History of Bockleton

Bockleton Court was commissioned in 1864 by Mrs. Arabella Prescott, widow of a merchant banker, for her eldest son, William.  The House was designed by Henry Curzon in 1864 being chiefly built in 1866 by Treasures of Shrewsbury. 

Unfortunately William passed away before the house was finished and so never lived in it.  Instead, Mrs. Arabella Prescott put her son-in-law, Richard Decie, in charge of the estate.  Richard was very capable and, with the considerable help of his mother-in-law, made great improvements to the estate, then about 5000 acres.  On the death of Mrs. Arabella Prescott, everything passed to Richard’s wife, Arabella Prescott-Decie. 

The Court had its best times until she died in 1902.  Her widower, Richard had to leave Bockleton to comply with Mrs Arabella Prescott’s will, and one of Richard’s sons, Francis Prescott then became owner.  He was unable to maintain the house properly so he was forced to offer it for sale in 1905, but it did not achieve its reserve price.  The house was then let to a member of the local aristocracy until Mr. Edward Wolstenholme, Francis’ Great-Uncle, died in 1908 leaving Francis a considerable inheritance; this enabled the family to retain the Court.  Francis died in 1927, leaving William and Mary Prescott (two of Francis’ children and great grandchildren to Mrs. Arabella Prescott) to live alone in the house until the Second World War. 

During the War a group of school girls from the Birmingham Institute for the Blind were evacuated from the city and shared the house with the Prescotts.  Soon after the War, William offered the house to Birmingham City Council for £7000 to use as a residential school; had they not purchased it then he would have demolished it.  The City Council purchased it in 1950 as a replacement for a Camp School destroyed during the War, and by early 1950’s, the house was accommodating 40 girls for periods of three weeks “to experience the country-side”.  Since that time, although the length of stay has shortened to five days and the name changed from “Camp School”, through “Country Studies Centre” to “Field Study Centre” to “ Study Centre", we are still as much fun for Birmingham children as ever.