Knowle and The History of our House
Knowle, spelt Knoll until the mid-19th century, began as a hill-top settlement in the heavily wooded Forest of Arden. Originally part of Hampton-in-Arden, Knowle became a separate manor in 1276. Its recorded history begins about 1200, when William de Arden, the Lord of the Manor, gave it to his wife. The oldest part of the village is around our house.. It grew rapidly in the 16th and 17th centuries and many of the timber-framed buildings, including the village inns, date from this period.
The Manor remained with the de Ardens until 1285, when it was bought by King Edward I and Queen Eleanor; but after the Queen’s death in 1290 Edward granted it to Westminster Abbey. After the Reformation it passed through various hands, including Elizabeth I, the Earl of Leicester and James I, who granted it to Fulke Greville in 1623
Knowle Locks - A flight of six locks came into use here in 1799. Reconstructed as six wider locks in the 1930s.
The Station was opened in 1852, providing a daily train service to London and easier access to Birmingham. Businessmen moved out to the country and commuted to work daily, whilst city dwellers came to Knowle for a day out.
The Manor House is a Grade II listed building, originally the lodge of Knowle Hall, home to the Lord of the Manor, dating from the late 16th century. Leaded light windows to the front, added during alterations circa 1900, are embellished with two seals from Westminster Abbey.
The ownership of the house dates back to the 16th Century and has once operated at as a school to the village. It was originally called the Manor House from the 18th Century.
It's construction contains beams dating back to the 13th Century and the architecture within the house reflects its numerous changes throughout its life.
The Pillars in the garden are the original gate posts to the old rear access to Knowle Hall. At the front of the House the adjacent Black and White Cottages 72 to 98 Kenilworth Road are Grade II listed and date from the 16th and 17th centuries. Their front gardens comprise what is thought to have once been a market square.
During the 1960's and 70's the house was converted to two dwellings and only reformed as one as late as the mid 1980's.
