The last Countess of Bradford to live at the Hall, Ida, had been a lady-in-waiting to Queen Mary who was a regular private visitor. Ida, it is said, ruled the village with a rod of iron until she died in 1934 - but not before laying the foundation stone of the Victory Hall in 1922.
After her demise the Hall endured mixed fortunes, particularly during the war and later as an apprentice hostel. In recent times it has been offices for house builders and property developers. It would have been a very bad advert for them to let it fall into disrepair, so the external appearance has been preserved. Currently it stands empty.
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Castle Bromwich Hall, 2002 |
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens, 19th Century |
The gardens shown in the picture above are being restored, are open to the public in the summer months, and are well worth a visit.
As for the village itself it lay on the London - Holyhead road: the route of the 'Irish Mail'. So the Chester Road, as it is named, has a number of buildings that were coaching inns. Only one remains a 'pub' - the Bradford Arms - where, sadly, the heraldry that gives it its name is hidden by invasive ivy and a negligent landlord.
During the second world war Castle Bromwich was famous for two things: the 'Spitfire' factory and the airfield - both of which were actually in Birmingham!
The Ministry of Aircraft Production built the factory and then, as with the rest of the motor industry, handed it over to be managed by a small Birmingham company - Fisher and Ludlow. By the end of the war it had made 11,780 Spitfires - half the total. My father told me they used to push the completed 'planes across Chester Road to the airfield, whence they flew to who knows what destination and fate.
This factory, the airfield and the neighbouring Dunlop tyre plant, were strategic targets for the Luftwaffe. They frequently missed - bombing our back garden instead!
The home of 605 squadron, the airfield was a Battle of Britain test ground for many types of aircraft. Some of those tests were unsuccessful, as the military headstones in the churchyard which overlooked it still testify.
After the war an annual event was the open day at the RAF station, held close to Battle of Britain day in September. It was always much enjoyed and very well supported.
Nowadays the factory makes Jaguar cars and the airfield is a housing estate - but at least most of the roads are named after RAF stations and some of its former commanding officers, one of whom I worked with during my time in the motor industry.
In the post war era 'Castle Bromwich' was home to the British Industries Fair industrial section. This was on a site next to the airfield, but still really in Birmingham!
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| The Gables, Chester Road, 1965 - now long gone |
Like many similar communities Castle Bromwich suffered badly from the depredations of developers in the 1960s, but some pockets of the old village have survived. Those apart we have to rely on the excellent books written by Colin Green (and my photographs!) to show us what it was like in happier times.
In 1994 the Parish Council celebrated its centenary - with an exhibition in Arden Hall and a commemorative tea towel. (Mine is now wearing out!)
Nowadays Castle Bromwich is, in a word, 'noisy'. Criss crossed by motorways and collector roads, and with aeroplanes approaching and leaving nearby Birmingham International Airport, it is no longer the quiet little village just outside Birmingham that Lady Bradford dominated - but it's been home to me since March, 1987.
To see a few photographs of Castle Bromwich today please click here.