HALES OWENROOTS
BENJAMIN HINGLEY
Benjamin Hingley, the son of Noah Hingley, was born in 1831 in Rowley Regis. As Managing Director of Noah Hingley and Company Ltd, he bought the Golden Orchard Estate from the Weston family, in 1891, which along with the acquisition of the mineral rights for Coombs Wood from Viscount Cobham and the purchase of other land at Coombs Wood from Walter Bassano allowed the Company to sink coal shafts at Coombes Wood in 1908. Noah Hingley and Company had Iron Works at Netherton and Old Hill which were supplied with coal from two small mines at Dudley Wood and Primrose Hill. These mines were over fifty years old and their productive life was coming to an end.
Benjamin Hingley did not live to see his company extract coal commercially at Coombs Wood because he died on May 13th 1905 and is buried at Hales Owen Church Yard.
Benjamin Hingley became Member Of Parliament North Worcestershire, in 1889, and one of his duties was to lay the foundation stone for the Methodist Church which was built in Birmingham Street. The Church has since been converted to a bar and restaurant called Benjamin's and the foundation stone can still be seen in the entrance
