Royal connection to historic garden

Moseley Old Hall stands just south of junction one of the M54. Although so close to Wolverhampton, it is surprisingly rural, with the lane towards the house being very similar to what it was hundreds of years ago.

Its main claim to fame is its connection to King Charles II. His father was beheaded in 1648, and in 1651 he fought against the Commonwealth army at Worcester.

Oliver Cromwell, the leader of the parliamentary army, beat him so he fled, relying on friends in the area to hide him.

For six weeks he was hidden in our area, and one of the houses where he rested was Moseley Old Hall.

The house was ordinary, and the people who lived there were loyal and Catholic, but were involved with the religious folk who backed the king.

The king was disguised and was hidden in a priest hole, when the soldiers searched the house. Later he moved on, until he eventually got away to France, where he lived in exile. nextpage

The garden has been restored, and is typical of a garden at that time.

The front door opens from a garden with clipped shrubs, typical of the period. It is green, and calm, so would look quite ordinary for that time.

The knot garden has been based upon a design dating back to 1640, created by the Rev Walter Stonehouse for a garden at Barnsley, copied by Moseley in 1962.

It is surrounded by vines on one side, which could have provided wine for the people 300 years ago. The far end is a nut walk, so the visitors to Moseley could have walked around there.nextpage

The stables and outbuildings now house the tearoom and shop for visitors, but it is easy to imagine what it was like then.

The honeysuckle growing over one of the gates is just how it could have been.

There is a happy ending to the story, as Oliver Cromwell restored the king in 1660, and he accepted that he would always bow to parliament, as our sovereigns do to this day.

All the people who helped the king were pardoned, and rewarded with money or land, so there was great rejoicing in the land.

By Pat Edwards