The Oak House in West Bromwich has been granted an upgrade to Grade I listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the advice of Historic England.

This timber framed local landmark, amongst England’s best examples of houses of this size and type, has been listed at Grade I.
Oak House joins Bromwich Manor House and Galton Bridge to become the third Grade I listed structure in Sandwell.
Historic England has funded £115,000 of emergency repair work to the timber frame and lime rendered infill panels, which are now complete, but it remains on the ‘Heritage at Risk’ Register.
We’d love you to add your memories about the Oak House to the Missing Pieces Project. You can add photos, drawings, audio, film, or text.

Originally Grade II* listed since 1949, the black and white timber framed house that dates to the late 16th century has been recognised as a building considered to be of exceptional architectural and historic interest to the nation.

Only around 2.5% of listed buildings are Grade I, the highest possible category of recognition, putting the Oak House alongside famous historic landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Warwick Castle and Blackpool Tower.

Oak House, which is home to the Oak House Museum, owned and run by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, joins Bromwich Manor House and Smethwick’s Galton Bridge to become just the third Grade I listed structure in Sandwell. It is the first new Grade I listing in Sandwell since 1972.

Oak House is a good example of a large yeoman’s house built in the West Midlands vernacular tradition of box timber-framing, and crucially, has not been adapted for modern living. The house was possibly named after an old oak tree that stood in front of the house, but eventually became hollow with age and was destroyed by fire around 1800.

The Turton family, the owners most closely associated with the house were yeoman farmers and nail makers, later becoming money lenders, making loans to impoverished royalist gentry after the defeat of King Charles I in the English Civil War.

Many of the trees of the oak woodland that once surrounded the house were used to make lock-gates for the Birmingham Canal, which was built through West Bromwich. A plaque on the wall records that John Wesley – the founder of Methodism – preached in the courtyard in March 1774.

In 1894 it was purchased by Alderman Reuben Farley, the first Mayor of West Bromwich. It was renovated and donated to the town in 1898 and was opened to the public as a museum of world artefacts. In 1951, the building was reopened as a replica Tudor residence with antique furnishings.

In 2023, Historic England granted £115,332 for urgent repairs to the timber frame and lime rendered infill panels, which have just been completed after 12 months of on-site works. The building remains on the ‘heritage at risk’ register.

Historic England Regional Director (Midlands), Louise Brennan, said: “The Oak House is truly stunning and when you see it, you’re taken on a trip back through time. Nestled away in the heart of West Bromwich, it’s a rare survivor of the once common timber framed buildings that characterised the region. It’s great news that DCMS agreed with our recommendation to upgrade it to Grade I, and now that the

emergency repair works that we’ve funded are complete, the first steps have been taken to ensure a sustainable future for this truly magical building.”

Councillor Suzanne Hartwell, Sandwell Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community, said: “Oak House has long been an important part of our local heritage that showcases the craftsmanship and design characteristic of the 1600s. This puts Oak House on the same footing as the nearby Grade I listed Bromwich Hall – also looked after by Sandwell Museums. Together these buildings tell the early story of the area which is now Sandwell before the Industrial Revolution.

“Over the past three years, Sandwell Council has invested in a range of priority repairs at Oak House, in addition to the emergency repairs funded by Historic England. I encourage residents and visitors to experience first-hand the rich history of these exceptional buildings and the stories they tell. Oak House Museum is a beautiful building we can be proud of as well as a busy heritage attraction and resource serving our local communities, telling stories and providing opportunities and experiences to explore and discover.”