The Birches Codsall was the residence of Henry John Marten and his family from about 1875 onwards. The family moved there from Parkfield House in Wolverhampton, having lived in Penn Hall up until about 1860.
The Birches was a large estate in Codsall that is mentioned in historical documents after about 1760. However, it is not clear at what date the buildings pictured below were constructed as Henry may well have had large parts of it purpose built for his family. It was sold after the death of his widow in 1901 and was probably demolished in the 1930’s. The map below shows the rough site of the Birches Codsall.
Molly Evans recalls that the Evans family had frequent trips to The Birches, when she was a little girl. The trip between the ‘Green House’ and the Birches is a short distance.
The Birches, Codsall, c. 1890. Showing the ha-ha fence across to the meadows
The Birches, Codsall, c. 1890. Showing the small pool and the Rookery wood on the right
The Birches, Codsall, c. 1890. Molly’s note on the back: ‘The home of my Grandfather where we stayed very often as children up till 1898’