Planning application submitted for Wolverhampton home where Winston Churchill stayed
The owners of a home in Goldthorn Hill where Winston Churchill visited have applied to improve the property.
Paul and Olivia Birch want to demolish a lean-to on the side of their property and replace it with a solid oak and glass extension.
The house dates back to the 16th Century and previously was the Blue Bell Inn surrounded by blue bell fields.
In a statement to Wolverhampton Council, the owners said: "Its known Winston Churchill visited the property twice during World War Two but the reasons and circumstances surrounding the visit are unknown."
The wartime leader gave one of his most famous speeches in Wolverhampton. Speaking in front of a crowd of 25,000 Conservative supporters at Molineux stadium he laid out his plan to return to office after losing in the post-war Clement Atlee's Labour landslide election.
The owners have also been told the lean-to has structural problems and requires makeshift beams to keep it still standing.
"We seek to demolish and replace the lean-to with a solid oak and glass gable end to aesthetically improve the appearance and use of the stables building."
The couple, who have lived in the house since 1982, said: "There have been additions to the main building in the seventeenth, eighteenth. nineteenth and twentieth century."
The property has had several improvements, a heritage grant in 2007 saw the tiling replaced and other structural necessities.
To comment on the application visit www.wolverhampton.gov.uk and search for 23/00843/LBC.
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.