Situated between Tanworth and Shirley. It was formerly part of a densely wooded waste, the name signifying the Earl's Wood, the wood of the Lords of the Manor, the Earl's of Warwick.

In the reign of Richard III (1485) William Catesby had a grant from the King of one hundred oaks, to be taken from the King's old park at Tanworth, and Earlswood in Tanworth.
In 1545 the Manor of Tanworth was granted to Sir George Throckmorton of Coughton in who's family it remained until 1605 when it was sold to Andrew Archer of Umberslade.

A notable feature of Earlswood is the Moat House, once the property of the Misses Smythe, who generously presented the old house to the nation. It had been in their family since the middle of the eighteenth century, when it was purchased by their ancestor, John Ashbury, who was Churchwarden of Tanworth in 1743. The Moat House is one of the oldest houses in the parish, and lies well back from the road in a beautifully secluded position surrounded by trees on all sides. Portions of the house date from 1480, and the moat, most of which still exists, is much older than that. The dairy with the two rooms above it, is the oldest part of the house, one of the two rooms being known as the "Ashbery Room," owing to the name "John Ashberye" being scratched on a pane of glass in the lead latticed window. The remainder of the house dates from about 1550. In 1633 the property was known as Cowernes, and as we know that Richard Cowerne lived hereabouts in 1387, I think that we may safely assume that he lived in a still older house than the Moat House, but on the same site, and protected by the same moat.

Extract from "The Story Of Tanworth In Arden", by John Burman. Published in 1930
See also Salter Street for information on St Patricks Church.

Cutting of the Stratford Canal commenced from the Northern end in 1793. A horse-cutting machine was tried, without success so navvies used picks and shovels to dig the 25.5 miles waterway. The men drank heavily and brawls were a common occurrence. After many set-backs the canal was opened on 24th June 1816 at a cost of £297,000. Earlswood Lakes were created in 1821 on 51 acres of land known as Warren House Common. They have been a favourite resort for the people of Birmingham, and give their name to the Earlswood Lakes station on the Great Western Railway. In the vicinity is the farm known by the suggestive name of the Witch Pits, probably the site of the barbarous ducking of a poor old woman in the old days of superstition.
 

Around the year 1900 Earlswood was becoming a popular tourist area for the working people of nearby Birmingham and the Reservoir Hotel was advertised as "An Ideal Resort for Pleasure Seekers". Bank holidays were busy and profitable times for Earlswood's pubs and tea rooms and drunken revellers brought havoc to peaceful rural community. Fights were commonplace and a resident of the time described the scene on one bank holiday.
"One young lady was so far gone with drink that she took off all her clothes and danced naked, much to the amusement of the crowd. However she was quickly covered and arrested"

Earlswood Stores - Date unknown

 

In 1978 a fire destroyed the boathouse


See also Salter Street and St Patricks Church
Earlswood Village Museum
Earlswood Lakes Activities Earlswood Lakes