Chocolate-box charm
THINK of Birmingham’s suburbs and you’re unlikely to picture badgers, bats and hedgehogs.Yet badger setts and hedgehog highways plus nesting boxes for bats and birds were an important consideration in the rebuilding and redevelopment of Northfield Manor House, the former home of the Cadbury chocolate family.
The stories that building could have told: originally a mid-1700s farmhouse, in 1890 it became the home of George Cadbury, son of the chocolate company’s founder.
George and his wife Elizabeth raised their children in the 1809-built mock Tudor house but the family gave it to the University of Birmingham in the early 1950s and it became a student hall of residence, with more student flats built in the extensive grounds in the early 1970s.
Those flats are long gone but the private homes that have replaced them in developer Crest Nicholson’s Bournville Park retain the countryside feel of the original estate, while still being only a few miles from the centre of Birmingham and close to Birmingham University and Queen Elizabeth Hospital – two of the area’s biggest employers.
The last piece of the development is Manor House. From the outside it’s a replica of the old house, which was largely destroyed in a fire in 2014 and had been empty for several years before that.
Inside it’s a collection of 26 one, two and three-bedroom apartments with light, airy, interiors that include open-plan living areas but also period elements such as high ceilings and bay windows.
With more than 60 per cent of Manor House apartments now sold, prices start at £195,000 for a one bedroom apartment, £245,000 for two bedrooms and £295,000 for three bedrooms (01217 560953; crestnicholson.com).
Help to Buy is also available for first-time buyers and Home Reach, Crest Nicholson’s part buy-part rent scheme, is available on selected properties.
“We worked with conservation officers to recreate the original building to the highest degree of authenticity and the result is stunning,” says Richard Cowie, technical director at Crest Nicholson Midlands.
“The layouts of each property have been expertly designed to incorporate the original period features.With a high specification throughout, Manor House offers residents all the benefits of a newbuild home, whilst also benefiting from the uniqueness and character behind this development.”
Matthew Williams, director at HGP Architects, added: “To be faithful to the original building we trawled through historic records, examining old photos of moulding around chimneys and intricate brick detailing, to ensure the building was a true replica.
“We also sourced traditional tradespeople and materials from across the country to bring this home back to life and keep the legacy alive.”
Protecting local wildlife has been part of that legacy and eco-initiatives in the development, surrounded by mature parkland, include native planting to enhance the area’s biodiversity and provide shelter and food for wild animals.
“As well as creating new opportunities for birds to nest and bats to roost, we’ve introduced a hedgehog highway by adapting garden fences and installing nesting boxes,” says Vanessa MacNee, sales and marketing director at Crest Nicholson Midlands.
“In order to minimise disruption to the badgers’ lives during our construction work, we built an artificial badger sett above the ground, which helped to reduce interference with the existing trees and their roots.”
Vanessa adds: “The badgers started exploring the sett immediately and we’ve seen a number of them take up residence since it was introduced.”