Handsworth Old Rectory (and Manor House) - Sites and Monuments Record
1892
The site of the Manor House was "not improbably" that occupied by the old rectory, close to the church, now part of Victoria Park. Its moat could have been fed by the little stream that still trickles through the hollow. The moat and drawbridge are mentioned in 1270, 100 years after it was built.
The Old Rectory no longer exists and the site is probably submerged in the present Fish Pond. Early prints indicate it stood somewhere between the island in the fishpond and the South wall of the graveyard. There are no visible remains of the Rectory, no traces of antiquity.
An archaeological assessment of the whole of Handsworth park was carried out in 1998 by BUFAU. This consisted of a search of documentary and cartographic sources, published and unpublished written records and a walkover survey. The moat was mentioned in the survey with reference to its appearance on the Inclosure map of 1793 and field names relating
to the word "moat" appearing on the Tithe Map of 1843. It was concluded that this supposed moat was more likely to be fishponds.
The picture of the Old Rectory dates from 1892 and was taken by Sir Benjamin Stone. It is held in the Local Studies Departement of Birmingham Central Library.
Image courtesy
of:
Local Studies and History Department; BCC Planning/ Sites and Monuments Record
Image Credits:
Donor Ref: '
B'ham City Council/ LSH & Sites and Monuments
(28/3774)'
Source:
BCC Planning/ Sites and Monuments Record; Local Studies and History Department
Copyright information: Copyrights
to all resources are retained by the individual rights
holders. They have kindly made their collections available
for non-commercial private study & educational use.
Re-distribution of resources in any form is only permitted
subject to strict adherence to the guidelines in the Full
Terms and Conditions statement.
