Report - Blue Hall, Shropshire - Nov 2020

[inger27]

Hi all.

First report, so go easy

Despite it's name, Blue Hall is little more than a small stone cottage. It's rendered with painted on beams.

The local hamlet has a lot of history to it, due to having an old castle in the area, but the only mention of this place in the history is along with another "outlying" farm away from the hamlet itself.

In terms of more recent history, I heard about this place about 10 years ago when working in the area. The story was a couple from Birmingham used to come out to it to get away from city life, etc, but had just stopped coming. Me and a friend visited, and looking through the windows it was as if they'd just abandoned the place. Everything sitting on shelves as normal, etc - unfortunately we didn't get inside at the time.

Now - it seems like the local whose fields the property is in has started using it for storage - hence the newer looking axe, extension lead, etc. According to the land registry, it's no longer a separate property - just listed as farm land associated with the local farm. I'm sure I queryed this years ago when I first found out about it so I'll be digging through the old backups to see if I did as I would have kept the info. For anyone not aware you can query any property/land in the UK on the land reg site and for a small fee get the information on it.

Anyway, on to the pics :)

The "Hall" itself

This staircase doesn't look "correct" and from my visit years ago I'm sure we could see straight in through the window and not see a staircase.

The upstairs "bedroom" has seen better days. No signs of vandalism, etc, just lots of decay.

The kitchen area and seating area. As you can see it's less "house" like now and more storage.

And finally, this internal wall was gorgeous (although the pic doesn't do it justice) - would have made a lovely feature wall!

Thanks for reading :)

 

[Calamity Jane]

Shame you didnt gain entry on 1st visit. The storage really does ruin the look and covers the brick/stones walls. Looks like its very rustic, bare walls, tiled floors. The externals show a really old build. Id love to know its exact history.

Well done on 1st report. And a warm welcome to 28DL land of posting. Keep em coming

 

[westernsultan]

Shame you didnt gain entry on 1st visit. The storage really does ruin the look and covers the brick/stones walls. Looks like its very rustic, bare walls, tiled floors. The externals show a really old build. Id love to know its exact history.

Well done on 1st report. And a warm welcome to 28DL land of posting. Keep em coming

I'd like to know some of it's history as well but nothing to go on from this report

 

[inger27]

I did a lot of searching before posting and there really is very little about it online - most of it overshadowed by the local Hamlets history in general in relation to the castle.

 

[westernsultan]

I did a lot of searching before posting and there really is very little about it online - most of it overshadowed by the local Hamlets history in general in relation to the castle.

There are 16 castles listed for Shropshire and I don't have the incentive to search for more information without naming the hamlet https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Castles_of_England/Shropshire

 

[Scoobysrt]

Im going to take a stab in the dark here, maybe check the areas of Holdgate, Lower Earnstrey Park Farm, Woodhouse Fields, Broncroft Park, Much Wenlock, Madeley.
There is a castle at Much Wenlock.

 

[inger27]

It's not on your list I'm afraid. I was trying not to just give away location, but at the same time not using code names, etc.

If you google blue hall and shropshire you should find some information, and go from there. Part of the fun surely is figuring out where the place is from limited info?

@Scoobysrt is on the ball though.

I've since found a name from the 1881 census mentioning the address, as well as the name of someone who lived there in 1945, but no real information on the actual history of the building (build date, why it's called "Hall", etc). If anyone else finds anything out, please do share :)

 

[Scoobysrt]

I forgot to add Salop. Ill see if I can find it.

Edit, Salop is also another name for shropshire I think.

 

[inger27]

I forgot to add Salop. Ill see if I can find it

Given your list of places you should find it pretty quickly, or at least mention of it. I believe the property is still marked up on the OS map of the area.

 

[Scoobysrt]

Lol just found a small river in Much Wenlock called shyte brook, just made me giggle.

I may have some more info but its getting boring doing this on a phone, im going to dig the laptop out.

 

[inger27]

shyte brook

So called I believe because it used to just to be the open sewer for the town.

 

[Calamity Jane]

This little farmhouse is causing a lot of interest in its history. Im glad im not alone. I will look at the links above later today. Cheers everyone for trying. I just love history!

 

[westernsultan]

I've found this picture on the net, marked with a cross [not by me] The same someone has written 'Home' / Blue Hall

It's a view of Brown Clee from Holdgate.

 

[inger27]

I'm trying to pin down geography before I find any history - not easy. I've found this picture -

I've seen that picture too - personally the "X" is in the wrong place but otherwise it's about right.

 

[westernsultan]

Another website has led me to this text

- here was presumably new building below and beyond the ridge top before the late 17th century, for in Holdgate township 18 houses paid to the hearth tax in 1672, eight of which had more than one hearth. (By 1842 the township had only 10 houses in all, half of which ranked as farms. The village then lay along the ridge top for c. 500 m. from the Hall to Lower Farm. Two cottages stood farther south-west along the ridge, at Gallitree bank. Another cottage, Blue Hall, and one farm, Castlemoor, lay isolated in the fields. Castlemoor, a timber framed house with early 19th-century brick and stone additions, dated from the clearance of woodland in the 16th or 17th century. The village had probably contracted during amalgamations of farms in the 18th century; some of the earthworks on the south-eastern side of the ridge seem to represent houses abandoned then. Amalgamations in the later 19th century left Holdgate township with only the rectory, three farms, and four cottages by 1907, and there has been almost no change since.