HISTORY

Christine on Ellowes Hall Ellowes Hall Further to our Ellowes Hall article, thanks are due to self confessed Brummmie Christine Buckley of All Saints Vicarage in Sedgley, for the following thoughts: Re. the recently-posted article: some part of the Ellowes Hall estate that wasn't used for the site of the school has been included in Cotwall End Nature Reserve, notably the Dingle, where some hints of artificial planting can still be spotted. (Dudley MBC bought this land from Five Oaks Estate.) The Sugarwell I think still exists between houses in Foxlands Drive, but I haven't investigated it. I'd be interested to know if anything else is recorded about Sam Fereday's property on the site; and do we know who owned it before Sam? Perhaps the Manor Court Records would show. It's described as a 'cottage', and the word 'ornamental' is used for the garden. I wonder if it was a 'cottage ornee', trendy style towards the end of 18th C, developed from the ferme ornee as at Shenstone's Leasowes and the Greys' Enville Hall. It presumably wasn't Sam Fereday's main residence. The animal bones, I believe, were used as flooring (not unique) in a grotto, also high garden fashion of later 18th C. (Secret passages to Dudley Castle - per-lease! Someone's been reading too much Enid Blyton.) There seem to be various relationships by marriage between Greys (the Earls of Stamford were related to Lady Jane Grey and her sister), Sutton/Dudleys, the Parkeses of Willingsworth Hall, Wards, Leas and Shenstone, but it would take a whole article to pin them down. Shenstone certainly advised at Enville, and I believe he visited his cousin Ferdinando Dudley Lea at Himley. Could you help us to find out more about Ellowes Hall? Email us at admin@yampy.co.uk.