Bantock House Museum

Bantock House Museum and Park stands in Wolverhampton’s West Midlands. The 1730s farmhouse became Merridale House before the Bantock family enlarged it in the 19th century. Baldwin Bantock, twice mayor and High Sheriff, added Edwardian touches after inheriting the property. In 1938 he left house and grounds to the city, and it was renamed in his memory. The Grade II listed building now shows Edwardian life and local industry. Inside, the ground floor shows how the Bantocks lived. Upstairs, displays focus on Wolverhampton’s steel jewellery, enamels and japanned ware. The museum avoids glass cases and lets visitors sit on the furniture. Albert Baldwin Bantock designed the gardens, restored in 1998 to his original plans. A sunken Dutch Garden, rose garden and woodland trail lead through the restored landscape. The 48-acre park has a children’s play area, golf course and football fields. Highland cattle once grazed here until the 1930s. A local sculptor made a life-size cow which now stands at the house entrance. Paths wind past colourful borders and named roses such as Blythe Spirit and Glamis Castle.