Friday Photo: The Moat House Sutton Coldfield

Today’s Friday photo is the Grade II* listed Moat House situated on the Lichfield Road in Sutton Coldfield. It designed and built circa 1680 by the architect Sir William Wilson (1641-1710), who had been a student of Sir Christopher Wren. Wilson actually built the mansion as a home for himself and his new wife Jane Pudsey, who had previously lived at Langley Hall. The red brick Jacabean mansion has many interesting features including stone dressings, and a roof with stone coped gables, it has a balustraded parapet to front and a central round arched panel on Doric pilasters and columns. The house, given its name, was also moated, and could only be entered by passing over a stone bridge. The moat only survived until 1860 and there is no trace of it now.

The building is now part of Birmingham Met College, but a blue plaque commemorates Wilson as the architect and original resident.