Chatty Bench at The Calthorpe Estate

The Audley Foundation recently installed it’s fourth chatty bench at a location close to an Audley Village, and Mrs Foster, Audley owner and trustee of the foundation was invited to join for the unveiling.

Mrs Foster shares:
“The Calthorpe Estate, Birmingham, was originally bought in 1717 by the London merchant Sir Richard Gough. It has been owned since then by the Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe family. In 1810, the 3rd Baron Calthorpe decided to develop Edgbaston as a commercial and residential area of the city of Birmingham. The trades of the city were bringing great prosperity to the region and Edgbaston quickly became a fashionable suburb for wealthy industrialists.

In the 1950’s there was huge redevelopment of the area into a thriving commercial district, but Edgbaston remains an attractive residential area and so it was for this reason that it was felt entirely suitable for the placement of the fourth Foundation Chatty Bench, close to Audley St George’s Place.  An approach was made to The Calthorpe Estate management team and speedily accepted by them; work began to turn a parcel of land previously used as a car park into a pretty garden area and on 13th May, 2025, The Foundation’s fourth Chatty Bench was formally installed. 

Mr Haydn Cooper, CEO of The Calthorpe Estate invited local dignitaries, office workers and residents as well as the management team from Audley St George’s Place to the official ceremony to mark the opening of the garden and the installation of our bench. He made particular reference to the part played by the Foundation in providing the bench and his gratitude.

To date, the Foundation have installed 4 benches, all close to Audley Villages. The local response to all these placements has been extremely positive so with an allocation of the funds raised through the fundraising take place, the plan is to expand the scheme, with the aim of installing a bench near to every Audley and Mayfield village. Not only does every bench share the importance of our charity, but each also bears the engraving of ‘Rest a while for conversation and good company’.”

A spokesperson for The Calthorpe Estate told us:
“Thanks to the support of local schools, businesses and community partners, the garden stands as a testament to the community it was created for – a calm, inclusive space designed to encourage wellbeing and connection in the heart of Edgbaston Village.”

The purpose of the Chatty Benches is to make small steps towards easing the massive problem of social isolation, and loneliness, as well as support the charity’s mission statement to “make a lasting difference to the lives of older people”.

For further details on supporting our charity please contact us via [email protected]