Molineux building 300 exhibition goes digital

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While City of Wolverhampton Council’s Arts and Culture venues are closed during the coronavirus outbreak the team is working hard to give people their culture fix by making resources available digitally.

Wolverhampton City Archives’ new exhibition ‘Who Lived in a House like this? 300 Years of the Molineux Hotel Building’ celebrates 300 years since the original part of the building was built. It illustrates the varied history of this building; as a home, a hotel, a venue for public events such as bicycle races, and now the City Archives.

The Molineux family lived in the house for over 100 years and although the Molineux name is largely associated with the football club, its origins in Wolverhampton are due to the Molineux family. Benjamin Molineux, an ironmonger and banker was the first Molineux to reside there, and the building was passed down several generations of the family until it was sold on and used by later owners.

Councillor Harman Banger, Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: “This is a difficult time for us all and I am sure people are missing their leisure activities, such as visiting the city’s museums, gallery and archives.

“The creative arts are essential to people’s health and well-being and I am delighted to see the team has been working hard over the past couple of weeks to still make art accessibly digitally so that people can relax their minds by exploring the city’s collections and see exhibitions that were planned to be open through a different medium.

“The Molineux building is iconic within the city with thousands of visitors passing it daily, so to explore its history and that of the city’s I am sure will be a delight to Wulfrunians during this time.”

The documents from the City Archives such as, the hotel’s visitor book, invitations to the opening and newspaper clippings, tell the story of the building, from its beginnings. They can be seen at www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/300-years-of-the-molineux-building or by going to YouTube and watching a short feature: https://youtu.be/gFbB6GUvy0E. 

More digital resources for all the family can be found at www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/collections/free-online-resources. Check for regular updates.

Image caption: Molineux pleasure ground poster, mid 1800s, advertising the ground of the building for leisure activities. Courtesy of Wolverhampton City Archives