B AT T ENHA L L MOUNT SPOT L IGHT ON HI S TORIC HOME
Local historian John Hodges has penned a new book, this time turning his attentions to another of Worcester’s beautiful buildings.
Part time lecturer and part time history writer, John has written many fascinating books on historic buildings, including several in the county including Chateau Impney, Wood Norton and Witley Court. His latest offering looks at Battenhall Mount, which began life as a large Italianate villa, built in the late 1860s for a wealthy Worcester clothier, William Spriggs.
“I actually wrote this during lockdown and don’t think I’ve ever completed a book in such a short time,” John said.
“I live quite close to Battenhall and it’s an attractive building and I was always quite interested in its history, as it has this unusual Italianate style.”
The mansion was later purchased in 1889 by the Hon. Alfred Percy Allsopp, of the Burton brewing family and was significantly extended over two distinct phrases. The first was in 1892 and again in 1895/6, with the architects J. H. Williams of Worcester and later R. A. Briggs of London, keeping the original Italianate style. Within the wider site, a stable block in 1891 and then extended in 1897, the gate lodge in 1893 and finally the gardener’s cottage in 1896 were added.
After spending a fortune on the beautification of the house, by 1911 the Allsopp’s had left Battenhall after becoming bankrupt.
The mansion was briefly used as a VAD hospital for recuperating servicemen during the First World War. In 1933 the house and grounds then came into the hands of the Sisters of St. Marie-Madelaine Postel, a French teaching order, who established an independent girl’s school, named St. Mary’s Convent School. The school closed in 2014.
From the late 1950s/early 1960s a series of purpose built extensions were added to the south-east of the main house on the site of the former range of glasshouses against the boundary road fronting Battenhall Avenue. Despite the many years of non-residential use, the main buildings still retain a number of fine, original interiors and high-quality detailed features.
It is currently being converted into apartments by Enterprise Retirement Living meaning it will soon be occupied once more.
Copies of the book are available directly from the author, priced £14.95, email
richardjhodges79@gmail.com
Details of his other works can be seen on
www.johnrichard.fast-page.org/ 125
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
ENTERTAINMENT BAT T ENHAL L MOUNT
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