Umberslade Hall is a 17th-century

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

converted into residential apartments situated in

Nuthurst Nuthurst is a village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England. The north of the parish borders Horsham town, with Nuthurst village south from the border. Within the parish is the estate and largely 19th-century country ...

near

Tanworth-in-Arden Tanworth-in-Arden (; often abbreviated to Tanworth) is a small village and civil parish in the county of Warwickshire, England. It is southeast of Birmingham and northeast of Redditch, and is administered by Stratford-on-Avon District Council ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

. 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 Irel ...

. The

Archer family The Archer family are a notable family in Tasmania, Australia, prominent in society, business and politics of Tasmania for the last two centuries. They are best known today for their now world-heritage listed farm estates, Brickendon Estate an ...

were granted the manor of Umberslade by Henry II in the 12th century and retained possession for some 600 years. The old

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

was replaced between 1695 and 1700 when Smith of Warwick built the new mansion for Andrew Archer,

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

. The estate passed to his son

Andrew Archer, 2nd Baron Archer Andrew Archer, 2nd Baron Archer (29 July 1736 – 18 April 1778), 18th-century British Whig politician, styled the Hon. Andrew Archer between 1747 and 1768. Life The son of Thomas, 1st Baron Archer, by Catherine, daughter of Sir Thomas Tip ...

, after whose death in 1778 it was ultimately settled on his daughter Sarah, Countess of Plymouth. In 1751

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

visited the estate and called it an odious place. The estate was sold in 1826 to Edward Bolton King, Member of Parliament for

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

and for the

County of Warwick Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

, during whose time the ancient chapel at Nuthurst, near

Hockley Heath Hockley Heath is a large village and civil parish in the Arden area mostly within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, incorporating the hamlet of Nuthurst, with a history dating back to the year 705 AD as a wood owne ...

was rebuilt and land was given for a church and school at Hockley Heath. From 1850 the house was leased by

George Frederic Muntz George Frederick Muntz (26 November 1794 – 30 July 1857) was an Business magnate, industrialist from Birmingham, England and a Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for the Birmin ...

, Member of Parliament for

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. After his death in 1857 his son George Frederick bought the estate and much enlarged and improved the Hall. During this time Muntz junior had a church built on the estate, Umberslade Baptist Church, which exists to this day separately to the Hall. In 1881 the household comprised thirty including thirteen resident servants. Frederick Ernest Muntz who succeeded to the estate in 1898 served as

High Sheriff of Warwickshire This is a list of sheriffs and high sheriffs of the English county of Warwickshire. The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most ...

in 1902 and as Deputy Lieutenant. The estate, much reduced, remains in the ownership of the Muntz family. From the 1960s the Hall was leased out to commercial tenants, including from 1967

BSA Motorcycles BSA motorcycles were made by the Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited (BSA), which was a major British industrial combine, a group of businesses manufacturing military and sporting firearms; bicycles; motorcycles; cars; buses and bodies; stee ...

– Triumph Motorcycles, to merge their various design and development departments at a central point, roughly equi-distant from their manufacturing bases at Meriden,

Redditch Redditch is a town, and local government district, in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district has a population of 85,000 as of 2019. In the 19th century, it became the international centre for the ...

and

Small Heath Small Heath is an area in south-east Birmingham, West Midlands, England situated on and around the Coventry Road about from the city centre. History Small Heath, which has been settled and used since Roman times, sits on top of a small hill. ...

. Previously, the site had been similarly used by an industrial manufacturer of car components, Wilmot Breedon. ''Motor Cycle'', 29 June 1967. p.902. ''BSA Country Estate'' Accessed 2015-12-07 In 1978 it was converted into twelve apartments and two

mews A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. Mews are usually located in desirable residential ...

cottages.Six magnificent apartments for sale in stately homes across Britain
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References

''A History of the County of Warwick, Volume 5 '' (1949) pp 165-175 from British History Online

External links

Photos of Umberslade Hall and surrounding area on geograph

References

External links

See also