The Assembly Rooms

This imposing building, on Poplar Road, has been a town-centre fixture for over 130 years. The Public Hall, as it was then called, was built as a replacement for the old town hall. It was used for all kinds of gathering, including assemblies, concerts and the Petty Sessions. The Public Hall was acquired by the local authority in 1919. After Solihull Urban District Council was created in 1932, it became the 'council house'.

The story of Solihull began in 1238, when the Saxon settlement of Ulverlie was inherited by William de Oddingsell. William established a new borough, laying out plots in a grid pattern on not only the site of Poplar Road, but also other modern-day town-centre streets. The plots were taken by freemen, who paid rent. The settlement flourished and, in 1242, was granted permission to hold a weekly market and an annual three-day fair.