On Wednesday, me and the girls headed to Moseley Old Hall in Wolverhampton for some National Trust fun.
It is one of the few National Trust places that I had not visited before and with so many people telling me they had been, I decided it was time that I headed along too.
Moseley Old Hall is the home (an old Tudor Farmhouse) that saved a King. King Charles II to be exact. September 1651, King Charles II is defeated at the Battle of Worcester and is on the run, trying to escape Parliamentary troops with a price on his head. You can look around this farmhouse by yourself or join one of the many guided tours. We decided to go it alone, but one of the kind National Trust workers popped into some of the rooms to show us some key parts, like the hidden hole/room where King Charles hid and the original bed that he slept in for 2 nights.
The girls were even able to tell their dad this story when he got home from work, which showed me how well the story was told to us, that a 3 year old and 6 year old were both fascinated with it.
We really enjoyed looking around the house at the Parlour, The King’s Room, Mr Whitgreave’s Room, the Chapel, the Attic and the Kings Door and I was glad that I had paid to explore the house and the gardens (you can opt to pay only for entrance to the gardens).
On the exit to the house they had a helmet that Jemima decided to try on.
We then headed outside into the grounds to have our picnic in front of the house. This area had garden games too.
We walked through the Garden Gate into the woodland and the girls enjoyed playing in the woods.
Building dens:
Swinging:
Pretending to be a Queen sat on a tree trunk:
Running through a wooden created tunnel:
And climbing the huge Tree Hide in the Kings Walk Wood:
We all climbed up to the top. It is cleverly made with a number of ways to climb to the first floor for varying abilities. I took the steps :-). You can then take more steps up to the very top of the Tree Hide.
Here’s us at the top :-).
Matilda really enjoyed playing on the climbing rope. And wanted to stay in that section, begrudgingly leaving it until I reminded her that we still had the mud kitchen to find.
We had a quick look at the giant meadow but didn’t try to walk through it as I’m always very tasty for flies and a meadow for me would be like me holding up a sign to invite them to eat me.
We found the mud kitchen and they LOVED it. One of the best mud kitchens we have played in. Lots of mud, lots of utensils and lots of pans. The girls were in heaven and I quietly prayed in my head that the new trainers remained mostly clean.
They made me a mud soup.
After all that playing, we visited the toilets and headed over to the Tea Room.
You have to go upstairs to order (and the majority of the tables are up there) , but for those with mobility constraints they have a bell which ensures a member of staff comes down to help and a couple of tables downstairs and out on the lawn.
Jemima and Matilda both had a carton of juice each and an orange and lemon muffin. I chose a chocolate brownie and a bottle of Pepsi. In total it came to just under £15.
We really enjoyed the cakes and were happy we had decided to pop in there. We did notice on our way out that they had a kiosk selling hot and cold food, drinks and ice creams, for those who want to eat outside.
The girls were excited to see the chickens and ducks which reside at the house. We didn’t manage to see/find the peacock.
Next to the exit (which houses the NT shop too) is a Second Hand bookstore. The girls chose a book each (50p). The book store has loads of adult books and is worth a visit. They could do with some children book donations though as that section was a little bare.
We had such a lovely time here.
If you are an avid walker and choose NT places as somewhere to go for a long walk, this is not the place for you. But if you, like me, love getting outdoors and have little ones with little legs that cannot walk huge distances, then this is the place to visit.
I’m planning on getting an annual pass next time and coming back more often. I can’t wait to see how beautiful it will look in autumn.
Key Details:
Prices:
House and Garden:
Adult: £9.50
Child (5 upwards) : £4.75
Under 5’s FREE
Family Ticket: £23.75
Gardens:
Adult: £5.75
Child: £2.90
Under 5’s FREE
Family Ticket: £15
Opening Times:
Mon to Sunday: 10am to 5pm (Hall opens at 11am)