Selly Manor Museum

Title: Selly Manor Museum

Built in: Built in the 15th century

Location: Maple Road, Bournville, Birmingham B20 2AE

Short intro: A beautifully appointed Tudor manor and museum

Description: This 500 year old house has had a tumultuous history. It was the home of  the Setterford family from 1561 to 1699.The head of the family, attorney and bailiff John Setterford, was an employee of the Lord of Selly, William Gower, who bought Selly estate and house in 1517.Later residents included a merchant, trader, doctor, a farmer, and an 84-year-old carpenter and ironmonger. After this, the house’s status declined due to poor care from absentee landlords and changes in taste that left the building of an unfashionable design. The manor was split into three different cottages, and in 1907 it was due to be demolished due to its poor state of repair.

George Cadbury acquired the house in 1907 to prevent this. He intended to transform the house into a museum as an educational building for the people of Birmingham: connecting them to their past. George had the building painstakingly taken down and moved to its current site, a process that took 7 years to complete. Today the house is still a museum, dedicated to Birmingham’s Tudor heritage.