An original spade used by Margaret Nettlefold to cut the first sod at the Moor Pool Estate, in Harborne, has been donated to the University of Birmingham’s Winterbourne House and Gardens.
Set to take pride of place in Ms Nettlefold’s former home, the spade will be displayed alongside other historical artefacts championing a great figure of Birmingham’s history.
It has been donated by Grainger PLC, the current owner of the residue of Moor Pool Estate.
The estate, in Harborne, was founded in 1907 by Mrs Nettlefold’s husband John, the first chairman of the Birmingham Housing Committee, in an effort to improve the lives of city dwellers.
Winterbourne House, in Edgbaston Park Road, was built to accommodate the burgeoning Nettlefold family. It was renovated and opened to the public in 2010.
Mr Nettlefold’s family made their fortune in screw manufacturing and Birmingham firm Guest, Keen and Nettlefold (GKN) can trace its origins to his business.
The Moor Pool Estate was built to benefit local people, not just the workers of the firm, and comprised of 500 low-cost homes, built to combat poor housing conditions facing many inhabitants of the city at that time.
The team at Winterbourne said they were thrilled to welcome the spade to their collection.
Curator Lee Hale said: “The Moor Pool Estate features heavily in our ‘study’ exhibition room and this addition will be the icing on the cake for our collection.
“Now visitors to Winterbourne who are both familiar and unfamiliar with Moor Pool can learn more about the history of the estate and see the commemorative spade on display alongside many other items which bring the story of the family and their work to life.”
