Aston Hall was built by Sir Thomas Holte (1571-1645) in the 17th century. The construction of the hall began in 1618 and after eighteen years of construction the hall was completed in 1635. It is located in a small town called Aston in Birmingham. At the time the hall was built, Aston was known as a small village near the city. It was much more important than Birmingham. Across the corridor was the parish church, which still stands there and today, seven miles away, is Birmingham Airport. Around the hall there was also Aston Park, the size of which has decreased compared to before. The park was eight times larger than today and the River Tames was also close to the hall when it was first built. The Jacobean mansion which is now used as a museum and owned by Birmingham City Council was built by Sir Thomas Holte for him and his family. Holte wanted to show off the status and wealth he had and felt that building the great hall was the way to do it. He wanted the hall to illustrate his power after receiving the title of baronet from the king and also wanted the hall to remain within his family for the next two hundred years to continue his family's dynasty. After his death, Holte was forced to give the hall to Robert, son of his son, Edward. Shortly after his death, Robert lost the hall to James Watt junior and the council later gained full ownership of the hall and still own it. To build his magnificent hall, Holte asked John Thorpe to design and build it. John Thorpe was seen as a fashionable architect in those days and only rich people would be able to use him and this also showcased Sir Thomas' wealth. Sir Thomas met John when he was in London during his... half of the paper ......hoolsliaison.org.uk/2004/aston/index.htm• http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Aston_Hall • http://www.birminghamuk.com/astonhall.htmBooks:• Grand Old Mansion: Holtes and Their Successors at Aston Hall, 1618-1864 by Oliver Fairclough (Paperback - April 1984)• Aston Hall: a Museum and Gallery property of Art of the City of Birmingham (unknown binding - 1969)• Aston Hall: a general guide by Oliver Fairclough (Paperback - 1981)• Politics, society and civil war in Warwickshire, 1620-1660 (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History) - Paperback (May 16, 2002) by Ann Hughes and Anthony Fletcher; John Guy; John Morrill• ​​​​Aston Hall a General Guide by Anon (Paperback - 1987)• Aston Hall at the Museum and Art Gallery (Birmingham) (Paperback - 3 January 1987)• The Jacobean Country House: from the "Country Life" archives by Nicholas Cooper (Hardcover - October 25 2006)