Moor Pool Estate Introduction

The Moor Pool Estate is a Garden A Self Guided Trail Suburb and low-density housing scheme founded by John Sutton Nettlefold (1866- 1930) between 1907 and 1912 consisting of around 500 houses built across 54 acres and interspersed with green spaces. Now a designated Conservation Area it remains a fine example of a Garden Suburb, built to provide affordable housing in a semi-rural environment. Further Information

Books Websites Registered charity no. 1148252 English Heritage Moor Pool Heritage Trust: Garden Cities www.moorpoolheritagetrust.org.uk Ewart G. Culpin Moor Pool Residents This trail of the Moor Pool Estate is designed The Garden City Association: to accompany and provide additional information Movement Up-to-date www.moorpool.com (The Garden Cities & Town to the 6 panels positioned around the Estate Planning Association, 1913) indicated on the accompanying map. Steve Beauchamp Played in Robert A.M. Stern Paradise Planned: the Garden Suburb and the Modern City Tenants Prospectus Moor Pool News

Moor Pool Hall, 37 The Circle, Harborne, Birmingham B17 9DY Telephone: 0121 426 2908 @MoorPoolHT Registered charity no. 1148252 Photography: angelayatesphotography.com

Trail time approximately 1 hour 15 minutes 1 Moor Pool Hall and The Circle

Nettlefold’s vision was inspired Moor Pool Hall , 1912 by the Garden City movement pioneered by Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928) who set out a utopian ideal of a ‘Garden City’ which combined the benefits of both the countryside and the town to create an ideal place for people to live. Examples of Garden Cities include Letchworth Garden City (founded 1903) and Welwyn Garden City (founded 1920). Howard was inspired by the Model Village of , created by Start at Panel 1, located at The Circle, across George Cadbury for his workers the road from Park Edge, along the side of near his chocolate factory. While Moor Pool Hall. Garden Cities had infrastructure including places to work, Garden Suburbs were on the outskirts Moor Pool Hall The Moor Pool Skittle Club of towns, with good links to Moor Pool Hall was formally play with their original woods transport for the daily commute opened on 5th November 1910. and bowls made of lignum vitae. Memorial plaque (in Moor Pool Hall) to access places of work. to founder John Sutton Nettlefold Standing at The Circle, along At one time there were with shops and the Moor Pool windows in the Skittle Alley Birmingham was granted City status by Queen Victoria in 1889 and Estate office, this group of which were bricked up at a later Nettlefold’s vision for Moor Pool was to build a Garden Suburb near buildings formed the communal date (The photograph above the city which would include a community of homes, for all classes heart of the Estate. Originally shows these lower windows still of society run on a joint-ownership basis. social activities at the Hall intact.) Next to the Skittle Alley included dances, weddings, is the Lower Hall, once known concerts, drama performances as the Gymnasium and later and lectures as well as clubs such used for social functions and as a gymnastics club and music home to the Rifle Club since society. the 1970’s.

As with all the houses at Moor In the Main Hall there is a Pool, high quality materials were commemorative plaque to the used in the building of the Hall, founder of the Estate, John including woodblock pine Sutton Nettlefold. He was the flooring and maple floors and first Chairman of Birmingham’s exterior lime render roughcast Town planning Committee and (and locally sourced bricks). instrumental in the development of the 1909 Town Moor Pool Gymnastics Club, 1910 (The Circle) Beneath Moor Pool Hall is the Planning Act. He advocated a original Edwardian Skittle Alley, policy of building Garden To reach Panel 2 walk around The Circle until believed to be the last surviving Suburbs on the outskirts of you are at the junction with Wentworth Gate, dual configuration left in the cities to remedy housing overlooking the Tennis Courts and the back of country with a flat and rounded problems. Moor Pool Hall. alley placed side-by-side. 2 Tennis Club and The Circle

The Co-partnership management Ealing Tenants in Brentham schemes grew alongside the (West London) in 1901, which Garden Suburb movement at a features prominently in the time when local authority prospectus for Harborne housing schemes did not yet Tenants and was influential in the exist. The pioneer of this building of Moor Pool and other movement was Henry Vivian, Co-partnership Tenant schemes, who founded the national including local examples such as Co-partnership Tenants scheme, Leicester Anchor Tenants Ltd., which Harborne Tenants was a Humberstone Garden Suburb part of. Vivian founded the (1907-14) and Bournville Tenants Pioneer Co-partnership Suburb, Ltd (1906).

The Circle shops and Moor Pool Hall, 1912 Above the Harborne Tenants office is the Snooker and Billiard The Circle Tennis Club and To the left is the original Club complete with its original Harborne Tenants Office Harborne Tenants Office where fixtures and fittings, including The rear elevation of Moor Pool the management of the Estate the fireplace, chalk suspenders, Hall originally included a veranda was administered. There was also quality slate and mahogany balcony that overlooked the village a Builders’ Yard behind the tables. It is another one of the green, shown in the first photo on houses on Wentworth Gate, indoor sporting clubs provided Panel 2. Events held here included where a team of skilled workers to improve social and physical children’s festivals, performances were based and undertook a wellbeing of the local and maypole dancing. schedule of routine maintenance community. and one-off repairs for the Estate. The green was later turned into Left: Plaque to Evelyn Crosskey grass tennis courts and The Circle Moor Pool was founded on (in Moor Pool Hall) Tennis Club formed as one of the the principals of egalitarian Below: The Circle Tennis Courts two original Tennis Clubs on the co-partnership with the intention and Moor Pool Hall Estate, which were one of a that residents would gradually variety of sporting facilities buy shares in the company and provided for residents. become co-owners themselves.

Continue to walk around The Circle and then turn left onto to Carless Avenue. Continue up Carless Avenue until you reach Panel 3 on the left at The Square. Children’s Festival, 24th June 1911 on the former Green behind Moor Pool Hall 3 Green Principles

Allotments A Horticultural Society was The provision of allotments is established to encourage another feature of Garden residents to work on their Suburbs and was an important allotments and this has part of the design of the Moor continued in today’s Allotment Pool Estate. At Moor Pool, Association, Nettlefold Garden instead of being located in a Group and Moor Pool in Bloom. centralised area, the allotments In later years some allotments were interspersed between were replaced by garages, and the houses, accessed by more recently, by housing, interconnecting passages, which but the allotments that continue adds to the semi-rural character to be worked today yield a great of the Estate and gives every variety of produce. resident the opportunity to have their own allotment. This There are also a number of allowed tenants to grow their Anderson shelters that remain Moor Pool gardens overlooking the Bowling Green own produce and was another from World War II in the means of encouraging outdoor allotment areas across the Moor Pool was built over 54 open green spaces or the activity in healthy surroundings. Estate. acres. Almost one fifth of this bowling green. The Harborne acreage was reserved as green Tenants’ brochure advertised spaces including gardens, open the benefits to the tenant: green spaces, and allotments. ‘He gets this house with a small garden attached in Gardens were designed to be a neighbourhood where there large but not unmanageable, is plenty of fresh air; and the each planted with a fruit tree. house itself is one with some Beech hedges, tree lined avenues and grass verges were integral to individuality, in which the the design of the Estate. Expert tenant can take pride, advice was sought from Thomas instead of being, as is far Humphries, the Curator of the too often the case now-a-days, Botanical Gardens as to the an insignificant unit in a choice of trees and their interminable row of planting, which included thorn, jerry-built ugliness.’ mountain ash, silver birch trees and beech hedges between the Moor Pool allotments gardens. Open planning discouraged the use of gates and walls in order to encourage communal access. The next Panel 4 is located on Park Edge. Walk back down to The Circle (en route on your Green spaces were integral to left as you head back towards The Circle you will Garden Suburbs and Garden see some of the hidden pathways that go to some Cities and feature prominently. of the allotments). At Moor Pool every house When you reach The Circle turn left and continue overlooked green space whether Margaret Grove, 1912 around until you turn left onto Park Edge. this was allotments, gardens, (looking towards Ravenhurst Road) 4 Recreation

Leisure facilities were integral to Originally located on the site of Moor Pool, to encourage physical the current Moor Pool Tennis and social wellbeing. The Club, the Bowling Green moved Harborne Tenants prospectus to its current location located advocates: between Park Edge and Moor ‘The children of to-day are Pool Avenue in 1913, complete the citizens of tomorrow, and with its wooden pavilion which nothing is of greater national was allegedly carried across the importance than that our future Estate by members of the club. citizens who should grow up in The flagpole was added later. The healthier environments with new Bowling Green has an uneven every opportunity for sensible shape, and has a crown bias recreation.’ making it particularly challenging to bowl on. The location of the Painting of the Moor Pool Bowling Green Provision for recreation is a Bowling Green was such that even the back of The Circle flats look Updates from various clubs and feature of other Garden Suburbs activities were given in the Moor and Co-partnership Tenants out onto green space. Pool News, a newsletter for housing schemes. Most Garden tenants on the Estate. In the first There were no public houses on Suburbs had tennis courts, volume of the newsletter in 1910 Moor Pool, but leisure provision bowling green and outdoor John Sutton Nettlefold stated communal areas; other examples was well catered for in other ways with such amenities include and the placement of the Estate ‘Harborne Tenants was founded Bournville, Brentham and close to Harborne Village meant on the principles of Self-help Wavertree. The mixture of that residents were able to easily and Co-operation, and the new outdoor and indoor recreational access the High Street if they felt magazine will, I hope, play a facilities encouraged tenants to the need. There was also once a useful part in keeping these ideals stay active throughout the year Cycling Club (recently revived), before its readers. Harborne regardless of the weather, and Athletics Club, Gymnastics Club Tenants is a Birmingham villages celebrations were and Social Club among many experiment in co-operative encouraged including traditional other societies and clubs for building. It was started with high red-letter days such as May Day. socialising and recreation. hopes and good wishes, which its successful career has so far Moor Pool Skittle Alley justified, but its continued prosperity must depend on the Today the Moor Pool Duck united efforts of its tenants newsletter is produced by the associating together for their Moor Pool Residents’ mutual pleasure and advantage.’ Association.

Panel 5 is located at the Pool. Cross the road on to the pavement and continue down the road away from The Circle towards Ravenhurst Road. Turn right onto Ravenhurst Road and follow the boundary of the Pool which is a short way down Harborne Tenants’ May Day Festivities, 14th May 1910 on the right. at the current location of the Nettlefold Garden 55. OriginsOrigins

Moor Pool Houses maximised in stark contrast Moor Pool Estate before building work commenced in 1907 Moor Pool Estate was to the rigid uniformity of designed with a range of six typical terraced housing of the different houses to choose period. Similarities in design from, to cater for the social can be seen at other Garden mix who came to live on the Suburbs and Garden Cities, Estate. They were made of such as Letchworth, and quality materials, with Hampstead with characteristic roughcast render contrasting roughcast or pebbledash, with the red brick. contrasting with the brick, Traditionally, houses were tiled roofs and gables. The passed down through direct Arts-and-Crafts Movement family associations and it was a reaction to the Just over 54 acres of land were Martin and Martin wasn’t until the mid-twentieth industrial age and encouraged purchased in 1907 for £15,860. The chosen architect for the century that those who did the return of traditional The building to the Moor Pool Estate was Martin and Martin, not have family associations craftsmanship and quality. Estate took place between which included William Martin could apply to move on to Many supporters of the 1907 and 1912. The site chosen and his son Frederick Martin. the Estate. movement worked within was located around the Moor William Martin was formerly the same circles. Prominent Pool, a natural pool, albeit of leading architects Martin The houses on Moor Pool Arts-and-Crafts Jeweller, initially much larger. In addition and Chamberlain, but upon were built within the natural Bernard Cuzner was also a to fishing, the pool had J.H. Chamberlain’s death in contours of the land, utilising resident of the Moor Pool historically been used by local 1883 Frederick Martin became existing features and gradients. Estate and lived on Carless people from Harborne Village a partner in the practise that Variation in design was Avenue. for washing clothes and bathing. would become Martin and Martin. Their works included The location of the Moor Pool numerous public buildings, Estate was ideally situated so baths, police stations and that tenants could easily 41 board schools (including commute to urban areas by Station Road Board School bicycle, bus or train for their in Harborne). Some other employment. Those living on examples of their work still the Estate in the early years in existence include Spring Hill were artisans, labourers and Library, St John the Evangelist, middle-class professionals. and the Telephone Exchange Although described as ‘an Building in Edmund Street. for the less wealthy’ Frederick Martin meticulously at the opening ceremony, the researched ideals in the rent for houses on Moor Pool Arts-and-Crafts movement Carless Avenue ranged from four to eleven when designing the Estate and shillings per week (equivalent would himself also become a There is a large existing Panel from 2011 labelled of 20-55 pence) and therefore forerunner in Town Planning. on the map as Panel 6, located on Winterbourne could not have been afforded Lane. Walk down to the panel which is located on by the poorest sections of the right past the allotments. society. 65. OriginsMargaret Grove and Moor Pool Avenue

1

3 4 6 5 2

N

Winterbourne Lane – Moor Pool Tennis Club new houses To reach Margaret To reach the The Moor Pool Tennis Club is The new houses are located Grove walk back on Nettlefold Garden the older of the two tennis on an area which was originally to Ravenhurst Road walk all the way down clubs that serve the Moor Pool allotments. Many of these were turn right then Margaret Grove – the Estate, and is on the original replaced with garages which first right. entrance is located on site of the Moor Pool Bowls were, in turn cleared to make the right. Continue Club before it moved to its way for these new houses Margaret Grove past Nettlefold current location near the Pool. built in 2011. Margaret Grove was named Garden to reach the The now disused Harborne after the wife of Moor Pool’s corner the corner of Railway also ran through this The panel shows an early founder, John Sutton Margaret Grove and area (the railway bridge is seen Martin and Martin plan of the Nettlefold. The houses along Moor Pool Avenue. on Park Hill Road from the Estate and photograph of the Margaret Grove are built in corner of Margaret Grove and cutting of the first sod by John to the natural hillside Opening of the first house Moor Pool Avenue), and is Sutton Nettlefold’s wife, reflecting the variation in on Moor Pool Avenue now the Harborne Walkway. Margaret Nettlefold on 26th house design and deliberate Work on the Estate started in While the railway was still in October 1907. After cutting the attempts to ensure that 1907 and the first house to be operation, this provided easy sod Margaret said she hoped to Moor Pool was built into completed and opened was on transport for residents of the ‘inaugurate today a community the existing natural Moor Pool Avenue, next to Estate to commute to work of healthy happy homes on this landscape. Stone retaining Park Hill Road. The house was in urban areas or industrial spot.’ Work started on the walls rather than hedges officially opened on 24th May works. building of the Estate three days feature as a boundary to 1908 by MP Henry Vivian. later. The spade and ceremonial front the gardens on After giving a speech John box containing the sod are now Margaret Grove adding Sutton Nettlefold called upon To return to the on display at Winterbourne further variety and character, the architect Mr Martin to Circle follow Moor House, the former home of as did the varying building present Mr Vivian with a silver Pool Avenue. the Nettlefold family. levels. key and inspect the house.