Just an update for everyone. Great Barr Hall is still standing but only just, there is still talk of restoration but nothing seems to be happening fast, The only thing that has been restored is the old bridge over the stream that runs down into the lakes, it now stands there in the middle of all the decay blocked off by big logs at both ends but pristine. Security are still there doing their pathetic job of supposidly protecting the hall.
The halls state deeply angers me, it is about time someone pulled their finger out and got it restored.

Just to update everyone, these building have now been completely demolished thanks to the vandals. Due to so many fires being set within buildings by the vandals and the fire service not being able to access the site with fire engines they felt it was too dangerous to leave them standing therefore they have now been flatened and only the roads they stood next to exist now.
That certainly makes this gallery even more special to me, thanks, your photos are wonderul.

Hey Tiny,
would love to join you on that visit, yeh the place looks masive and really creepy,, what a beatiful part of the country to live in, I'm jealous on both counts :)
You'll have to let us know how it goes

To heather, no we don't ride over there now and haven't done for a while cause it got too dangerous for the horses. When they moved the security from the Chapel Lane end of the homes the vandals got in and the scap people so there was lots of stuff thrown all over the roads and all the metal drain lids/ manhole covers were taken leaving
large holes everywhere some of which were covered by grass so we had to stop. The authorities then had to seal the place up to stop the gypsies getting on so that also stopped us but from what I've heard they are supposed to open the Chapel Lane side up eventally as a country park as Bovis have no permission to build on this side but weather this will happen only time will tell. If it does then perhaps I'll ride round there in the future. At the present time the hall is still in a terrible state and nothing more has happened to the lakes or grounds, Bovis still plod on building their over priced tin pot houses on the other side, God knows who is mad enough to pay £260.000 for a 3 bedroomed terrace house with a postage stamp garden!!
Jiff I can't remember his name off the top of my head but will find it out for you and post it, I really wonder if the man who owns the hall or the council will ever put it back to how it was!! Very sad but I'm not confident it will ever hapen.

Well security there are far more ghost than just the grey lady and people will never stop talking about them just cause your night guards not amused!!! They've been there alot longer than you and will still be there after you've all gone.
Watch out for the rather large man who appears just over the bridge in and around the old farm, I've seen him a couple of times, very creepy!!
Hope you have a good night!!

Hi Matt and Serenityjane,
I know definately that Most Haunted investigated at Denbigh Asylum (North Wales Hospital) and Motts had already photographed there before their investigation cause thats how I discovered Opacity, was watching Most Haunted and looking on the net for photos of the Asylum. All I can say is thank you Most Haunted :)
I'm sure Ghost hunters have been to a couple of places that Motts has photographed but I couldn't be definate with the names.
Great gallery again Motts, photo's are totally stunning, absolutely love your web site. Thanks :)

Totally stunning shot, I wish I had just a fraction of your talent, wonderful.

Such a stunning photo, amazing. What more could we ask for as a New Year treat than a new gallery, thanks Motts.

I was totally thrilled to find a new gallery and as always you never disappoint us Mr Motts, absolutely loved this gallery, your photos are amazing, stunning location brilliantly captured, more please :)

Like to see "phantom" (who has vandilised these buildings with his name, stolen items and bragged about it in comments on previous photos) steel this and turn it into a lamp for his livingroom, he may get what he deserves when it lights more than his eyes up!! :)

Truely talented and good looking, it's nice to put a face to the name and the telent especially when the face is that hansom :)

Amazing photo, I wish I had your awsome talent.

Mr Motts I wish I could take photographs half as good as you, simply stunning.

To Jiff...
Still nothing at all is happening in the way of restoration, although I have been told that the council have a close eye on whats going on with the hall, how close only time will tell !!!

Hi all, just a bit of a small update, I've managed to find out who now owns the hall and that Walsall Council are involved, I've been told the council are keeping a close eye on what is being done to the hall but only time will tell how close an eye!! I'm still on the case though and will carry on with the info hunt.

I totally love this picture, I love the Hall and it's grounds, I just hope they do what they say they are going to and restore it to it's former glory. If they don't then they should be ashamed of themselves, I have been spurred by your gallery of the Hall to try and do something and will be contacting the council so maybe the people who own it will have to restore it as they have promised and not be allowed to just let it fall down. I will keep the site and its visitors posted on any news of the Hall.

Directly under these windows little grave stones are set into the ground, I was told they were the families pets.

On the outside wall of the chapel there were and still should be little grave stones set into the ground, I was told they were the graves of the pets of the scott family.
This shot is beautiful and reminds me of my ghostly encounter in the hall, whilst we were standing in this chapel the white lady drifted past the doorway which leads back into the main hall, that was the end of exploring for that day :)

Yeh there were cast iron grids for ventilation but also there were large steel girders in this front room above the cellar humps from when they started to restore it the first time, it looks to me like someone has removed all the steel.

The Hall has extensive cellars from what I was told and could see, when I last visited they had stripped the floor out of the main hall
at the front of the building and all you could ssee was the top of the cellar humps, I can't tell from the photo but if this is the front hall I am I so disappionted cause they were all intacked with a steel gurder structure over the top of them, no reason they should have fell in like this and it makes me ask once again if it will ever get the restoration it deserves or just the continuing distruction?

No Bovis don't own the hall or the lakes, the horrible security guard who I met was the same, rude and threatening, even if he did talk to you he wouldn't have been able to tell you anything about the hall or orinimental lakes cause I doubt very much if he even knows anything about it, he didn't seem that intelligent to me!!
I just hope he's telling the truth on the above message and they are going to restore it and not accidentally knock it down!!!

The rude security guard who left the message sounds like the one I met, get an attitude change mate. I have visited the hall on many occasions long before you'd ever heard of it and I have never done any damage on any of my visits... this aggression makes me wonder what your hiding?
I agree with blue lamp, I would also like to know if your actually going to restore this beautiful building, it is part of the hertitage of Great Barr...or will you just wait til it falls down so you haven't got to bother restoring it at all!!!

The state that the council and other so called officals have let the hall get into you certainly wouldn't think it was a grade II listed building, sometimes when I look at it I think that it's been let get into this state on purpose because if it falls down then they won't have to restore this wonderful building and that greatly angers and saddenes me. it is about time someone did something before this is the case and it is lost forever.

The Hall was used as offices by the hospital right into the 1970's, that would explain the Chief male nurse sign.
The stairs had chalk mouldings inlayed all the way down.

I have visited the hall on many occasion and yeh the hall was stripped and all the matterial taken out was stored in the outbuildings behind the hall but when restoration stopped all the material that was taken out was just left there left to rott.
When i first visited the hall the stair case was still intacked and was being supported by all the scaffolding, it even still had the chalk mouldings down the sides of it but over time and visits it collapsed or was vandilised, lets face it not all it's visitors were like us who just went to look in amazement.
I love the photos but it saddens me to see just how much it has deteriated.