The estate was owned by a Cordsall family until it was purchased by Henry Pitt of Bushby, one of the Merchants of the Staple, in 1583. The Company of Merchants of the Staple of England, the Merchants of the Staple, also known as the Merchant Staplers, is an English company incorporated by Royal Charter in 1319 (and so the oldest mercantile corporation in England) dealing in wool, skins, lead and tin which controlled the export of wool to the continent during the late medieval period. The company of the staple may perhaps trace its ancestry back as far as 1282 or even further. He constructed the Hall around 1600 (the exact date is unknown). Originally known as 'Mr Pitt's new Hall at Moseley', it was a half-timbered building located in remote woodland. When Henry died in 1602, the Hall was inherited by Alice Pitt, his daughter, who later married Thomas Whitgreave from Bridgeford, Staffordshire, whose family came from the nearby Whitgreave.
After the final battle of the English Civil War, the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, King Charles II escaped and was on the run from Parliamentarians. Charles arrived at the back door of Moseley Old Hall in the early morning of 8 September, after the journey from Boscobel House. He arrived cold and wet, disguised in workman's clothing and ill-fitting shoes that had made his feet bleed. He was welcomed by Thomas Whitgreave, the owner of the house, Alice Whitgreave, Thomas's mother, and John Huddleston, the Catholic priest of the house. They gave Charles dry clothes, food, and a proper bed (his first since Worcester on 3 September). Charles was hidden in the priest-hole on the afternoon of 8 September while a confrontation between Whitgreave and parliamentarians took place outside the Hall. He later rested on a four-poster bed in the Hall. He left the house two days later, having planned out the rest of his escape. He was accompanied by the family's Catholic priest John Huddleston who cleaned and bandaged the King's feet.
The family residence moved to Moseley Court around the 1820s, which was a new Regency style house built for George Whitgreave. Few structural changes were made to the Hall until around 1870, when the outer walls of the building were replaced by bricks, and casements replaced the Elizabethan windows. Around that time, a first floor corridor was constructed. The ground hall includes an entrance hall, a parlour, and a brew-house. The first floor hosts Mr Whitgreave's room and the King's Room (with the famouse bed), along with the dressing room, study and a corridor. The second floor contains the chapel, ante-room, bedroom, main attic and garrett. The garden features a 17th century-style (recreated) enclosed garden containing period plants. It has a herb garden, topiary, a fruit orchard, an arbour, a walled garden, and a 'knot' garden. There is an adapted unisex toilet. Level entrance to building. Alternative accessible entrance, by route from reception avoiding steps. One wheelchair. Ground floor has narrow doorways. Many stairs with handrail to other floors. Braille guide. Large print guide. Partly accessible grounds, grass and hard gravel paths, slopes. Assistance dogs are welcome.
Location : Moseley Old Hall Lane, Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, WV10 7HY
Transport: Wolverhampton (National Rail) then bus. Bus Routes : 65 and 67 stop in 0.5 miles away.
Opening Times : Saturday to Wednesday 11:00 to 17:00
Tickets : Adults £7.27; Children £3.64
Tel: 01902 782808
