Frogmill Farm

Froggmill Farm 1900. Froggemulle: first recorded 1373. Frog Mill was a post-medieval watermill which stood until the early 19th century on the River Rea near the lane of the same name. There are now no visible traces. The location is now in modern Frankley that was built in the early 70's. (William Dargue)

Harvest time 1898.

Conservative Club

Conservative Club, Mill Walk, since 1942. Are these the old buildings from Hawksley Mill Farm? 1905 map shows it on this site.

Tessall Farm

Tessall Lane, 1935, looking towards the Bristol Road where now exists a roundabout. The building were formally part of Tessall Farm (other buildings were at the Bristol Road junction, and I think a barn was in Hanging Lane too). A horse shoe above the door brought good luck, if it was the right way up, lol (photo:P. Caswell)

2015, Taken from the same location but looking towards Hanging Lane, Tessall farm & barn was just the  behind the camera.

Beech Farm

Church Hill in 1937, with Beech Farm (soon demolished afterwards) on the left. St Laurence's School can be seen behind the farm, with St Laurence's churchyard straight ahead. Before the churchyard, to the right of the picture are a row of former nailmakers' cottages. Beech Farm was of seventeenth-century origin, though encased in modern brickwork by the last tenant. A row of semis, fronted by a wide verge, now occupy the site. (Martin Hampson) A footpath that went through the fields still exists that leads to Black Horse pub.

Hawksley Farm

Hawksley Farm, c.1907. Taken from a post card of this date. Ended up being owned by Austin Family and was demolished in late 50's. The lake is the moat that had surrounded it from medieval times, but this building was built around 1885.

1950's Ordinance Survey view of the Farm and moat. The area is now council bungalows and high rise flats, the restored moat has now sadly drained, at one time it was full of large fish, like pike and bream.

Hole Farm Painting

Hole Farm, Hole Lane. Painting by Frank Taylor Lockwood, born in Huddersfield and died in Selly Oak in 1961. He did over 300 paintings, including one of St Lawrence Church and the Fayre at the Lickey Hills, this painting and more of his work can be found in Birmingham Art Gallery.

Scotland Farm

Scotland Farm, Frankley Lane. At one time Bell Holloway led to Halesowen and went past Scotland Farm. It looks like when they built Bartley Reservoir, the direct route was cut off & Frankley Lane ran around the lake instead. The Farm & it's sheds look derelict now but the house is now Eastwest Cottage.

Seabourn's shop

Leonard Seabourne, with his dog Bob, outside his cottage shop in Merritts Brook Lane, 14 August 1952. In about 1942 Norma Snell's parents moved to live in this cottage from where her father ran the pig farm and her mother ran the shop. It was a very small store and was entered from the side with goods being sold through a small window. It sold everything from needles and thread to food. However, in 1953 Birmingham Council compulsorily purchased both the shop and farm and built multi-storey flats on the land. (Norma Snell)

1905 map. Possible location, unconfirmed as yet. Vinyard Road was built to the left of it in 1950's

Street Farm

Street Farm, Church Road, in the 1930s, faced Street Cottages. Originally holding 140 acres, extending to Hole Lane and Bristol Road, it dated from around 1700, and lasted till 1958. The YMCA building (opened 1961) now occupies the site.

Street Cottages, on Church Road, seen here in 1934, were until their demolition in 1964 Northfield's finest group of nailers' houses. There were similar rows in Harborne and Bartley Green, most of which have now gone, though some individual houses survive. Northfield's best remaining row is on Church Hill, sensitively restored in keeping with their eighteenth-century origin.

1903 map Street Cottages under Farm

In 1851 Street Farm is listed as being in the yield of Hay-with-Middleton and having 140 acres. It belonged to a William Newey who employed lour labourers. In the nineteenth century each parish was sub-divided into yields making it easier to assess the output of cultivation for the purpose of taxation. In 1881 the farm still consisted of 140 acres and a Thomas Drakeley lived there with his wife and family. He too employed four men. Farmers living at Street Farm on Bunbury Road since then have included Miss Wilson, 'Billy' Field and Mr Blunn. Mrs Wyeth recalls fetching fresh eggs from the farm when she was a child and being taken round the back to see the hens. The photograph was taken c. 1957 and the farm was demolished in 1958. (M. Banton)

Ash Bank Farm

Dairyman & Farmer Arthur Brown, Ash Bank Farm, Northfield. From what I can make out it was located between The Bell Public House and the New Post Office, Bristol Road South. On the site of Ulwine Drive/Vinyard road estate, most of the land was used as a car park until the by-pass was built. See 1955 map

Looking South across the crossroads; Bristol Road South/Bell Hill/Church Road with farm building under trees

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More recently Ulwine Drive was made into the Northfield by-pass named Sir Hubert Austin Way after the famous factory owner at Longbridge.

Colourized view

Mason Leys Farm

Masonleys farm mid-60's (photos : David Smith)

David Smith recalls:-

My grandparents, Jack and Alice Smith lived at Mason Leys farm for probably 30 years or more. They are definitely there on the 1939 UK Register (Census), along with my Dad and my Aunt. Grandad used to cut the grass for the golf course after he retired from driving trams for the city. Dad said that during the war, there was a search light battery on the property – although I don’t remember him saying anything about anti-aircraft guns. 

Jack Smith at back door of farm early1960s

The house originally had 4 bedrooms, but one had been converted to a bathroom. Downstairs there was a kitchen with a red terra cotta tile floor. I don’t remember if the original fireplace / oven in the kitchen was used, but I suspect it must have been to heat the water, although the bread oven was not used, for sure. The main living room had a huge fire / hearth that was big enough to stand up in. It still had the bracket to hold the spit. Of course there were the typical beams, and the front door which opened in to the living room was never used – ever! There was a second room on the first floor which was used as another living space. Mom and Dad had it for a while, and then my aunt and uncle and their family. There was a cellar that was used for coal. The coalman would have dropped it down though the outside coal shoot. 

There was also a fourth room that they called the dairy that was an unheated room used to store perishables. Al the rooms had fireplaces of course, although I don’t remember if they ever used the ones in the bedrooms. There was an attached two storey garage with an outside stair case. The floor had rotted out when I knew it so going up there was not allowed. I am not even sure if the garage was ever used since there was always space in the drive sheds. It had a large garden, even when I knew it as well as an old orchard and chicken coop. 

I don’t know where the name Mason Leys came from. It was suggested that it might have come from the French for house, ‘maison’ . I think perhaps it was someone called Mason who had fields (Lea). Sometimes it is written as two words, other times as one word.

Map taken from cloth backed 1950's map of Birmingham
Anybody reading this have anything on Mason Leys Farm, Frankley Beeches Road, Northfield?

My research finds a Charles Hodgetts (Farmer & Milk Dealer) living there on 7 February, 1890, and a farm laborer named Joseph Turner, aged 55 (from Huntington) in 1891 living here too. Northfield Golf Club leased the land in 1905 from the farm for £35 per year in (about £2,500 in today money). The club went bust recently and the gof club site has been sold to a developer. Planning was refused by Birmingham Council for housing, but they now have approval from Government to go ahead with 800 homes on the site. The clubhouse was burned down twice while un-used and this year (2019) was bulldozed.

Tessall Garage

Tessall Garage, Bristol Road South/Tessall Lane. Date unknown (1950?). Once the site of Tessall Farm and now the Job Center. Everything in the picture has gone, even the elm trees, just the road left.

Hawksley Farm

When the Roundheads came to Hawkesley,
And the Middlemores were fled,
There score foot and two score horsemen
Held the stead.
And the words came forth to Rupert,
"Seize the stead."

O, when Rupert rode to Hawkesley,
To the leaguer or the house,
Then Lord Astley's gallant footman
Held carouse.
It was, "Footman, to the breach,"
At Hawksey House.

When the King rode out to Hawksley,
To the leaguer in the field,
Then the Roundhead, captain Gouge,
Sought to yield.
"An they leave us unmolested
We will yield."

O, Lord Astley laughed at Hawksley,
as he rode amid his men.
"Hawksley's yours to fire and pillage,
Let the Roundheads come again."
And they cheered at Hawksley House,
Astley's men.

E.M. Rudland: Ballads of Old Birmingham

Photo: Site of Hawksley Farm/Manor. Timber frame building demolished in 1850 and 10 metre wide moat filled in and a new house built, this was later lived in by the Austin family and demolished in 1971. Photo here shows pool that later developed in moat site. It's behind an electricity sub station on Turves Green (Road). Sadly today the pool has a leak and has run dry.

Manor Farm

Northfield Manor Farm Park 2011. The Park is found on the corner of Whitehill Lane & Bristol Road, opposite Hospital. (sadly Manor Farm House burned down 31st July 2014)

Mother & chick (photos: Mickey Nold) 

A very peaceful park and pool the  has numerous fish. The Manor House in the grounds once was the home of the Cadbury Family, but it was given to Birmingham University in the 1950's.

Manor House burns. Arson attack on 31-07-2014

Arrow shows the Manor House, the blue is the lake.

Hanging Lane

Hanging Lane 1935. Tessall Farm's annex barn is on left with an out barn shown by lamppost and you can just see NWGC Golf Club house on the horizon to the right. Viewed from around the junction with Tessall lane. The farm itself was 1/2 down the road at the junction wit Bristol Road South, later Tessall Garage.

Moat Farm

Moat Farm 1930. Old Moat Drive by Northfield church is named after a moat, 60m square at Moat Farm. It was levelled in 1930 and houses were built on the site in 1965. This may have been the site of Northfield manor house from the 11th century until the 14th century when it was superseded by the castle at Weoley Castle.

Red area is the 1925 proposed by-pass map, but shows the location of Moat Farm, the moated box area was an ornate garden with a small footbridge of the moat.

Tessall House

Tessall House (built 1893) for auction?Once belong to the owners of Tessall Farm. Does that mean Spot Garage and all the industrial units behind too? Will it be a drive in KFC soon? Found on Bristol Road South, oposite Hawksley Mill Road.

Tessall Farm

Hanging Lane 1935. Tessall Farm (Barn) is on left and you can just see North Worcestershire Golf Club (NWGC) Club house on the horizon to the right. Viewed from around the junction with Tessall lane.

Church Hill

Top end by Church & Rectory

Little cottage in the corner of Beech's Farm was the Station Masters House for the Midland Railway.  It's almost opposite the just out of view, end of Woodlands Road . Circa 1895. Beeches Farm was over 5 acres in size and that cottage was on 0.3 acres. Two footpaths led from Beeches Farm, one to Quarry Farm & the other to Bristol Road South. There was still over 37 farms in Northfield as late as 1970. I've also added a new photo from the same spot today.

2015 The same view of Church Hill & St. Lawrence Church in 100 years on !