New Berry Hall

The large entrance hall was adorned by a vast oak staircase and contained an ancient chimney piece, allegedly from Kenilworth Castle.

A few hundred feet from the main hall was built an enormous walled rose and vegetable garden, a significant part of which is still present.

The main hall also had running water allowed for by a large cast iron cistern mounted in the loft space which was filled by a hydraulic ram.

He and his family lived at the property until 1957 when the main hall and both lodges were sold at auction to an undisclosed company purchaser.

The reporter found that the once immaculately manicured grounds were now very overgrown; but the owners assured him that the interior of the hall was being maintained.

Over the next 20 years the once magnificent Hall fell into disrepair and ultimately dereliction, with several planning applications being refused pursuant to restrictions on the development of green belt land and to the listing of the property on Solihull's local list of historic buildings.

In many ways the council's attempts at protecting the site ultimately did the most damage to the future of the Hall.

The North Lodge, on Hampton Lane, which had stood boarded up and vandalised for many years, sold at auction in June 2006 for £550,000 in derelict condition and has been fully renovated and extended.