The Molineux Hotel in
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...
is an 18th-century former mansion house known as Molineux House, which later served as a hotel and currently, following restoration serves as a local authority facility. It is a
Grade II* listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
.
John Molyneux (born 1685), a great-grandson of Sir John Molyneux of
Teversal Manor, near
Mansfield,
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...
(see
Molyneux Baronets
There have been three baronetcies created for descendants of the ancient Norman family of Molyneux who were granted extensive estates in Lancashire after the Norman Conquest.
The baronetcy of Molyneux of Sefton was created in the Baronetage ...
) settled in Wolverhampton in about 1700. His son Benjamin Molyneux (later known as Molineux), a wealthy ironfounder and banker, built a new three storeyed five bayed mansion on the then outskirts of the town in about 1720. George Molineux, who resided at Molineux House, was
High Sheriff of Staffordshire This is a list of the sheriffs and high sheriffs of Staffordshire.
The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. The sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities ass ...
in 1793. An additional
Georgian style
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Geor ...
south wing was added towards the end of the 18th century, possibly by George Molineux, and there were further alterations and extensions including a belfry turret in the 19th century.
The Molineux family sold the property in about 1860 and the new owner created a public pleasure park on the grounds. In about 1870 the old house was converted for use as a hotel. In 1889 the pleasure grounds were closed and the park was leased out to
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. The hotel was closed down in 1979 and for many years the building stood empty and neglected. Various plans for redevelopment of the site failed and in 2003 the building was gutted by fire.
In 2005, with the support of a grant from
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
, major restoration began to convert the property into a facility to house the
City of Wolverhampton Archives. It finally opened to users on 10 March 2009; the service had previously operated from part of the building on Snow Hill previously occupied by Rackhams department store.
SO9198 : Former Rackham's department store in Wolverhampton
www.geograph.org.uk.
References
English Heritage; Images of England. Photograph of derelict building and detailed architectural description
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Grade II* listed buildings in the West Midlands (county)
Buildings and structures in Wolverhampton