Cedar House in Barford

Image: © Philip Halling Taken: 18 Apr 2018

Cedar House stands on the corner of Bridge Street and Church Street in Barford. The house appears to be Georgian, however, the Historic England website records this as being a little earlier, dating from around 1700. It is interesting to see three windows are bricked up, spoiling the symmetry of the house, this can often be seen in older houses where the owner had windows blocked to reduce their window tax. Window tax imposed in England in 1696 and was finally abolished in 1851. During the 19th century Cedar House was a coffee shop. Louisa Anne Ryland who lived at nearby Sherbourne Park disapproved of public houses and used her influence to have the village's only pub closed, the coffee shop offered an alternative meeting place to residents. Closing pubs and the proliferation of coffee houses has echoes in the 21st Century. Ryland was an only child and inherited the family fortune made from the wire drawing industry. Born in Edgbaston in Birmingham, she was a great beneficiary to the city of Birmingham, donating land for parks such as Cannon Hill Park and Small Heath Park in the city.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0