The Walker era
The story of the Walker family really starts in the Lake District,
where Rev. Robert Walker was parish priest in the 18th century.
He was such a powerful and well loved figure that he was dubbed
'The Wonderful'. Wordworth even wrote about him in his poem 'Excursion'.
He died at the age of 93. 'Yet with all the simplicity of this
good man's habits, such were the attributes of his Divine nature
that the lord of Muncaster would doff his hat to the country pastor,
which, according to tradition, he need not have removed in the
presence of his Monarch on the throne.'
The above quote and much of the information in this section
comes from the Yardley Newsletter and house magazine, 1895.
Rev. Robert Walker's eldest son was called Zaccheus, and three
further generations bore the same name, so he was Zaccheus I.
He came to Birmingham, was employed by the famous industrialist
Matthew Boulton, and married his sister. One son, Zaccheus II
was born before she died. As Boulton's business expanded, a merchant
department was set up with Zaccheus I as managing partner. He
died on August 4th 1808, only six years after his father, at the
age of 72.
Another famous name comes to the fore in the life of Zaccheus
II. He worked in his father's business, and in the U.S.A. got
to know Robespierre. During the French revolution he was in Paris,
and was condemned to death as an aristocrat. Robespierre saw his
name on the list of those to be guillotined, and made sure he
escaped. Zaccheus II had five children, and died on April 7th
1822 at the age of 54. One of his children was Zaccheus III.
After Matthew Boulton's sister had died, Zaccheus I had taken
another wife, and one of the children of that marriage was Joseph.
It was this man who took care of his half-brother's children.
Joseph was a successful merchant in Birmingham and brought Zaccheus
III into his business at the age of 13. He did so well that at
Joseph's death in 1846 the Walker part of the business passed
to him. After the death of the other partner, a Mr Armitage, Zaccheus
III renamed the company Walker Brothers. This may have been anticipation
of handing the business on to his two sons, one of whom was Zaccheus
IV, but he saw that the prosperity of his enterprise was on the
wane, and abandoned such plans. He retired to the country, having
bought the estate in Yardley known as Fox Hollies. He had also
bought Hyron Hall Farm nearby, where he was listed in 1868. Around
1869 Zaccheus III commissioned a rebuild of the house at Fox Hollies
in an Italianate style, making it a much grander building. The architect was
Yeoville Thomason, who designed Birmingham's Council House (a drawing of the
rear of the new Hall is in the City's Archives MS 1460/26, dated 1869). The
rebuild included an art gallery for his large collection of paintings. He moved
into the new Hall after 1871: he was still at Hyron Hall then.
Fox Hollies Hall, c. 1900
Zaccheus III was also involved in banking. He was instrumental
in the rapid expansion of the Stourbridge and Kedderminster Bank,
which later amalgamated with the Birmingham Banking Company to
form the Metropolitan Bank of England and Wales (later the Midland
Bank and now HSBC). He bought a lot of land in the Fox Hollies
area, and after retiring from involvement with the bank concerned
himself exclusively with rural pursuits: crops, and livestock
farming. He died on April 5th 1892 at the age of 80 years.
The gates to the Hall on Fox Hollies Road c. 1905
A view from the other direction showing the wall of
the kennel block
Zaccheus IV was born at Soho Hill in Handsworth around 1848.
He wanted to be a soldier, but his father disapproved, so he went
to Glasgow University. After that he went into engineering, and
was advancing in that career when around 1880 his father's health
began to decline and he was called back to manage the estate and
farming businesses at Fox Hollies. This suited him very well,
as he had a great interest in breeding horses and dogs. His stud
farm was at what is now Fox Hollies Park, at Sandpits Farm. The
kennels were adjacent to the Hall, and there he bred mastiffs
with the assistance of his kennelmaster, Joseph Smith. Joseph
Smith and his family lived in a cottage on the site of the Fox
Hollies pub, now Lidl. When the cottage was demolished for the
pub, the Smith family went to live at the Hall's lodge. Hyron Hall Farm and Pool Farm were the agricultural units of the
estate.
'Bruce' at the kennels at the Hall
Hyron Hall Farm c. 1925, courtesy of Birmingham Libraries.
This stood near Starcross Road.
Dolphin Lane c. 1905
Greenwood Road c. 1905. This became part of Olton Boulevard East when
built up
Cows being led along Greenwood Road, later Olton Boulevard
East (thanks to Dorothy Jones)
Zaccheus Walker decided to pursue military activity anyway,
and spent many years in the Volunteer Reserve, eventually obtaining
the rank of Lt.-Colonel. He was involved in many local sporting
clubs and was chairman of Yardley Sanitary Authority, and of Yardley
Public Works Committee. He was also Vice-Chairman of Yardley District
Council. On Saturday September 12th 1896 he hosted a day out in
the country for 700 poor children from All Saints' Ward, who were
brought to Acocks Green by train and marched along the lanes to
Fox Hollies Hall. This was organised by the Fresh Air Fund, which
wanted to give poor children the opportunity of trips away from
home. Food was provided, sports and games were played, and the
day was a great success.
In many ways local people saw Colonel Walker as the local squire.
He was certainly a big landowner, and was buying land between
the Hall and Shaftmoor Lane as late as 1912. However, after World
War One, he sold off all his land. On 7th April 1925 he sold the
Dolphin pub to Mitchells and Butlers, and the next month he sold
262 acres to the city for £34.001. The sale included the
Hall and its grounds, but he and his sister Mary were able to
stay there. His home was soon surrounded by houses, shops, and
the Fox Hollies pub. Local youths frequently climbed over the
fences to steal fruit, and were chased off by the dogs. Zaccheus
Walker IV died on 5th December 1930 at the age of 82. Les Smith
recalls seeing his coffin on a gun carriage, with a Union Jack
draped over it, as he left Hartfield school at lunchtime on the
day of the funeral. The death of Colonel Walker left his sister
Mary Hannah in the Hall with the servants.
Mary Walker was unlike her brother in temperament. He was described
as somewhat gruff and authoritarian in manner, but with a sense
of humour. All accounts of Miss Walker we have seen refer to her
as a lovely lady, dressed with plenty of lace. She could be seen
riding in a carriage with parasol around the area. She was very
involved with the work of St Mary's church and its school in Broad
Road, and with the Guides and Brownies. As she became more frail,
she would be taken round the grounds in a cart pulled by dogs,
with a nurse walking alongside. The contents of the Hall, including
the large collection of paintings, were auctioned in October 1933,
and Mary Walker left for Sussex, where she died in December 1938
at the age of 92. The Hall was demolished by 1937.
Edith Mahoney (interviewed in 1977)
Miss Walker was a lovely lady...She used to ride in an open carriage and
with her parasol up. It was lovely to see her. She was a very charming
person. A real personality, she was...She was a gentle lady, and she wore a
lot of lace.
Margaret Rose
Miss Walker was beloved by all. She had wisdom and saintliness. She was
always available to everyone whether in trouble or in joy. She saw goodness
in everyone. She opened Fox Hollies Hall for all sorts of charitable
occasions: in particular for a Summer Fete held in aid of the slum children
of Birmingham.
Mary Seaton (interviewed in1977)
My mother was cook at Fox Hollies Hall....My father was a policeman at
Acocks Green, so this was the classic cook and the policeman situation.
That's where they met...You were practically out in the country then, if you
went up Fox Hollies Road that far, and this, of course, was the end of the
policeman's beat, more or less, and so, of course, they used to go round the
back of the house, and I suppose they flirted with the housemaids, and the
parlour maid, and the kitchen maid. I know my mother said they always had
plenty to eat...You know, you sometimes hear that servants in those days
were treated rather meanly. They weren't at all. They seemed to have a whale
of a time. Most of the maids who worked there came from the same country
area that my mother came from...a village called Sutton-under-Brailles,
south of Shipston-on-Stour...I suppose the jobs were passed on [to] a girl
who was about to leave school in the village, and you know, the mother would
be happy if she knew that her daughter was going somewhere to work with
someone she knew. I think that was what happened in those days.
Many people think that Greenwood Avenue may have been a grand
avenue leading up to the Hall. This is not the case. Greenwood
Avenue was a new road built right opposite the Hall. At first
it was cut only as far as the line of the planned dual carriageway.
Hartfield Crescent was linked up to Fox Hollies Road while it
was still two-way, however. Fox Hollies Road was not widened until
1931, the year after Colonel Walker's death, so he at least was
able to retain some seclusion and privacy during his lifetime.
Zaccheus Walker IV from around 1895
Mary Walker at the Hall with her dog Laddie, probably
1920s
A few words written by Mary Walker in a notebook at the Convent School
Census records
Below are Census records. One lodge referred to was south
of the Hall on Fox Hollies Road, and the other was where Lidl is now (the
Fox Hollies pub site).
1871 Census record (Hyron Hall)
Zaccheus Walker (Head), 59, retired iron merchant (landowner), born Soho,
Staffs
Phoebe Walker (Wife), 59, born Leeds, Yorkshire
Mary H. Walker (Daur), 24, born Handsworth, Staffs
Frances S. Walker (Daur), 19, born Handsworth, Staffs
Joseph R. Walker (Son), 20, undergraduate Trinity College Cambridge, born
Handsworth, Staffs
Elizabeth Gates (Servant), 39, domestic servant cook, born Birmingham
Mary Jackson (Servant), 26, domestic servant housemaid, born Croxton,
Leicestershire
1881 Census record (Fox Hollies Hall and servants'
dwellings)
Frederick H. Wall (Head), 31, coachman, born Stoke, Warwickshire?
Ada Wall (Wife), 28, born Aston, Warwickshire
Gertrude Wilson (niece), 10, scholar, born Aston, Warwickshire
Zaccheus Walker Jnr (Eldest Son), 32, retired marine engineer, born
Handsworth, Staffs
Hannah Hirst (Sister-in-law), 65, income derived from land, born Leeds
Mary Price widow (Servant), 46?, ? dom, born ?
Eliza Allen (Servant), 32, servant, born Stourbridge, Staffs
Mary Allen (Servant), 31, servant, born Stourbridge, Staffs
John Freeman (Head), 33?, gardener, born Ombersley, Worcs
Eliza Freeman (Wife), 39?, born London
Benah George Freeman (Son), 6, scholar, born Worcester, Worcs
1891 Census record
Hall
Zaccheus Walker widower (Head), 79, gentleman, born Handsworth, Staffs
Mary H. Walker (Daur), 44, born Handsworth, Staffs
Zaccheus Walker (Son), 42, gentleman farmer, born Handsworth, Staffs
Joseph R. Walker (Son), 40, barrister, born Handsworth, Staffs
Phoebe Hannah Hirst (Niece), 27, born Leeds, Yorkshire
Robert Boulton Corser (Grandson), 6, born Olton, Warwickshire
Mary Price widow (Servant), 58, cook, born Handsworth, Staffordshire
Eliza Allen (Servant), 42, housemaid, born Stourbridge, Staffs
Ada Jones (Servant), 20, maidservant, born ?, Warwickshire
Lilly A. Jones, (Servant), 17, maidservant, born ?, Warwickshire
Annie Palin (Servant), 17, born Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Lodges
Arthur Clark (Head), 35, groom coachman, born Bracknell, Berks
Amelia Clark (Wife), 35, born Wolverhampton, Staffs
Ethel Clark (Daur), 9, born Worcester, Worcs
Arthur Henry Clark (Son), 3, born Chelsea, London
Emma Clark (Daur), 2, born Hall Green, Worcs
Alfred Clark (Son), 8 mths, born Hall Green, Worcs
John Freeman (Head), 38, gardener domestic servant, born Ombersley, Worcs
Eliza Freeman (Wife), 45, born London, Middlesex
Benah G. Freeman (Son), 16, groom, born Worcester, Worcs
Richard Brighton (Boarder), 21, gardener, born Ombersley, Worcs
1901 Census record
Lodge
John Freeman (Head), 48, gardener, born Ombersley, Worcs
Eliza Freeman (Wife), 56, born Surrey
John Tarver (Lodger), 19, under-gardener, born Solihull, Warks
Hall
Zaccheus Walker (Head), 52, Captain, 1st Warwicks Artillery, Magistrate,
living on own means, born Handsworth, Staffs
Jane Painter (Servant), 61, housekeeper domestic, born Kidderminster, Worcs
Beatrice George (Servant), 33, housemaid domestic, born Wolverhampton,
Staffs
Lodge
John Wood (Head), 41, coachman groom, born Burghill, Herefords
Lucy Wood (Wife), 31, born Hereford
John H. Wood (Son), 9, born Pontypool, Monmouths
Albert H. Wood (Son), 7, born Monmouth
Florry May Wood (Daur), 2, born Brecon
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