Merrion's Wood Lodge

03/03/2026

Now I may bombard this page with photos ...so be warned ..I'm at the end of my tether ..we have had subsidence here for over 4 years .. Conservation at WMBC have done little to nothing to help except throw road block after road block at our Insurers... I get that it's a listed building and no one probably wants to protect it more than I do ..it took years for the Council to agree to monitoring. We have asked for the chimneys to be taken down and stored ( you can see how big they so the weight will be tremendous) as both the chimneys are sinking obviously this weight will affect that ...there was a resounding no to that proposal. Now I'm not qualified in conservation but surely if something is at risk of collapse thus breaking said item ..then surely it is best to remove it and store it until the damage is fixed rather than wait until it's damaged beyond repair ? Monitoring is showing not only movement in the building but twisting ..one side moves differently to the other ...my own independent surveyor over 2 years ago found that the building was moving ..the one gable end is going outwards the other gable end is going out the other way the stone bay window is sinking and both chimneys are sinking ...so imagine that damage being left and you can imagine what state it has gone from from when we first noticed a crack on the back rear wall to where we are now ..substantial cracks in every single room .. a bay window that is ibviously falling ...whether that be ineards or outwards isnt quite known..its beyond stupid that listing is put on a building to protect it and yet the only part of the original building the outer walls and stonework are what are being damaged .. so for the record of the damage I'll be posting pictures...I personally believe this subsidence is partially due to the clay soil and partially due to the Council/ Trusts lack of maintenance on their land that surrounds the lodge anyone who visits in winter can see the overflowing of the drainage ditches that do not drain water away from the Lodge... and possibly the pond that's at the top of the wood it's tributaries that run from it may be going underground who knows 🤷‍♂️ all I do know is why isn't more being done to protect this building ...answers on a postcard please 🙄

22/02/2026

I first saw these beautiful tapestries at Walsall Leather Museum .. it took us quite a back to see our beautiful home depicted in an amazing art installation... I was hoping they wouldn't be stored in a dark basement somewhere left to rot so was overjoyed to see a post that they are at the Seed House at the Arboretum ...for those who haven't seen these amazing tapestries they are definitely worth going to have a look at ...

26/07/2025

Long time since I've posted as a lot has gone on in past year or so ..my beautiful Mom who lived here with us for nearly 4 years passed in March 24 then in the November we sadly lost my daughters dog Merlin .. so instead of being busy caring for my Mom who had Dementia I've been busy sorting out Probate and her Estate not great when your grieving..now that's sorted ( Probate not the grieving bit ) time to press on with this glorious house and get a push on with the subsidence we have here.. the Council finally allowed the Insurance Company to do movement monitoring in the past 12 months ..should have been every quarter but they need more measurements now as it shows the building is rotating ..I had a bit of a menty B and stripped the wallpaper on living room wall.. over 3 years of looking at a masking taped wall ( to stop the draughts) and I had had enough..I stripped it Mr H wallpapered it ..I know it is a waste of money buying wallpaper that at somepoint will have to be removed but when you can see it hanging off the wall and mould growing through..you think if I was in council or private renting I'd have to be rehoused this isn't good for my asthma or mental health so get it gone...ill keep you updated with the subsidence journey from no on..the pictures are what's going on under the paper..even my mirror had mould growing on the back of it

21/01/2025

Finally some good news for Merrion's Wood Lodge level monitoring commenced last week ...its going to take a year. Yes I know a year is an awful long time but they monitor the movement in this period and which way it's moving. We've been waiting a long time for this ..however Walsall Council and Merrions Trust need to look after the land better then the flooding wouldn't cause issues..but..its onward and upwards to save this beautiful building..

11/01/2025

2024 turned out to be a sad one here at the Lodge.. The track outside was covered in a hard standing then gravelled in Feb ..Feb rain brought the usual flooding issues seen here with the drainage ditches in woods overflowing as they aren't maintained as they should be with the usual torrent of water cascading down to the main road, the covering of the track pushed the flow of water towards the front of the lodge thus causing the iron gate to lean and its cast lron pillar to break . On 26th March our beloved Mother passed who resided here with us for the past 4 years. Her funeral went from the Lodge on 30/4 following her favourite journey from here up Skip Lane along the lanes towards the Beacon onto a slight pause at the family home in Streetly where she had lived for 56 years before taking her on her last Journey to Sutton Crem.. Then in November we sadly had to say farewell to Merlin our Lurcher who had lived here with us for 11 years .. so 2024 has been the worst one yet in our history here .. Christmas and New Year came and was different to the past 16 without my Mother spending it with us here .. The Subsidence has got progressively worse but hopefully 2025 will see Conservation at the Council and the Insurers working together to finally get it sorted and enable the Lodge to see out another 170 plus years ... and Upwards

11/07/2023

Well friends it's been quite a year here at the Lodge ..last year what I thought was a mark on the rear wall turned out to be a crack ..which came through to the inside ..tried to contact the conservation officer early June ..no one got back to me.. tried again July and August it was the same ..called English Hertigage in a panic ..they were as good as useless didn't want to know.. I had to speak to the conservation officer even though I'd been trying to no avail .. I finally managed to contact the CO in September when we also had a surveyor come from the Insurance Company..by now the cracks were everywhere in side and out .. it was our worst nightmare we have subsidence. . Its been over a year now since I first saw the cracks appear .. drain survey done Arboreal survey done even had to have a drone take photos of the chimneys as the CO wasn't happy with photos from ground level and my own surveyor finding that the chimneys are sinking .. however we still haven't had the movement monitoring done as was told we needed listed consent which hasn't come through yet .. on 22nd June it was our 16th anniversary in this beautiful building .. most walls are cracking ..stone windows are cracking chimneys are sinking the bay window is sinking..its beyond me how slow things are going as obviously the longer it goes on the more damage is being done ..my mother has end stage dementia and lives with us her room ..(which used to be our dining room) the floor has dropped and the flooring is lifting...its a bit of a nightmare to say the least but I'll fight tooth and nail for this building ..even if its been falling on deaf ears for years..since we moved in I've been onto the trust about flooding as the woods are not managed well at this end.. my worries have sadly come true with the subsidence but watch this space ... I won't let this lodge be lost to damage like the Council have failed to protect Great Barr Hall ..

13/02/2023

Memories of spring and summer 2022 at the lodge

13/02/2023

Meet Sox one of a few of the lodges night time guests this was back in August (22) he comes along with his friends every night for supper and a chat

11/10/2022

30/04/2021

Not only does the Lodge sit at the entrance to a beautiful Nature Reserve but it's also lucky enough to be graced with the most amazing sunsets ...

22/06/2020

13 years ago today we moved into what was a very empty and sad looking lodge ..no front or back gardens it was very damp very dark ...but after some tlc slowly but surely its getting there .. and of all the places in this world ..this is my happy place im so blessed to be apart of its history..