# Monkspath Hall

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**Monkspath Hall** was a two-storey [Georgian](/source/Georgian_architecture) country house in [Monkspath](/source/Monkspath),[1] historically in [Tanworth-in-Arden](/source/Tanworth-in-Arden), [Warwickshire](/source/Warwickshire) (since 1974 part of [Solihull](/source/Solihull), in the [West Midlands](/source/West_Midlands_(county))), England. It was built circa 1775, in [red brick](/source/Red_brick),[2] and demolished illegally in 1980.

## History

In the 1870s, the house was home to W. S. Colmore, Esq.[3] During [World War II](/source/World_War_II), the house was occupied, and the estate farmed, by Jack Bickford, who was injured when he picked up an [incendiary bomb](/source/Incendiary_bomb) nearby, which went off in his hands.[4]

## Demolition

Although the house was [Grade II listed](/source/Grade_II_listed),[1] in theory protecting it from unauthorised alteration, it was demolished on the afternoon of 1 December 1980 – a Sunday – by a [bulldozer](/source/Bulldozer) driver, who was supposed to be demolishing outbuildings on the opposite side of the road.[1][5][6]

The then leader of the local council described the act as "sheer, stupid negligence".[6]

## Court cases

Following a 1981 [Crown Court](/source/Crown_Court) trial, the demolition company responsible, D. Doyle Contractors,[7] was fined £2,000.[5] The driver, who was a director of the firm and who had been warned beforehand by a local resident that the building was listed, was fined £1,500.[5][7]

In a separate, civil case brought by [Solihull Borough Council](/source/Solihull_Borough_Council) in 1985, a Birmingham [High Court judge](/source/High_Court_judge_(England_and_Wales)), Mr. Justice McNeill, ordered that the cost of rebuilding the hall - estimated then to be in the order of £200,000 - using as much material from the demolition as possible, be borne by the contractor.[7][8] He also awarded costs against the defendants, who had admitted their negligence.[7]

## Legacy

The demolition was referenced in the [House of Commons](/source/House_of_Commons_of_the_United_Kingdom) by [John Heddle](/source/John_Heddle), MP for Lichfield and Tamworth, during a July 1981 debate on the *Local Government and Planning (Amendment) Bill*, as an "act of wilful vandalism" for which he said "imprisonment and punitive fines are the only reasonable remedy."[1] Heddle described the actual fines issued in relation to the case as "derisory".[9]

The rebuilt hall was [delisted](/source/Listed_building#Listing_and_delisting_procedure) in 1990,[2] and has been divided into apartments.[10]

## References

1. ["I stand corrected. Barlaston Hall...: 10 Jul 1981: House of Commons debates"](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=1981-07-10a.706.2). *TheyWorkForYou*

1. [*Archaeological Assessment to Inform the Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council Local Plan*](https://www.solihull.gov.uk/Portals/0/Planning/LPR/Local-Plan-Review-Archaeological-Assessment.pdf). [Warwickshire County Council](/source/Warwickshire_County_Council). August 2018. p. 245. Retrieved 2 September 2020.

1. ["History of Monkspath, in Solihull and Warwickshire"](https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/22831). *Vision of Britain*. Retrieved 2 September 2020.

1. [*Solihull in Wartime*](https://www.solihull.gov.uk/Portals/0/libraries/wartimebooklet.pdf). Solihull Libraries & Arts. 1995.

1. Astragal (27 May 1981). ["Historic buildings go cheap"](https://www.proquest.com/docview/1431353761). *[Architects' Journal](/source/Architects'_Journal)*. **173** (21): 983.

1. "#OnThisDay 1980: Monkspath Hall, a 200 year-old, listed building, is demolished. By mistake. Whoops!". No. 671676266576121856. 1 December 2015. (includes video clip)

1. "Demolishers must rebuild listed hall". *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. 7 November 1985. p. 3.

1. ["ATV Today: 07.09.1981: Monkspath"](https://www.macearchive.org/films/atv-today-07091981-monkspath). *MACE Archive*. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2020.

1. ["Increased protection for listed buildings?"](https://www.proquest.com/docview/1431347650). *[Architects' Journal](/source/Architects'_Journal)*. **173** (2): 1044. 3 June 1981.

1. ["1 bedroom apartment for sale Old Hall Gardens, Monkspath, Solihull"](https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-42180383.html). *RightMove*. Retrieved 2 September 2020.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Monkspath Hall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkspath_Hall) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkspath_Hall?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.