John Leland in his description of Birmingham, relates how he entered the town from the south-west by way of a “praty strete caullyd Dyrty,” where he saw a “mansion howse of tymbar hard by the rype,” or bank of the “brooke that devydith this strete from Bremischam.”

The “praty strete” we now call Deritend and the “mansion howse of tymbar,” there is every reason to believe, is the timber-framed house still standing at the corner of Deritend and Heath Mill Lane and known as “The Old Crown”.

This house was by no means a recent erection when Leland rode past it in 1540 and afterwards cooled his horse’s heels in the adjoining ford before ascending the “mene hille” of Digbeth.

Difficult
More than a century and a half before that time the people of Deritend and the district, who lived on the south side of the Rea and therfore in the parish of Aston, finding the journey to their own parish church not only long but at times even difficult, had obtained permission to build for themselves a chapel at their own doors where divine service could be celebrated and the sacraments administered, buryings only being excepted.

This was the origin of the Chapel of St.John the Baptist in Deritend (sadly demolished since this article was written). Certain seats in that chapel always belonged to the occupiers of The Old Crown house as representatives of one of its founders, which suggests, if it does not actually prove, that a house has been on this site for more than 500 years.

The late Mr. Joshua Toulmin Smith, whose family possessed this property for many generations, believed that the house now standing was built by Robert o’ the Grene and given by him to his daughter as a marriage portion, and as this Robert o’ the Grene is known to have been one of the leaders in the building and endowing of St. John’s Chapel, he placed the erection of the house towards the end of the 14th century.

From its proportions and the simple arrangement of its timbers, it is certainly of an early date, and though some believe it is not quite as old as Mr. Toulmin Smith thought, it appears to be generally agreed that it is the oldest example of a timber-framed house now standing in the city.

In plan it was a simple oblong about 70 ft. by 20ft., the longer side abutting upon Deritend and the shorter upon Heath Mill Lane. As originally planned, there were only three rooms on the ground floor, a central hall, or house-place, about 40ft. long and the full width of the house, with a parlour at the Heath Mill Lane end and a kitchen at the other.

The entrance was in the centre of the long side, and opened directly into the house-place, immediately opposite being another door leading to the courtyard at the back.

In later times a wall was built on each side of these doors, making a passage 6ft. wide straight through the house, and the other alterations, entrances and extensions have been made at different times.

By far the most interesting apartment in the building is that which is called the Gallorye Chamber. In it, according to tradition, Queen Elizabeth I once passed a night, and standing in its latticed, overhanging window one cannot but recall memories of the principal events in our past history during the 500 years through which this house has remained amid the destruction which has left only little of the old town standing.

Gallant
As we look through the eastern lattice, we think of Prince Rupert and of the gallant struggle which Birmingham made to prevent his entering the town, of his manisfestation of his “Burning Love to England in Birmingham Flames;” of Shakespeare, who perhaps may have journeyed past the mansion of timber into Birmingham during those early days of Warwickshire rambling before he sought fame and fortune in the metropolis.