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EDGBASTON - Extract from National Gazetteer, 1868
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The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868
The reservoir of the Birmingham canal, an extensive sheet of water covering 19 acres, and having the appearance of a small lake, its banks being planted with trees, is in this parish; and also the Botanic Gardens, the Deaf and Dumb Institution, and the Blind Asylum. Edgbaston Hall, an old residence of the lords of Edgbaston, temp. Henry II., was garrisoned for the parliament in the reign of Charles I., and in 1688 was burned down by the populace of Birmingham, who feared that it might be made a place of refuge for Papists. It was rebuilt on the same site in 1717 by Sir Richard Gough, knight, who had recently purchased the estate. The scenery of the surrounding country is beautifully varied."
[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]