High Hall, Wolverhampton
For the house in Appletreewick with the same name, see High Hall
| High Hall | |
|---|---|
 The High Hall by Robert Noyes, c. 1821–35 | |
 Interactive map of the High Hall area | |
General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Type | Manor house |
| Location | Queen Square, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 52°35′09″N 2°07′42″W / 52.58572°N 2.1283°W |
Completed | c. 1558–1603 |
| Demolished | late 1841 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Leveson family |
High Hall was a manor house within Queen Square (then High Green), Wolverhampton in England.
History
[edit]
High Hall was a half-timbered manor house constructed by the Leveson family between c. 1558–1603,[1] and it was leased from at least 1620 to 1654.[2]
On 20 April 1654, High Hall was leased from Sir Richard Leveson of Trentham to the Normansell family through William Normansell Sr. until 1753.[2] Under the terms of the lease, Normansell paid an upfront premium of £200 and an annual rent of £10 alongside two fat hens at Christmas and two fat capons at Easter, while Leveson retained the right to occupy any rooms in the hall at his own discretion.[2]
Inventory records from 1780 list Peter Talbot (a mercer and draper) operating from the property,[3] which was later taken over by James Hordern.[2]
No later than 1821, High Hall was repurposed into an upper shop and a lower shop, and the building was demolished in late 1841 after Town Commissioners purchased High Hall using municipal funds for civic redevelopment.[4] It was demolished to clear space for traffic flow and market expansion.
The former Wolverhampton Information Centre building was the only other building to ever occupy the site, and it was constructed between 1974–75.[5] It was demolished no earlier than 20 November 2008.
Surrounding buildings
[edit]Directly behind the hall stood two well-known local inns, The Wheatsheaf and The Lamb, along with two substantial formal plots recorded on Isaac Taylor’s 1750 map as "The Little Garden" and "The Great Garden."[6]
Flanking the western side of High Hall was a commercial block comprising Nos. 25, 26, and 27 High Green; a 1738 deed records the block being occupied in part by Sarah Unett and Thomas Bradshaw, an apothecary, while in 1899, the block was owned by Edgar Harley, who operated Harley’s Vaults from No. 25, while the remaining premises were leased to drapers Picken and Waring.[2]
References
[edit]- ↑ Wolverhampton in the Early Seventeenth Century by G. P. Mander.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Parker, Bev. "A Brief Look at Some Old Streets and Buildings From Wolverhampton's Past". Wolverhampton History Society. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ Wolverhampton The Early Town and its History. by John S. Roper. M.A.
- ↑ "BONFIRE NIGHT – Brought to mind in Wolverhampton". Lost Wolverhampton. 5 November 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
This view completed less than twenty years before the site was sold in 1841 to the Town commissioners and its eventual demolition.
- ↑ "Queen Square". Wolverhampton History Society. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ Taylor, Isaac (1751). A Plan of Wolverhampton: Surveyed in MDCCL (Map). 1 inch to 100 yards. Cartography by Isaac Taylor. London: Thomas Jefferys. Note: Surveyed 1750, published 8 April 1751. Engraved copper plate with hand-coloured border and parish boundaries.