A Brief History of Bantock House

New Merridale Farm

Originally known as New Merridale Farm, Bantock House is a rare survival of a Georgian farmhouse and is believed to date from the 1730s.

Initially owned by a French Huguenot family by the name Petit, records show a number of tenants resided in the house. The first recorded tenant, in 1788, was John Pursehouse, a farmer.  Subsequent tenants were Thomas Herrick, barrister at law, Rev. Thomas Walker, and James Bradshaw, a farmer and miller as well as a town commissioner and councillor.

The Bantock Family

In 1865, Thomas Bantock and his family took over the tenancy of the farm and twenty years later, in 1885, he became the owner.  Thomas Bantock was a prominent citizen in Wolverhampton and served as mayor for the town.

Ownership of the house passed to Thomas's son, Albert Baldwin Bantock and the house remained a family home for the Bantocks until his death in 1938.

In 1939, Kate Bantock, Albert Baldwin Bantock's widow, gave the house to the citizens of Wolverhampton.

Council Ownership

During the 2nd World War the house was used as Headquarters by the Home Guard.

The house was opened as a museum in 1948.

The house and outbuildings underwent a major refurbishment in 1999, largely funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which restored the house to it's Edwardian splendour.

The gardens surrounding the house have also been restored to the original designs of Albert Baldwin Bantock.

Heritage Lottery Funds were secured in 2006 and used to create a new display in Albert Baldwin Bantock's billiard room on the first floor which opened in March 2007.  The room is now billiard room again, but with a difference. A purpose built billiard table is to be created which, with other displays, will tell the stories of six local Victorian business men.

The funding also allowed the creation of a new Community gallery where exhibitions by local groups and schools working with staff at Bantock House are displayed.