Bromwich, Castle

BROMWICH, CASTLE, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Aston, Birmingham division of the hundred of Hemlingford, N. division of the county of Warwick, 5½ miles (E.) from Birmingham; containing 779 inhabitants. It comprises 2587a. 3r. 21p., of which about two-thirds are arable land of good quality, with a pretty fair proportion of wood and plantations; the surface is undulated, and the scenery highly picturesque. The northern boundary of the chapelry is formed by the river Tame, by which a flour-mill, beautifully situated, is propelled: the Birmingham and Derby railway has a station here. Castle-Bromwich Hall, the property of the Earl of Bradford, who is lord of the manor, is an ancient and interesting mansion. The hamlet is seated on a gentle acclivity, and contains several well-built houses. The living is a donative, in the patronage of the Earl, with a net income of £315 per annum. The chapel, dedicated to St. Mary and St. Margaret, is a neat brick structure, with a square tower, and has a handsome interior; it was erected in 1729, by Sir John Bridgman, Bart., ancestor of the Earl of Bradford, and the circumstance is recorded on a tablet in the building. There is a boys' school, endowed with land in the hamlet producing about £35 per annum, in the hands of trustees, with a house and garden for the master; it is further aided by subscription: there is also a girls' school. In the Castle field is a mound, artificially constructed, and supposed to be of Roman origin.