Southcrest Manor Hotel, Pool Bank, Southcrest, Redditch

Image: © Robin Stott Taken: 3 Apr 2013

The hotel looks quiet on this occasion. It appears as a hotel and venue in page after page of a Google search. Southcrest was never a manor. It was built by Charles Terry of Herbert Terry & Sons, spring manufacturers, in 1921. Charles was a strong Methodist, a businessman and an Alderman. John Terry recalled: "I used to go [to Southcrest] and drink ginger beer. Charles would turn in his grave if he knew it was now a hotel, especially as he preached against the demon drink. The Terrys were teetotal and they insisted that other people didn't drink. You see photographs of salesmen at sales conferences – they were held at temperance hotels. All the salesmen would stand around drinking orange juice, then when the Terry family had gone home they would sneak off to the local pub." Southcrest was acquired by the Redditch Development Corporation, who looked for someone to rent or buy it. The Sentry Insurance Company, who had a small office in Redditch, were looking for somewhere to establish their European headquarters. Negotiations had been almost finalised when an angry debate arose at a local Council meeting. Councillors objected to the fact that some trees could be felled from the Southcrest woods. Sentry Insurance took this as a loss of confidence and immediately withdrew. Consequently 400 white-collar jobs were lost. from 'Old Redditch Voices' by Anne Bradford, Redditch: Hunt End Books, 2005, ISBN 0-9519481-4-8

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