Mahatma Gandhi at Woodbrooke in Selly Oak, Birmingham, 1931.
Woodbrooke is a Grade II listed Manor House, built in the early 19th Century. George Cadbury stayed at woodbrooke whilst his home in Bourneville Village was built, and in 1903 setup a Quaker study centre there, with support of John Rowntree.
Woodbrooke welcomed Mahatma Gandhi in October 1931. Gandhi visited Birmingham whilst on a 3 month tour of the UK. Originally coming to attend the London Round Table conference, with the objective of finding a peaceful means to political reform and end to British Imperialism in India. Gandhi travelled outside of London to working class regions such as the West Midlands and Lancashire, visiting people who were linked economically to those of the Indian workers.
Today, a Birmingham Civic Society plaque marks the spot where Gandhi addressed the people of Birmingham.
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Read more of our stories on the history of Birmingham and the West Midlands, such as the first recorded assassination, how the 500+ Royal Oak pubs got their name, and the Real Peaky Blinders.