Wanted: A heritage trust chairman to help raise £7 million for the repair and restoration of Birmingham’s historic Highbury Hall and Gardens.
The search is also on to find a further nine people to serve on the newly formed Highbury Heritage Trust to manage one of the city’s finest historic homes and ensure it remains an asset for future generations.
The former Chamberlain family home and 26-acre estate were left to the people of Birmingham in 1932 but, despite still being a popular banquet and wedding venue, it has been neglected in recent years leading to a huge backlog of repairs.
Now following extensive appraisal work by council officials and the Birmingham Conservation Trust it has been decided to set up a Highbury Heritage Trust to run the Grade II* listed mansion.
They are looking for someone to chair the trust, who can lead the building towards financial self-sufficiency and begin the work of raising the estimated £7 million restoration costs.
Parts of the site require urgent repair, including roofs, chimneys, gutters, windows and upgrading of electrics, while others will need work over the long term.
Chairman of the council’s trusts and charities committee Coun Phil Davis said: “We are currently advertising for a chair of the trust and a set of trustees. The new trust will be charged with developing a vision for Highbury and also creating an asset base for the proper development and enjoyment of Highbury by local people.
“This is a great opportunity for anyone who is passionate about Birmingham’s heritage.”
The new trust, which will take on a 25-year lease on the hall and estate, will be set up with £750,000 already in the bank from the sale of the 1940- built Chamberlain House to Uffculme School.
Parts of the estate currently have tenants, including the council’s Civic Catering company, which runs the wedding venue, and the Four Seasons Gardening Project.
Coun Davis (Lab, Billesley), who is also the city’s heritage champion, said the hall has played an important role in Birmingham’s history.
He said: “Highbury Hall and its estate is a special place. The home of one of the 19th century giants of British and imperial politics, Joseph Chamberlain – arguably the midwife of modern local government – the house he built in 1878 still stands in its ‘Venetian Gothic’ splendour.”
The trust will be told it has to work with local groups like the Friends of Highbury Park, the Moseley Society and local residents’ groups on future developments.
It has been set up with the guiding principles of using Highbury for the “general benefit of the citizens of Birmingham”, to promote charitable activity and to ensure its financial sustainability. It currently fails to raise the £75,000 per year running costs.
The city council, as sole custodian of the hall and estate, has been criticised for failing to look after the prized asset and has been seen as often exploiting it instead of looking after it.
In 2009 the Charity Commission found that instead of being run for the benefit of citizens, the hall had been used for non-charitable purposes, with the council keeping profits from weddings and conferences.
The commission ordered the local authority to pay the Highbury Hall Trust £2 million for the inappropriate usage. The independent trust will avoid such conflicts of interest.
The deadline for applications for chairman is October 16, and October 30 for the trustee posts. There is an open evening for candidates at the hall from 6.30pm on Thursday, October 8.
