History. Yew Tree (Highbury Hall) was built in <strong>1878-9</strong> for the MP Joseph Chamberlain. From 1888, Highbury was the setting for large social and political gatherings. The greater part of Highbury's grounds was made a public park soon after 1932.

Highbury ceased to be a family home after Joseph Chamberlain’s death in 1914 and in May 1915 it became an Auxiliary Hospital for treating wounded soldiers, particularly orthopedic cases.

During World War I, Highbury Hall was used as a hospital annex and home for disabled soldiers. It was given to trustees in 1919 by his elder son, Austen Chamberlain, and it then passed to the Corporation of Birmingham in 1932, when it was used as a home for elderly women.

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