Aston Hall was built by Sir Thomas Holte in 1618. Construction began that year and was completed by 1635. One of England’s greatest Jacobean country houses, it would have required considerable wealth to build a residence of such style and ornate character. The Holte family were well off and had the resources to undertake such a project. Aston Hall remained with the Holte family until 1817, when it was sold. The Great Stairs and the Long Gallery are among the hall’s most impressive features, and the building has a chequered history.
From 1819 until his death in 1848, the house was rented by James Watt, son of the great engineer. After a period of standing empty, the house was sold again to a private company, but problems followed and the hall was acquired by Birmingham Corporation in 1864. Today it is an impressive property, furnished in keeping with 17th- and 18th-century style. King Charles I spent the night here on 18 October 1642, just before the Battle of Edgehill, and the room he occupied is named after him. The Great Staircase was damaged by cannonball fire during the Civil War.
Queen Victoria visited the hall in 1858 to officially open it on behalf of the Aston Hall and Park Company, who had agreed to purchase it. In 1863, a fête was held in the park during which a woman tightrope walker was killed. The Queen was not amused and wrote to the then mayor expressing her indignation.
Aston Hall is now the property of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Birmingham was one of the first local authorities in the UK to acquire a major historic building, assisted in part by the embarrassment caused by Queen Victoria’s comments.
Aston Hall
Trinity Road
Aston
Birmingham B6 6JD
Tel: 0121 675 4722
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