Hagley Historical and Field Society

There is always eager anticipation when the evening’s speaker is one of our own members and September’s meeting was no exception. Our speaker, Eric Greenwood, said that he had chosen the subject ‘Buildings of the Jazz Age’ at the suggestion of Secretary Alan to complement the 50^th anniversary theme of the society.

He had chosen his ‘Jazz Age’ as being the period beginning with the Arts and Crafts movement in the 1890s typified by Winterbourne House, Edgbaston built for the Nettlefold family and Coleton Fishacre in Devon, home to Rupert D’Oyly Carte.

Continuing his theme with the Art Nouveau style, Eric gave Hill House, Helensburgh sitting high above the Clyde, as an example of Charles Rennie Mackintosh work. This house, universally regarded as his finest domestic creation, showed his style influencing both interior and exterior design. His wife Margaret designed many of the textiles as well as the beautiful fireplace panel.

Finally, Eric chose the stunning interior of the Great Hall of medieval Eltham Palace, Greenwich and the Midland Hotel, Morecombe Bay as fine examples of the Art Deco style. In his closing remarks, Eric said that he wished to dedicate his talk to the memory of his good friend and our Secretary Alan Atkinson, who had died recently after a short illness and who will be greatly missed.