A Volunteers Guide to Aston Hall

This week is Volunteers' Week (1^st -7^th June) and I wanted to talk about the site I have the privilege of volunteering at. I started volunteering at Aston Hall in August 2019, as a Summer Heritage Interpreter, returning when I can and for special events.  During that time I absolutely fell in love with the Hall and its history. It’s a magnificent place and is supported by a wonderful team of volunteers and staff, who are always so welcoming and passionate. I have also had the privilege of caring for Aston Hall, as a part of the Conservation Club, which has given me another view of how much work goes into running and maintaining such a large historical site. I want to share with people this ‘hidden gem’ of Birmingham, and share the things I have learnt about the site and its history.

A View of Aston Hall

Aston Hall is a magnificent 17^th century red-brick Jacobean mansion, situated just a short train ride out from Birmingham’s City Centre, and is one of only a few Jacobean properties in the UK that still stand. Constructed between 1618 and 1635 for the notorious Sir Thomas Holte (I’ll tell you a little bit about him later), it was built upon the prominent position that it still stands on today to reflect the social standing and great wealth of its owner. It would have overlooked the vast estates of Sir Thomas’, which was six times the size it is today, including a large lake that is now Villa Park (home to Aston Villa Football team). It has undergone few changes since its construction 400 years ago and has been well preserved over the centuries; it boasts a series of period rooms, from the 17^th century through to the 19^th, which include many contemporary pieces of furniture, paintings and textiles. It is one of the oldest public museums, opening in 1858. Today, Aston Hall is still a public museum, managed by Birmingham Museums Trust, and last year was named as the UK’s top haunted site, so I hope you like ghost stories!

The Holtes & the History of Aston Hall

The Holte family can be traced all the way back to the 1300s, a family who made their money as sheep farmers and landowners. The land they owned in Aston later encompassed the monastic lands claimed during the Reformation. Born in c.1571, to Edward Holte and Dorothy Ferrars, Sir Thomas served as a High Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1599 and was later knighted in 1603 by the new King of England, James VI of Scotland. Thomas later brought the title of Baronet from James I, who was trying to raise money to suppress the rebellion in Ireland; you can see the red hand of Ulster displayed on the Holte family crest. He was also known locally for his violent temper with many rumours about his fierce reputation; one tale suggests that in a rage, he struck his cook with a meat cleaver.

He married twice; firstly to Grace Bradbourne, with which he had 15 children with, sadly only 6 survived to adulthood. Secondly, he married Anne Littleton, an heiress with a dowry of £1000, who was also 40 years younger than him. His eldest son, Edward Holte, served in King Charles I’s household and whilst at court in London met and married Elizabeth King (daughter of John King, Bishop of London). Their marriage caused a huge rife between Edward and his father as they had married without his permission, and Sir Thomas disinherited his son because of this. Even with the intervention the king, Sir Thomas refused to reinstate his son to his will. Sadly, Edward died during the English Civil War in 1643, having never reconciled with his father.

One of the interesting facts about Aston Hall’s history is that it played host to King Charles I on the 18^th October 1642, days before the Battle of Edgehill on 23^rd October 1642 that was to be the first battle of the English Civil War. Later on, in 1643, Aston Hall would be besieged by Roundhead soldiers; Birmingham were supporters of the Parliamentarians, whereas Sir Thomas was a somewhat latent royalist. Damage from the siege is still evident at the Hall today, and cannonballs have even been found within the grounds of Aston Park!

Sir Thomas died in 1654, at the age of 83, outliving all but one of his children, Grace Holte. The barony and Aston Hall were inherited by Robert, the eldest son of Edward Holte. Aston Hall then remained in the Holte family until 1817, when it and many of the Holte possessions were sold off to pay off the £50,000 debt of Abraham Bracebridge, husband to the last Holte, Mary Elizabeth. It was purchased by a firm that then leased it out to James Watt Jr., the son of the world-renowned industrial engineer. He lived there until 1848, and made a number of additions and changes to certain rooms; for example, the frieze in the Great Hall is based on originals seen in the State Rooms.

The Hall was then partially purchased in 1858 by Aston Hall and Park Company Ltd. which was opened by Queen Victoria on the 15^th June 1858 as a public park and museum. It was forced to close 6 years later, after a public scandal involving the death of a female tight-rope walker. Finally, it was purchased by Birmingham Corporation in 1864, becoming the first historic house to pass into municipal ownership. 

Touring the Hall

I’ve selected a few rooms to give a glimpse into my favourite areas of Aston Hall and just some of the history and artefacts they hold.

The Great Dining Room:

The Great Dining Room is one of the most important rooms at Aston Hall, it would have been kept closed for most of the year and used only for special occasions and prestigious guests. This would have been the very room that would have played host to King Charles I in 1642. It is elaborately decorated with the original intricate plasterwork on the frieze and ceiling, the figures you see are that of the Nine Worthies, they were important and recognisable figures to the elite. The room is displayed as an interpretation of how it might have looked when Charles I came to stay; the long table is set out with the finest and most expensive foods, such as lemons and oranges that were foreign imports and extremely expensive to get during the Jacobean era – only the elite had the privilege of eating them. Further connections to King Charles I visit to Aston Hall is evident with the large portrait of the King and his family by Remy van Leemput overlooking the dining table.

Long Gallery

This is perhaps the most impressive room at Aston Hall and has such a ‘wow’ factor that it is one of the most memorable rooms for visitors. The Long Gallery measures the entire width of the Hall, showing the grandiose size of the mansion, at 125ft (136ft with the addition of the Vestibule, which was originally a balcony). It would have originally been used for exercising during bad weather, the perfect space for walking, games, and even swordsmanship practice, and later was used to host balls. What is so striking about this room is how it has remained so unchanged across the centuries; it still features its original wood panelling, and the elaborate and detailed plasterwork ceiling, similarly seen in all the State Rooms.

Dick’s Garrett

Dick’s Garrett or simply, the Servants Quarters, would have been where a dozen of Aston Hall’s servants would have slept. For anyone who likes ghost stories, the attics of Aston Hall are full of them; from the young servant boy who defied his fearsome master, to the Grey Lady locked away in a chamber of the attic for the rest of her life. These ghost tales add a certain mystery to Aston Hall and Sir Thomas a lasting image of a man who should not be crossed.

Servants’ Hall & Kitchen

Lastly, one of my favourite areas is the Servants’ Hall and Kitchen. Many great houses are known for the deeds of their owners or attachment to certain events or people throughout history, but we rarely get a glimpse into the lives of the servants that would have been behind the running and maintenance of such grand houses. These two rooms at Aston Hall help highlight the lives of Aston’s servants and the hard and gruelling work that they would do daily for a house so large. It displays the kind of things they would have used and shows the magnitude of what had to be done. Although when you visit these rooms today, they remain quiet, I always like to imagine how they would have been bustling with life and is so enlightening to think of the lives of those who would have worked there.

What not to miss!

1. The Grand Staircase’s cannonball hole– it is the most evident evidence of the damage caused by the siege of Aston Hall by Roundhead soldiers during the English Civil War.

2. Red Squirrel symbols – you may notice acorns in the Long Gallery, squirrels on fireplaces, squirrels in windows, and squirrels in the gift shop, you may think Aston Hall just really like squirrels, but it relates to the family name of Holte.

3. Tapestry in the Withdrawing Room – you’ll find an original 18th-century tapestry made by one of the Holte family members, depicting Aston Hall and once again surrounded by squirrels.

4. Nigel the Tiger – a stuffed tiger from when Aston Hall first opened as a museum in 1858, what is interesting is that he isn’t just made of one tiger, he thought to be made up of 2 or more!

Aston Hall Today

Today, Aston Hall continues to be an important part of Birmingham’s history and heritage. Although they remain closed at the moment, they have hosted many fun, educational and interesting events over the years, such as Halloween at Aston Hall, Fright Nights, Whodunnit?, as well as their Women’s Work and Servant Life tours, that I look forward to helping out with again in the future. Also, they are currently undergoing a 5-year project, Aston Retold, and is a reinterpretation of the Hall and its history. So there are lots of things to see and do at Aston in the future. If you wish to know more about Aston Hall, such as admission prices or events, you can check out their website (https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/aston).