What's on

Moat House - History

Built in 1572 by William Comberford as a family home, Moat House sits on the banks of the River Tame

The Moat House in Lichfield Street, Tamworth, which was one of the homes of the Comberford family of Comberford, is a handsome Tudor Mansion of dark-red brick with mullioned windows and fine chimneys that has been described by one local historian as ‘Tamworth’s Elizabethan treasure.’

Because of its watery site on the banks of the River Tame, it was necessary to build the house on a series of brick arches or vaults. The front consists of five gables, two large ones extending forward on either side of the house, and three smaller ones in between. Tall chimneys of twisted brickwork complete the typical aspect of an Elizabethan manor house.

In the Elizabethan period, the Comberfords were Catholics and it was whispered that the oak panelling inside the house hid more than one “priests’ hole”

The long gallery was provided with stone mullioned windows with transoms, looking out over the River Tame, and for the visit of the future Charles I, a handsome plaster ceiling was decorated with coats-of-arms illustrating the descent of the Comberford and Beaumont families and their descent from the royal family

In the 18th century, when the house was owned by the Littleton family, a fine gazebo or summer house was built in the garden. The gazebo is approached by a flight of steps and provides views up and down the River Tame and out across the river meadows.

The ownership of the house carried with it fishing rights in both the River Tame and in the moat that surrounded the house, as well the right to keep up to six swans in the River Tame, and the right to be buried in the Comberford Chapel in the north transept of Saint Editha’s, the parish church of Tamworth

George Townshend (1724-1807), 1st Marquess Townshend, bought the Moat House in 1767
George Townshend (1724-1807), the 1st Marquess Townshend, who received his title in 1787, was a godson of King George I.

In 1811, both the Moat House and Tamworth Castle were inherited by George Townshend (1778-1855), the 3rd Marquis Townshend, son of the 2nd marquis

from 1811 to 1815, Sir John Sheal, Baronet, lived at the Moat House as a tenant of Townshend. From 1815 to 1821, Dr Robert Woody was renting the Moat House, and he licensed the house as an asylum. However, only one person with mild learning disabilities and numerous ladies that had children out of wedlock lived onsite.

John Robins bought the Moat House from the 3rd Lord Townshend in 1821, Robins almost immediately sold the Moat House to Alice Woody and her son Dr Robert Woody. In 1833, Lord Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend, brother of the 3rd marquis, bought back Tamworth Castle for the Townshend family, but Dr Woody remained at the Moat House.

Dr Woody was still at the Moat House in 1845, and in 1856, when he paid for the bells of Saint Editha’s Church to be rung over two days to celebrate the wedding of Sir Robert Peel, 3rd Baronet, and Lady Emily Hay. In 1863, Woody opened the Moat House for the Tamworth Horticultural Show. At the show, over 2,000 people trooped through the avenue of lime trees to admire the display of flowers, fruit and vegetables. The show included archery, dancing to the strains of the Warwickshire Militia Band, and a fleet of pleasure boats on the waters of the River Tame at the foot of the gardens.

In 1963, the Beatles visited the Moat House for dinner as part of their tour. Located with easy access from Birmingham, the Moat House is an ideal venue for your next event.

Today the Moat House has being sympathetically restored by its new owners and a place where you can enjoy a relaxing drink during the weekend in an historic setting. There are also fabulous function rooms available for hire.