The theme for this year’s Heritage Open Days was ‘Architecture’ and we put together a ‘Spotlight on Architecture’ trail for the Moor Pool Heritage Festival on Sunday 14th September. If you missed out on the trail, here are the architectural secrets of Moor Pool for you to discover next time you’re out and about around the Estate!
The steel beams that can be seen in both the Lower Hall and Skittle Alley at Moor Pool Hall were made by Middlesborough-based company Dorman Long & Co Ltd in 1910 – a company that would go on to become internationally renowned. Founded in 1875 by Arthur Dornan and Albert de Laude Long, the company began as steel manufacturers and constructional engineers, and would go on to build bridges and large scale steel projects. During World War I they played a vital role in Britain’s war effort as a a major supplier of artillery shells. But it was in peacetime they left their lasting legacy, building the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932), the Tyne Bridge (1934), Tees Newport Bridge (1928) and Omdurnam Bridge in Sudan (1926).
At the base of the double doors in the lobby to the Main Hall you will find brass plates made by Birmingham-based Parker, Winder & Achurch Ltd. Their story began in 1836 when William Parker opened an ironmonger’s shop on Broad Street. In time he was joined by Alfred Winder in 1873 and John Achurch in 1890, forming a company that grew to become one of the city’s leading names in architectural ironmongery.
From their headquarters at 251 Broad Street, Parker, Winder & Achurch become one of the largest businesses in the street, manufacturing and supplying a wide array of hardware including door fittings, sanitary ware and home hardware. The photo below is taken from their 1904 catalogue and shows the Broad Street factory. They also had factories and
showrooms in Brasshouse Passage and St Peter’s Place, which is now the site of the ICC.
Their name appears frequently in the Harborne Tenants’ Ltd ledgers, suggesting a number of their products were used for houses on the Estate. An advert from 1914, two years after Moor Pool Hall was opened, includes door springs. During the 1940’s the company also sold a range of items, such as fire-fighting apparatus and Anderson shelters.
In Edwardian times, textured glass was often used in communal lobbies – allowing light to pass through while maintaining privacy. This is evident at Moor Pool Hall, with lobby doors glazed in a pattern described in the Harborne Tenants’ ledgers as ‘muranese’. This pressed flower pattern also features on the original nine-paned front doors across the Moor Pool Estate.
While the ledgers don’t name a supplier, this glass pattern appears in the 1904 catalogue by Chance Brothers & Co for rolled plate glass. However, the actual origin of the pattern is likely to have been the Glasgow Plate Company, who first produced figured glass sheets from Murano Street between 1874 and 1907. When Chance acquired the Glasgow company in 1907, their designs, including this distinctive muranese pattern, were passed on.
As you walk round Moor Pool you notice a distinctive feature of the houses – the textured, pebbled cream finish on some of the brickwork. This is roughcast, a traditional external wall covering used in many Arts and Crafts buildings and found
throughout Garden Suburbs, like Moor Pool. Also known as ‘wet dash’ in the Lake District and ‘harling’ in Scotland, roughcast is a mixture of crushed stone and lime mortar, applied not with smooth strokes but by throwing it by hand onto the wall using a trowel. The result is a rustic surface that is, literally, roughly cast.
The method dates back to the Middle Ages, used for its durability and weather resistance. But it’s use at Moor Pool is more than practical and durable – it is an essential unifying feature of the Estate’s design and reflects the Arts and Crafts movement’s emphasis on craftsmanship and natural materials.
The Arts and Crafts movement emerged in the late 19th century as a response to the rise of industrialisation and the loss of traditional skills, and a desire to return to craftmanship, natural materials and honest construction. At the heart of this philosophy was the belief that buildings should be built in harmony with nature, using materials for what they are, without imitation or disguise.
All of this is reflected in the design and materials used to build the Moor Pool Estate. Built in a modest Arts and Crafts style, the Estate features:
Though no two houses are exactly alike, they share a coherent design, creating a sense of unity without uniformity.
As you walk across the Moor Pool Estate and look up you will notice the clay roof tiles that predominate on each house. Chosen for their durability, natural aesthetic, warm colours and traditional charm, each tile was laid by hand on horizontal battens and secured using a traditional technique known as ‘torching’ – a mixture of lime mortar and horse hair applied to the underside. This traditional roofing technique helped keep the tiles in place while offering extra protection against rain and wind.
Moor Pool’s roof tiles also acted as decoration and can be spotted throughout the Estate framing windows with patterned tile bonds and integrated into the roughcast render as subtle design elements.
The windows on the Moor Pool Estate are an important feature of the Estate’s Arts and Crafts character, emphasizing craftsmanship, natural materials and traditional architecture. The timber originally used for Moor Pool’s windows
was much more durable than modern equivalents as it was allowed to dry naturally for much longer. Hardwood tends to be used today as it is more durable than modern softwood.
When Moor Pool was built, wood for the doors would also have been selected from mature trees. You can still find some of the original doors across the Estate that were a dark sage green with nine paned glazed bars with the patterned glass known as muranese and cast iron letter boxes.
A number of different brickmaking companies appear in Moor Pool’s early building ledgers. In order to keep construction and transport costs down, local bricks would have been used. Work on the Estate started from the corner of Margaret Grove and Moor Pool Avenue from 1908, moving up towards the Circle which was completed in 1910. The bricks used in the earlier built houses on Moor Pool Avenue are blue brindled brick, which are rarer in Birmingham. They come from Etruria marl that existed in the area, which was a clay that gave the bricks the blue, rustic effect. Most of the bricks are laid in a traditional Flemish bond, which was a strong bond that was also visually appealing.
Moor Pool Hall
37 The Circle, Harborne,
Birmingham, B17 9DY
Registered Charity Number: 1148252
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