Continuing on my recent tour of places related to King Charles II, I visited Moseley Old Hall. This house on the outskirts of Wolverhampton was used by the King as a refuge and hiding place as he fled during the civil war.
After his stay at nearby Boscobal House (see my earlier video linked below) King Charles II arrived disguised as a simple workman. His feet were bleeding from ill fitting shoes and he was cold and hungry. Despite being hunted by Roundhead soldiers he succesfully hid in the Priest Hole of the house. Then he had his first real meal since the defeat at the Battle of Worcester and slept in a proper bed. Refreshed and with his injuries dressed the King then continued his flight south and eventually to France.
The building itself is a fine example of a building from the 1600s. A beautiful half timbered building it stood just outside the town of Wolverhampton in the midlands of the UK. The Whitgreave family lived there until they moved in 1820 although it was still owned by them until 1925. The outside of the building was replaced with Brick cladding which resulted in the look it has now.
It was used as a farmhouse and fell into disrepair until it was eventually purchased by Will Wiggin in 1940. Although he tried to bring the hall back to it's former glory the second world war delayed this. The site was purchased by the National Trust who took on the renovations and got the site to it's current much improved state.
Mosely old hall is easy to access being close to both the M6 and M54. There is a good sized car park with an easy walk to the main entrance. There are the usual national trust facilities, with a tea room, shop and toilets. Disabled access is decent in most places except the upstairs of the main hall.
Here is a link to Boscobal house, another site visited by King Charles II - • BOSCOBEL HOUSE: 4K Wal...
Here is a link to the Moseley Old Hall National Trust site - www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visi...
#walks #mansion #estate #staffordshire #history #countryside #solotravel #traveluk #midlands #4kwalk