You've guessed it sheltered housing

Bromley Place today.

But this extended apartment block today houses a very important link with just one famous Wolverhampton achievment from the past.
that sent a thrill around the world.

On the front of the building is this plaque placed by the Wolverhampton Civic Society.

It commemorates the fact that Louis H. Coatalen 1879-1962, Chief Engineer, Sunbeam Motor Car Company Ltd, 1909-1930. Designer of Aero Engines World Famous Racing Cars etc…Lived here from 1916 -1919.

And how do we know this?

By reason of the Notice of Sale for Bromley House dated 1919.

The very substantially built, attractive, medium sized freehold Residential Property known as “Bromley” Situate at Penn, out of the Borough, a few minutes walk from the Tram Terminus, Nock and Joseland have received instructions from the Owner and occupier to sell by auction, at the “Star & Garter” Hotel, Wolverhampton, on Wednesday, 12th March, 1919, at 6 o’ clock in the evening.
Printed by: Barford & Newitt Printers Queen Street, Wolverhampton.

The owwnership is confirmed by the facts shown on the catalogue of contents.

Catalogue of Antique and Modern Furniture. Tuesday 18th March 1919.

The brochure reads: Messrs Nock & Joseland have received instructions from LOUIS COATALEN, Esq. to SELL BY AUCTION the contents of ” BROMLEY” PENN, near WOLVERHAMPTON the sale will be held in the marquee adjoining the residence.

Of all the items sold at the sale. The 8-day Grandfather Clock in Oak Case” I am led to believe, stands proud today in Bantock House after lately being donated to the museum by its former owner.

The 1,000 h.p.Sunbeam.

It was certainly Mr Coatalens ambition to design and build the the Fastest Car in the World which brought to fruition the 1,000 Sunbeam,and it was certainly Major Segrave’s ambition to drive it.
It is seen here with Major Segrave at the wheel, photographed on the sands of Daytona just before the wonderful performance when 200m.p.h. was attained for the first time on land.

Louis Coatalen, Director and Chief Engineer; the driving force behind the team at Moorfields Works whose genius produced the Sunbeam car, on which the record speed of 203.7298m.p.h. was attained.

Major H.O.D. Segrave,who drove the 1,000 Sunbeam, and thus gained the distinction of being the first man to attain a speed on land of over 200m.p.h.

Plan of Bromley.

“Bromley” on the Penn Road next to Muchall Road “Thats the Place”
Was it here sitting in his study at ” Bromley” that Coatalen conceived the idea of building the Supreme Sunbeam. I wonder?

Its original intentions came to fruition.

In the 1921 copy of the Penn Parish Register in the list of houses to note it states:
Foremost among the buildings is Penn Hall, an early Georgian house  which both in situation and appearance commands approval.

A rather poor veiw of the house is given in Shaw’s history vol., It being then (1800) the property of Mrs Ellen Pershouse (who married into a Wolverhampton family of that name.) She was the daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Bradney J.P. D.L,. (1710-82) formerly also of Wolverhampton and High Sheriff in 1752, and it was to his wealth that this building is owed.

Dr Wilkes(d.1760)

In Over penn, Thomas Bradney has completed a good house designed by his predecessor Dr. Sedgewick and his wife for a Hospital, The situation is very pretty and pleasant, though open to the North.

(Shaw ii 218) On the death of  William Bradney Persehouse, the Hall was let first, John W Sparrow the Ironmaster( Who later built (ÒBeckminsterÓ), and afterwards to Mr William Underhill.

Situated on the hill of Penn this fine Georgian mansion has commanding views across to the Tettenhall ridge.

It’s history is irretrievably bound up with St Bartholomew’s church, for its owners were men of importance in the parish as the wall memorials testify.

With the death of the last Pershouse of Penn  and the expiry of the lease, the Hall and its 388 acres of land in Upper and Lower Penn were put up for sale. in 1899.
George Harry Bradney Persehouse, the owner, lived in Manchester and had little time or interest in his Midland estate.

The fully Licensed House in question being the Old Stags Head in the occupation of Mr George Smith. it is let on an annual tenancy at a very low rent of £28 9s 2d the tenant also paying a royalty of 6d per load for the gravel worked at the pit.

Tithe for the year 1899 is  8s, 8d.

Admirably situated in the Parishes of Upper and lower penn, and of Wombourne, all Mines and Minerals thereunder. The whole farming Estate of the late JOHN PERSHOUSE, Esq and covering an area of 388 acres and 25 and a half perches.

Printed by John Steen & Co Printers, Old Grammar School Works, St John’s Street. Wolverhampton.

The accomodation includes inside:

Penn Hall which is the residence of a really good stamp has been occupied for many years by the Underhill family , and the lease to the late mr Underhill expired at Michaelmas last. Mrs Underhill, the present tenant, is an annual tenant and notice has been given for her to quit at Michaelmas, 1900.

The Out buildings near to Include:

Angus Dunphy Penn Historian relates.

The Hall itself  was bought in 1902 by Thomas Francis Waterhouse. and he immediatly engaged the architect, H. T. Hare to remodel and improve the building.

It appears that by 1907 Thomas Waterhouse was already in financial difficulties and living beyond his means, but this was not yet public knowledge and bankruptcy proceedings would not begin until 1922.
He was committed for trial for fraudulently appropriating clients’ funds for his own use. However, in 1914 all this was in the future and his war history was to be impressive. It was he who went, with the rank of major, to France with the Sixth Battalion of the South Staffordshire regiment. It was one of the first territorial battalions to serve in France and by 1915 Thomas had been made up to Lieutenant Colonel and put in charge. At the battle of Vermelles he was cut down, severely wounded by shrapnel and not expected to live. It says something of the man, for a year later at the age of fifty-one he was again ready for duty.

On the site of The Retail Park.

In 1924 with his now public financial disgrace the Hall was sold to a local industrialist. Francis J Gibbons of the Wolverhampton lockmaking and ornamental ironwork firm.  For those who are’t old enough to recall The Lock makers of Church Lane in the 1950s, it was on a site were St Johns Retail Park, stands today.

He had been living at The Beeches, in what had been the late seventeenth/early eighteenth century Upper Penn farm.
As Francis moved to Penn Hall the Penn hospital moved from St. Catherine’s Crescent to the Beeches.
Older residents remember Francis as a kindly man and he stayed at the Hall until his death in 1948.

Vicarage Road,Penn Road corner 1957.

After the war accommodation of any sort was at a premium and many of Wolverhampton’s larger houses found alternative roles e.g., Muchall Grove as accommodation for the town planners, Claremont as an old people’s home.

So it was to be that Penn Hall was bought by the expanding borough police service.

A friend of mine ex policeman sent me this photo and note:

I am attaching a photograph from 1957, taken to show the lack of vision at the junction of Vicarage Road and Penn Road, Penn.   at that time there were 2 hundred year old cottages on the corner, which have now been demolished.

Up Vicarage Road, on the left from Penn Road, is Penn Hall, which was used as a single mens quarters for probationary constables for about ten years.   I lived there from 1950 for about five years.   It later became a school for disabled children and it was knocked about to suit that purpose.

Concrete ramps front and rear, internal walls knocked down and a lift installed, which altered the beautiful old staircase.
I was dismayed to say the least when I saw it.

Penn Hall Drawing 1974.

In 1974 and with the creation of a West Midlands Police Authority, the Hall was again sold.

It was bought by the education committee and developed and expanded as the Penn Hall School.  and some disagree with John when they say; There is much tasteful new building, which complements the Georgian mansion on this site.

As for Raphael Sedgwick I am sure he would be pleased that his plans for a hospital almost 300 years ago, have today, in spirit, become a reality.
Penn Hall School serves the needs of students with physical handicap.

The wheel has thus turned full circle.

This former grand home is now more than ever in need of care.

In the Victorian period this area along the Penn Road was were the wealthy people of the town built their grand houses, and today very few now survive in their original design.

Muchall Grove is one of the many now existing only as care homes. and even in this guise it has an uncertain future as this article in the Express and Star states.

Muchall, means Great Hall, and was one of the outlying hamlets of the Village of Penn.

It is spelled in various ways in the Parish register: Migehall, Mushall, Muchale, Mycholl and Mitchell. Muchall Hall stood at the corner of Mount Road (at one time called Cuckoo Lane) and Manor Road.

It was bought in 1815 by William Thacker, a solicitor.When he died in 1854 the estate was sold in 30 lots. Lots 5-15 lay on the south eastern side of the Penn Road.

On part of this land Charles Clark was to build Muchall Grove about 1860.

The roadway through the land became Muchall Road.

On the opposite side of the Penn Road lots 16-30 became the land on which Wynn Road was to be built.

From a diary found in a deed box in Penn Church was a notice  dated; January 29th, 1863.

This morning Mr Charles Clark of Muchall Grove J.P. and alderman of Wolverhampton put a period to his existence in a fit of temporary insanity; to the great grief of his family and sincere regret of his friends .

As a sincere well wisher to the Working Classes his loss will be greatly felt in the district.

Later Randle S Warner and Richard Warner had votes for Muchall in 1868, at the latter end of the nineteenth century Mr A. E. Thompson lived there.

Residential Estate known as Muchall grove.

On the death of Mr Thompson. To give us some idea of the large extent of this property we  have the sale details  provided by auctioneers Nock & Joseland and printed by John Steen of the Old Grammar School Works St John’s Street Wolverhampton, for his widow Mrs L.H. Thompson.

The sale is to take place at The Star & Garter Hotel, Wolverhampton.

As you can see Together with other large plots of land.

A slight hiccup occured at the printers a fortnight before the sale.

After the war as we said before a lot of these larger Houses were sold off and in the case of Muchall Grove to the Town Planners this story continues.