| AdminHistory | Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury moved to the Manor House on the Bristol Road in Northfield with her family in 1894 and remained living there until her death in December 1951. During her lifetime Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury oversaw the domestic management of the Manor House. Beyond its function as a family home, the Cadburys hosted large numbers of lunches, dinners and social events at the Manor House during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including visits by public philanthropists, members of the Society of Friends and local politicians who shared the Cadburys' interest in social questions. In addition, Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury was closely involved in co-ordinating visits to the Manor House by large parties of people from urban Birmingham who came to visit the rural grounds of the Cadbury home. Scott writes that 'Sunday Schools from all parts of Birmingham, groups of crippled children, the members of men's and women's Adult Schools, Mothers' Unions, and countless other societies would come and spend a day in the sun and fresh air'. Shortly after purchasing the Manor House the Cadburys built a large barn in a meadow near to the house which provided facilities to provide up to seven hundred people with food and drink during their visit. Children were also invited into the Manor Farm, a dairy farm located within the grounds of the property where young visitors could interact with the animals. In addition, Crosfield writes that playground equipment and bathing facilities were provided as well as sporting activities for children who visited the Manor House. Scott remarks that Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury remained actively involved with these visits until her death, letters amongst Taylor Cadbury's personal papers revealing that she worked with Pearson's Fresh Air Fund to co-ordinate visits by groups of children from Birmingham throughout the twentieth century. Crosfield and Scott estimate that between twenty and thirty thousand people visited the Manor House each summer. |