually re-established in later years. The building of the new chief office of Britannic Assurance began in 1959, with the following report in a 1960 edition of The Britannic Magazine: ' The Moor Green House will be dwarfed by its new neighbour but will continue to provide a recreation club house as it has done so well for the past 39 years'. Moor Green House was demolished during April of 1970. Its site was needed for an extension to house the stationery and printing departments, and to provide new changing rooms and an area for recreational activities.

Janet Berry Next month: The history of The Britannic Assurance New Chief Office at Moor Green

If you have any memories of Moor Green House and Estate, please contact us at moseleyhistory@gmail.com See our website for more information on Moor Green House and its occupants: moseley-society/local-history.org.uk