Sutton Coldfield 16th century servant’s cottage sells for £250K+ in auction after for £1 guide price

A Sutton Coldfield cottage with a guide price of £1 was auctioned for a much greater amount.

The Grade II-listed High Heath Cottage, on Withy Hill Road near Sutton Coldfield – built by Bishop Vesey to house servants in the 1530s – eventually sold for £257,000.

The tall and narrow High Heath cottage which was known locally as “Mutton’s Castle”, is located between Moor Hall Hotel and Bassetts Pole. The property was built by John Harman, who became Bishop Vesey, a keen local benefactor.

It’s a house in the Council Tax Band C. On the ground floor, it has a hall, kitchen which does not have any fittings, bathroom, and reception room. On the first floor, there is a bedroom with WC off and on the second floor there are two bedrooms. The cottage also has a stone spiral staircase.

Gurpreet Bassi, chief executive of the auctioneers Bond Wolfe, said: “We knew we had an unusual property with High Heath Cottage, but we were overwhelmed with enquiries following intensive media interest in the history of the lot ahead of the auction.

“The result was a sale for more than a quarter of a million pounds for a property that is full of character but is basically in disrepair, although there is development potential, subject to planning permission.”

Among the other properties auctioned by Bond Wolfe was the former maternity home that was converted into 10 self-contained flats at The Grange, 42 Park Hill in Moseley. It is a Victorian property that originally had a £750,000+ guide price but was sold for £1 million.

The freehold property was once a centre for unmarried mothers, known as the Lahai-Roi Rescue Maternity Home and The Grange Rescue Home at different stages in the middle of the 20^th century.

The Grange is a detached three-storey building that stands back from the road behind an in and out driveway and front gardens, with car parking at the side.