tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30715296528919220192024-03-19T23:12:14.810-07:00Internet Curtains Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-28249087081410828012014-11-12T01:54:00.005-08:002014-11-12T02:54:13.462-08:00Greenwood's Factory, Old Basford<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefrqfjPO8YyisV2t3FJRnVU8KRrzFNrep1q5AFWLwCSak0ZjFqr_fWxJJ6vnSzYV5E5ogQrvDgCC5sHOh5kbGwwqxvCaahivij6hwv1GbG_O9Cvc8MWkhTbaf03EpsYgkH5Nzgo_uYpsx/s1600/Greenwood.jpg" />
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<i>Greenwood's Factory and the River Leen</i><br />
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The following research by Andy Greenwood is rather interesting. It is about Greenwood's Factory on Mill Close, Old Basford. The image from picture the past shows the factory in the distance. The photograph was taken roughly from Nottingham Road and shows how different the area was just before the Leen was embanked in the 1960s as part of a flood protection scheme, however this gave the Leen the stark appearance we know today. Recently Nottingham City Council have approved a <a href="http://publicaccess.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=N812E7LY0H700">planning application</a> to change this area once again in order to improve the wildlife and natural attraction of this location.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftUZWWiho_Qr3tYwQFF2LNwc2eE0OxvSqeGQhfBkgMHAl7XkoMZdqb_br1m0_hIgu9noDh8BvMpZP0-MnSsHituQBLpTlbYFfntiEnHNsrW-3IRpyCb6H-N20WG87YIdO3zqO7_lJfaXa/s1600/Map.jpg" />
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<i>1946 - the winding Leen</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVg_htBduMS3mBpQ6m1kGY0Y-d1wtH9QJX_uRkFpxhIi3aZ-wtBbNg67o9x9vFMiPy4GqvSmopMrYiXOs64m3cxXypfDb65ZiPi0ZTwSVvLVlt1fGoHBWoJhLavtgSaq09MTGOWp0BxOxL/s1600/BasfordBridge.jpg" /><br />
<i>Nottingham Road: The remains of the old bridge over the Leen - the little wall on the right. </i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7BPV5RYmH_snMublB-Zv4jGgRehyTBcBSJg2dtQmOmS5isTQ9Be9BZmgO6_hjfnSkV_slD7E_Hf69-4XZSErN7pXY9cnlJSagTDg4NRR9wjMUS1lkgAC9Pma-VtvzTF1BX5C4heenQgj/s1600/Map2.jpg" />
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<i>Today - the contemporary concrete channel</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCH5dL7sONJVkmYvDFo3Tb3hu-xfVM4xbzigk3qvLlivuDJQoYl41PBvkekNHr5HW_3EDhGfEFTfriVkhPvb9gvbx4VnCSgit9kh1jo6jXLLdA_c2EdVfiBw1RUeAIUHe6g_IFl52RniTj/s1600/New+Plan.jpg" />
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<i>The new plan - bringing the water course back and creating habitats for wildlife</i><br />
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Andy's article is a reminder of how Basford's history is so complex: this has been an industrial and heavily populated area for centuries which has witnessed numerous changes – a fascinating puzzle for historians struggling to piece it back together. Anyway, over to Andy ...<br />
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<b>Greenwood and Company Limited</b>
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Greenwood and Company [Nottingham] Limited was started by Albert Henry Greenwood, classed as perambulator manufacturers.
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His son Albert Greenwood [known as Jim] joined his father in 1921 in a builders yard off Birkin Avenue, Hyson Green then aged just 12. Two moves followed in quick sucession before they settled in the firms present premises in Lincoln Street, Old Basford in 1927. The building they occupied was previously a water mill used to grind corn, powered by the River Leen until a fire ?/?? brought the
use to a halt.
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The River Leen emerged from under a railway bridge near the Basford Library and went in the first instance towards the watermill, running completely under it through a tunnel and continuing towards Nottingham Road. The area was always flooding from the river, the worst being in march 1947 when all of Lincoln Street was flooded. Action was taken in 1962 when the river's path was altered away from Lincoln Street and it no longer flowed beneath the mill.
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The mill was chosen for its space (a two storey building), close to a popular resident community for workstaff and a prime location for its deliveries. Its been quoted that the coach built prams were in fashion at the time, the best seller being the FETHERLITE [Fetha-lite] range and that local youngsters would carry each pram swathed in protective cardboard across the muddy Billy Bacons field to the nearby Basford railway station for distribution around the country.
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Basford wakes took place straight after Nottingham Goose Fair on land on the corner of Valley Road and Nottingham Road. When a labour exchange was built on the site in 1930 [later to become the St Johns Ambulance H.Q.] and adjoing houses it moved to Billy Bacons field where the entrance was of Lincoln Street, right past the Greenwoods factory. This again made a good sales point to the passing trade as they visited the fair and many side shows and stalls.
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After the second world war [1939 - 1945] a large amount of properties and businesses around Basford Town were cleared, the last being in 1962. This led the area quite of families and sales were notably dropped. Some businesses stayed on Lincoln Street but the are never did pick up again. Basford flats were built in 1971, 822 wall framed homes built by Bison but as the last were built problems started to occur and once again the area was cleared by1985.
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Albert Henry Greenwood, the founder of the business was married in 1906 to Louisa Jackson. In the 1911 census his occupation is given as commercial traveller baby carriages living at 22 Bushfield Street, Hyson Green. At some point he must have decided that he could build first class items and use his trade knowledge to sell these sought after carriages all over the country.
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A fire is reported in the Nottingham Evening Post Friday 7/9/34 edition - fire being at night 6/9/34pm - 7/9/34am
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The companies act of 1929 under the records filed from solicitors Browne, Jacobson and Hallam of 44 Friar Lane, Nottingham show that on 10/12/34 Albert Henry and Louisa Greenwood were the only two shareholders, manufacturing baby carriages. They lived at 479 Valley Road, Basford.
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By 7/1/35 Albert Henry and Louisa were still at 479 Valley Road but Albert had moved to 487 Valley Road and was now listed as one of the directors. Shares shown were Albert Henry having 1916, Louisa and Albert each having 20 a piece. At 1956 in total its not clear where the rest were.
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The companies act of 1943 show that record filed on 21/7/48 and 29/6/50 there were no directors only a secretary by the name of William Cornelius Lappin of 12 Caythorpe Rise, Sherwood.
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Records filed on 16/6/55 show that the only director now was a George Frederick Greenwood of 479 Valley Road, Basford, no mention of anyone else, the accounts now being handled by HG Ellis, Kennewell and company, Imperial Buildings, Victoria Street, Nottingham.
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On 1/6/59 Alan Robert Greenwood of 53 Rufford Road, Sherwood was an additional director of the company.
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Further records filed 8/7/73 show that the majority shareholder was still Albert Greenwood with 1956, and that his son Alan Robert Greenwood had 40 shares. Again the total is 1996 with no mention of any other parties involved but Alan Robert Greenwood is living at 53 Rufford Avenue, Sherwood and not Rufford Road as previously stated.<br />
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Andy Greenwood, 2014Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-38865692251239997272014-09-22T08:59:00.000-07:002014-09-22T07:48:20.618-07:00Smoke in the Valley: Bulwell, Highbury Vale & Basford<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6w3nN-wYPMFdOPD9aRtXQhIU8oCe_d_goHzE-JaiI_YaKc8FzlAl4_h3yRMRpGkNUIW9GegjDkUZVZ4o29faV2o9unJwyLWecgLrZsBFo_-xsydfyLHvZu8MK_GClvflAxknY7GL2shF/s1600/NTGM006773.jpg" />
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<i>Basford Crossings, during the 1947 flood (<a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM006773&pos=1&action=zoom&id=58219">Courtesy Picture the Past</a>) </i><br />
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“The furnaces flared in a red blotch over Bulwell; the black clouds were like a low ceiling “
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DH Lawrence, Sons & Lovers, 1913
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Bulwell and Basford are the best places in north Nottingham to witness the changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution. In contrast with Bilborough, Aspley and Bestwood, which are mostly spacious twentieth century suburbs built upon hills, this area grew from an industrial valley with manufacturing and terraces in close proximity. Running through this hive of activity has always been the River Leen, an important source of water and power. The characteristic medieval street pattern radiates from its key crossing points and the Leen Valley is home to some of the oldest industries in the city, especially milling, quarrying, bleaching and framework knitting.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dHASNEkBdzwpoGBwa1aEZMlC6BydveQq1r3jF69Z65YkChVE12UAJRpSLbjwe4JY1InVRNbTgAyd8KAmi2hKbm_ptA_t5YzurIRmG9FKjqFXc9MS32m_JxVKMgTsGplcD0GBUyatEQEk/s1600/Nunnery.jpg" />
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<i>Basford Cell, Mill St – possibly a medieval nunnery connected with Lenton Priory</i><br />
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The railways arrived in the 1840s – a revolution in communication – at first following the river and later criss-crossing the valley with competing lines. The small workshops were upgraded to factories and as the population expanded rows of red-brick terraces and chapels spread up the valley. Huge social changes were also taking place: in religion, recreation, social services, entertainment and local democracy.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQohc7CN5V7sI6FG45xvUi_1Rd-Tmp5I4h6qIyL3Dbk3fAC7OjwAmHTKyu5kZMH4Yp7Bv-1W-Z2nGIUY2Bn6CFVEGxAbORXtrGtJoLe9W7e599SRuGnVnlcagCbTbRXGTJGuaBL_-03c2/s1600/DCHQ501409.jpg" /><br />
<i>St Leodegarius Church, Old Basford (<a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;DCHQ501409&pos=6&action=zoom&id=19182">Courtesy Picture the Pas</a>t) </i><br />
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Perhaps the car has not been as kind to the Leen Valley as the railways: new expressways bypassed old streets with little regard to the neighbourhoods they ran through, or the details of their architecture. However, since the 1980s a new emphasis on safety as well as sustainable and public transport, coupled with the Bulwellian spirit of fighting for access to their green spaces, has resulted in a number of changes. People now enjoy the NET tram route and River Leen Greenway – a car free route all the way from Bulwell to Basford and soon to be extended much further.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRXM_gsI6k_C6Ngr-HlOfLuYtk6imU4xbLNGXsCdlSNKDholzfW3Qc8ApUPA30jE4315lOMyBNbB9PsAfJ9Y2fOQvVtnPeP0D9paE5ADxdENn1ZZm53Wh-lVmGpMUKFQovYZkSHqltoDp/s1600/Bulwell5.jpg" />
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<i>The River Leen Greenway, Bulwell - Basford</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3P_XR1Qoc-xHsjAyxYek_QdMYKIq0GXm7ZltlSplpL8cUhgaVWC1Fr_oYw_c2XNSRR-AB03KS7MW5FKv5leEQdCkFhtrqGe7-s2jBu5Rd7KtNUTJMpCXZP76EkhPJ0fRPlh68vAxqbqI/s1600/Sate.jpg" />
<b><br /></b><i>Excellent eighteenth century slate headstones at St Leodegarius</i><b><br /></b>
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<b>Ancient River</b><br />
After establishing Nottingham by the seventh century, the Anglo Saxons followed the course of the River Leen and found new settlements on its banks. The ford, belonging to an Anglo Saxon named ‘Basa’, was to become Basford and the early streets radiated from its three principle crossings: David Lane, Nottingham Road and Church Street. Amid these streets are the Medieval walls of a religious cell and the impressive church of St Leodegarius dating from at least 1086 (excellent slate headstones can be found scatted about the churchyard).<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEZjV9N40SXt0rwL4cRsRbmUdtXKXdPL6B9Xj9YkEFz0SXKPdEuLtTTITIDpsEfUoPbqX-wrLK9RBm9QHCcXBq172oJU5CQykT7ZTs73jjwfTjWV5FAhGxudDo-4BkcYQhiuyrHBC1vXT/s1600/Basford+House.jpg" /><br />
<i>Basford House, built 1730 (<a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM005867&pos=117&action=zoom&id=57314">Courtesy Picture the Past</a>) </i><br />
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Between them ran Lincoln St, the centre of village life until the later twentieth century. Notice the Fox and Crown pub and the various Bulwell stone workshops and forges, all originating from the Georgian period. Also from the same period is the 1730 manor, Basford House, built by local landowner Thomas Langford, Mayor of Nottingham. By the end of the eighteenth century it housed the historian and hosiery merchant Thomas Bailey.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIwrYgKIKz8Ic_pIFzzHStROD_YQg1EdZ5tFiCOZrnhsu7MMOJ8egzXvj7KkYeERh-ykn2suZhG0JcrMOYkzZv6k30ccgIGsLGrzdvIvcucCqj_6a0YdXkBbEkUGyXDrx97xfLQRH3LoN/s1600/Bulwell.jpg" /><br />
<i>Strelley House, Bulwell, built 1677 (<a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM011789&pos=4&action=zoom&id=63232">Courtesy Picture the Past</a>) </i><br />
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A mile or so further north the Anglo Saxons found suitable grazing land to keep their bulls adjacent to a spring – probably at Moorbridge pond. This became Bulwell and again near the principle crossing – this time at Station St – is where you will find the oldest buildings such as the former grammar school on Corporation Rd. Built in 1667 by a descendent of the great Strelley family, Strelley House is among the earliest brick structures in the city. Notice also the impressive Bulwell stone barn at the rear, both similar in structure and date as the c.1800 houses on Main St and Cinderhill Road. Overseeing all this were the church and the landowners and though the church of St Mary’s was completely rebuilt in the 1850s its ancient position serves to remind us how religion dominated local life. Meanwhile the local gentry was housed in a large manor at Bulwell Hall – today only the Victorian stables remain.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarXRHJ9LIqMyQGU2-9Mo5AQkTKQ11xKsBdyTdTlFJLq1-cgNunDKxWPfDeef_rQWr4HZIeH0l323VMwf6A6TbMbw0EQFWLNptXShSY79sPKTeULGDXBFNm0KnbBui22_MK_kLiRyX7Apk/s1600/Cooper.jpg" /><br />
ST Cooper's stables, Bulwell Hall<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSx_cBpYze8MXDPrDjPWeEHWMWBmvzk82i-Jx56LG2BaVJHPQLyRDHCaoqhEpTUXdiucgoE9Z-zqQGkhHG5YvDdoCeOJ_ZDXYSmCp3d3tqWvGBwUUj1C8tRgAWSm3xWgR1Ws9VdxWnovKw/s1600/Bulwell_Hall.jpg" />
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<i>Bulwell Hall grounds, today a municipal park and golf course</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOi2ieRnjpYKmLotZZEpg9pomyiBhyTVQRMi7YFgt8EcwsVFQ9SscBQZOybqiJ_og7f7whx7g-UPsBlvDMFcAFn0UuZ5Ys95nXhTs4-lxJQmDHfS8sUhk4QWGnZSNgJ0Zo3_u6y9DzKwO/s1600/ForgeMill.jpg" />
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<i>Robinson's Forge Mill, from the late eighteenth century</i><br />
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<b>Industrial Origins</b> <br />
If the Industrial Revolution is said to have begun during the latter half of the Georgian period, then Bulwell and Basford were certainly a part of it. Not only was this a landscape of stone forges but also along the fast flowing course of the River Leen were countless mills. Forge Mill was one of a number of cotton spinning mills built by the Robinson brothers who were also early pioneers in the application of steam engines. Mills such as Mill St Mill were also used for grinding corn, while others were used for bleaching textiles. This was a major part of the local economy, which required not only chloride from the local limestone but also the wide open spaces at Mill Street park to bleach the material in sunlight. Nearby, Cinderhill takes its name from the burning embers left by the lime kilns.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDMUqcwdoCiA5T-40Ei-lnEx00bZT_2jmanvntYWEQd7hXLmpaY7-Z-zDVYOkhlMM-4npo-9YZ8Aeynb1eMWl7_NP7Nwi5z-I7kRmg5zTy701lP5VlAS6XCSmFoy8fvqWCTHT2l3T69c2/s1600/Forge.jpg" />
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The c.1800 old forge, Church St, Basford<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwX83NQPmOMYov52UzEpmd84xdecKxAmvT6h3nkyJKqqYDg9idEFC-YtavuPmztQqT4nSe0X51S876RYtVor4VA0AV2NW-AXtNq9w8WJxcAOncG3EAny8N_4GOJJBahX1p9Q5IIJz0LkJe/s1600/Bulwell6.jpg" />
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Workshops and Stables, Strelley St, Bulwell<br />
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This same limestone was also known as ‘Bulwell Stone’ and it was first quarried off Corporation Rd – originally named Quarry Lane – where you can still spot various traces of this activity. One example is at the rear of the listed St John’s Church, which is also built from the local stone. Another is the oldest crossing over the Leen, a bridge built in the 1830s, financed by the gentry at Bulwell Hall (S.T. Cooper) and built by a local stone mason named George Holmes – his initials are on the northern keystone. This accessible and busy atmosphere drew framework knitters who were manufacturing hosiery and recalled by Lord Byron in 1812 during a speech on the Luddite protests, “Such marchings and counter marchings! From Nottingham to Bulwell, from Bulwell to Basford …” The early nineteenth century Pear Tree Pub, reminds us that Bulwell Lane was the original thoroughfare between these locations.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUAhyphenhyphen8aMlfvcaBcsWIomHWzx0FVQlpfTh1068rWbMpV__IiDvFEz_pjUDYcYvCcdDJFoUIjPC72KzgNENd3KyfYTe0iH8B_kCKH9BtrGoKbzlzIl9Jgwzii48DQzTUifGd_WSXxadaNNx/s1600/Basford_Crossings.jpg" />
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<i>Basford Crossings, 1947 (<a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM006772&pos=2&action=zoom&id=58218">Courtesy Picture the Past</a>) </i><br />
<b><br /></b><b>The Railways Arrive</b><br />
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The Midland Railway arrived in 1849 following the floodplain of the Leen, feeding not only on the commerce of the growing towns but also nearby coal mines. Thanks to the reopening of the ‘Robin Hood Line’ in 1993 and NET tram in 2004 this route survives today and you can still enjoy the restored Edwardian iron pedestrian bridge at David Lane. Yet these are only fragments of the numerous competing company lines which were mostly axed in the 1960s. Like some lost civilisation, curious earthworks and bits of blue engineering brick are scatted over the landscape, such as the Great Central route beside the Bulwell Forest Golf Course and Great Northern embankments as viewed from Leonard Street. The Catchems Corner Pub was so called because you could "catch ’em both ways"; take either the GNR train from the Bulwell & Basford Station at Park Lane, or the nearby trams. The tramways and Vernon Rd with its huge wall were built in the 1880s. At first the early trams were pulled by horses and so this wall was required to shield them from the fright of passing steam engines.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpFBNr5f8vAUfxThV37NxFjVrtZ2ouu_qJzLMu9dMPfRlDsfZhuuGpXVhLGcinuENpu_Kv5nuc5tnwEkPyXMhdj8f_ce_rdHxFr4xyoQ_85RDM2cIj_w5geUbKbOjQuGXQWY7NvPH_zdf/s1600/Railways.jpg" /><br />
<i>A new road between Basford and Bulwell – Vernon Road, built in the 1880s</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdhIQXYoxRdGanDiB6zs-jQZphwgcasC4PGj6bp2e2hrevnF6-5yCs8dm2SOYrQVPhBljDiM3NbOBiFUf9nwLkpr9Qsa8TnyY7awIl6wzTsb2KcRNp5tn0AZvW9xrfyfFTCmIeb0BGt6f/s1600/Pearsons.jpg" /><br />
<i>Pearson's Bleachworks, near David Lane (<a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM003292&pos=9&action=zoom&id=54739">Courtesy Picture the Past</a>) </i><br />
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<img border="0" br="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvvNnSRr_aIOM2Omeca5gLR02-YtOlpFaAdXqhmA8JqAxlzwG3hV-mbWb6dm1OHcxwt11vnt_RqfBHPEBO6nFiOYe5xLYaq_6ymjF5l5fHdYP-39yaalJN6FSe5Ov_wifC3uMgo8TnsiW/s1600/Bulwell4.jpg" />
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<i>Bulwell town centre</i><br />
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With such improvements in communication local commerce grew in strength. The fine buildings and former shop fronts which surround Bulwell Market, Main St, Commercial Rd and Lincoln St are telling reminders. There was even a local architect in the Edwardian period and today you can see his handsome design for a former doctor’s surgery. At Old Basford this pattern of late nineteenth and early twentieth century prosperity was repeated in the local industry: Pearson’s Bleach works beside the river, the magnificent Prince of Wales Brewery and the sophisticated E Sallis Hosiery works. At Church St Cemetery the decaying monuments to key Victorian entrepreneurs can still be made out: Thomas North (coal mining) and Charles Cox (bleaching).
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPucM9wYGySrE5pmhdqJOeI7Ke9r2vpa-YI4qeCIjD0LmWHi0Z9CjXk0fq1BEaNd6Bctxsz45r8PQKwDtlgbiOYCBYVp5U3VSn45fjPYXVKeJAgJvxyV0NCjSxpT-j9XD4pUBuw22u87JB/s1600/NTGM006392.jpg" />
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<i>The Prince of Wales Brewery (<a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM006392&pos=299&action=zoom&id=57838">Courtesy Picture the Past</a>) </i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKouchEqBkHSMjetG4m0oahduF-nCrs68oAQZ7Ncym_zivz6IQtvi0p98VemvAcShVD_TiNnVKy-7Qp2kMjGGZwgjTzGFAg3hn89yRnLRO7LdEqR7rRKC808uHgcwIz6ve4dxt5p1Ormx/s1600/Maltings.jpg" div="" />
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<i>Basford Maltings</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqbzQDb_u8n8yfZNBGOCau7aOKHupaFlw05CE3M4OV1cGO_3WtLpGWfDOZviY2xiwmU0meD0_soVC8cg-4FTwUI3TD_wIa1opi4e_t_tNm4sWOIBFmZpr5RQGjvlQBwbKn8eTQXERRFJi/s1600/Bulwell8.jpg" />
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<i>Sallis Hosiery works, built 1950</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8dPlO-f0Jk4TYbtAqNx-m8xDEF6pNBgCYraDoTlTCqu_rMF5Gy3WUC7vGwW7kZ1SA0tAZNJSfoGZSqLNZVHoXveVCXMbmYKCUHaIUuaHrvQmUn487X4eOLQQCpGR05aMWRXzO_xY_ZsZ/s1600/Reform.jpg" />
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<i>Church St Cemetery – commemorating the 1832 Reform Bill Act</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnX-czrsFlV6WXmpyiDCM6Om_KLXWhJonXb9Rh86BNLXiTSHo6nL3cRRajxhjy7JKNAILN6NfhmdevlN3jSDoHmeqnsLShEa60EFRqyI1KTw-pfrD4nyvghKmE0c2T_Lhtl_4QV3jCw-6/s1600/Bulwell10.jpg" />
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<i>The surviving walls of Basford workhouse</i><br />
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<b>Social Change</b><br />
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Standards of living in the nineteenth century was a tale of two halves. Since the Napoleonic Wars there had been a slump in the hosiery trade, and framework knitters, undercut by rising rents and low skilled labour, took to smashing their masters’ machinery. The response from the authorities was less than helpful – a workhouse was built in 1815. Nothing survives of the actual building apart from a perimeter wall but it is still enough to give the impression of a prison for the unemployed. For a time the working class could not find much solace in the established church, building their own “nonconformist” chapels scatted throughout the Leen Valley – the earliest on Handel St is dated 1811.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8ROYru5M_5BS1jXFS52A9xzjkyacS5lyCCDYIhDW3dmDraIcqFe9i91yCTPLl2kVTgIAqoDUIqwscOBJMRLigRa5ETWYoBkbfx_5wZF_3-2pmLK4yuRapNE_kc67hExcgw3iVoUrcmv4/s1600/chapel.jpg" />
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<i>How the Methodists changed Part I – c. 1811 chapel, Bulwell</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx64RIW7BGxqPd4TUFvN-_iKKR89dQ3bHZMnBkg2QmuioamRlJjjRvuhSvJUEvy1hOHOZMV0dkGS4G0sflT3r0HdqWJXbbFcKUwsUu4c3aqGJQGxgm0h0g6FxQc1lXdjKOdhB5F_Xnpeak/s1600/Methodist.jpg" />
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<i>How the Methodists changed Part II – c. 1880s chapel, Bulwell</i><br />
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The c. 1880 iron footbridge and the Battle of the Bogs marks the turning point for social change along the Leen Valley – a victory for local democracy against the wishes of a private landowner (Percy Cooper of Bulwell Hall) who wished to enclose the park. It was also a legal success for the Corporation of Nottingham, which was then bringing Bulwell and Basford within its bounds. The libraries of Bulwell and Basford, Bulwell Forest Golf Course, Vernon Park, North Street Baths and the council houses of Highbury Vale and Whitemoor are testament to that great historical theme of municipal enterprise from the 1870s to the late 1930s. <br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-VQVEbDyIv2qDQF40fyLTajjNnTTPQn48AhmMWXI6LSgTY-htj8eb0KfXxhZ7miCU0mUDcAIk-ErV8dgE_Ive8KTrgo1j23tmnDwPA_6NWr6xl3E7BAlL4mmnRlAgnn2m8nugSSIwrUZ/s1600/Bulwell3.jpg" />
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<i>Bulwell bogs</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfj7U5rAfGOO3H_6yoXSeFArDt03ghkP2kSMlFZTIHBk0oJ2d9Md0VcWPfkr_nY8lBNu8dJKSxw6hGoiUnGW_OjOb4hbn0lAV9TVbYAxwpwYwY_u2txCJrUz8B8S9BB3CEVZIFCpzyRxKe/s1600/Bulwell1.jpg" /><br />
<i>The old Bulwell Library on the left</i>Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-55342838905162902462014-09-15T09:14:00.001-07:002014-09-15T10:12:22.282-07:00King Coal: Bestwood, Rise Park & Top Valley<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9IuaIyXgxzhXZuUPBjEMw65OYnxbu55PIv9FnqI1OTLuS82WE6Mcyn9DGVJ_VEmlhstNdS-6O98lkSslgz9GRaVtdFliJ3R70K4ERzmBv3vglzhe-flujkmbH0WVzfGjuBFbo6UWOHg_/s1600/Bestwood_Miners.jpg" />
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<i>Bestwood Colliery Rescue Team, c. 1911 (<a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NCCC002288&pos=2&action=zoom&id=39510">Courtesy Picture the Past</a>) </i><br />
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“Two miners having finished work for the day mounted bicycles and, lurching forward round the angle of the gatepost, vanished into a little lane leading into the woodlands. I decided to follow them and was glad I did, for the scenery of the district is indeed enchanting”
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Alex Wells, Nottingham Journal, 1934
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_f3FDhtW7dpqKaHqwpabcky_dUnpMS6qjmko3QtmbwP_xQil0mQ6yHQL_M8zPKMnuRMdiKLmOWtsqu8LZGZfrjVNRrcIF4JQYNFCAxZX-iQ59D6JGAO9LLIJ7t-S1kVjTisQFyOmFFh_/s1600/NTGM007040.jpg" />
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<i>Bestwood, c. 1880 (Courtesy <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM007040&pos=2&action=zoom&id=58486">Picture the Past</a>) </i><br />
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The two most distinctive aspects of Bestwood are its royal associations and urban development from a colliery company village. But it also plays a part in the incredible northern growth of the city – onto an area which had been mostly farmers’ fields – throughout the twentieth century. Bestwood is so big that it becomes a difficult area to define, with a village, two council estates and a pumping station sharing the same name and some distance apart. The old maps reveal that Bestwood has always been huge, following the same contours since it was defined as a royal hunting park in the Middle Ages, stretching from Goosedale Ponds in the north, to Arnold Road in the south, and east to west between Bestwood Lane/Hucknall Rd and Mansfield Rd.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpjS_CcKPiRTawgU-jwHtT-MUfCDTTaWkaU4KbI8pR5YbkbUgdfV_NlLmetJQJt-yiyqKT0vYufL7KONvhGAHOSsG9orVEWV3vfx8ZjH2CLh0RVu8mpEUlIe8dhDRseJFYwg99_v8oS8G/s1600/Bestwood_Lodge.jpg" />
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<i>Bestwood Lodge, c. 1880s (Courtesy <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM016419&pos=19&action=zoom&id=74414">Picture the Past</a>) </i><br />
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Bestwood takes a starring role in various episodes of royal history, from the Normans to the Stuarts. The Dukes of St Albans descended from the latter family which, in the seventeenth century, was granted Bestwood as its ancestral home. The 10th Duke took a particular interest in the site, building the fabulous Bestwood Lodge in the 1860s, which became frequented by the rich and powerful of late Victorian England. The following decade a very different Bestwood emerged: an industrial village planned around a coal mine and ironworks, with competing railway lines tripping over themselves to get here. By the end of Victoria’s reign the city was edging ever nearer with the building of Bestwood Pumping Station and the City Hospital. Yet it wasn’t until the 1930s that the first council housing emerged. The subsequent housing estates reveal the decade by decade changes in everyday life throughout that long century.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWoDjYWoLjM4qVyxsXpQZZqAquObpJ2GGkZnGmI9SnqpATB_owYnftYPhJ6v0AtsJQ9xhon5MWfVZy4Yq-mEdRpiy12SFjItx6SE1II6V_oy0vbZJ3ybY6tvBBWvPHvf5VLfQP5T0aqVE/s1600/lodge.jpg" />
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<i>Bestwood Lodge today</i><br />
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<b>1. Royalty & Aristocracy</b><br />
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After the Norman conquest, Bestwood (forming part of Sherwood Forest), became subject to Forest Law – an area vigorously protected by royal officials for both deer and timber. Grievances over access were bitter and likely it was these laws which led to the folk tales of Robin Hood. Despite this, it was hardly a landscape for developing densely populated communities with diverse economies; this was a hilly deserted landscape of dry sandy soils, grass, woodland and deer. Hunting, for Medieval kings, was not a necessity but a leisure pursuit, a game where a feudal society centred on military service and privilege could be played out. And it was some of the most vigorous of those kings who exercised that right here: Henry I, Henry III, Edward III (who built the first lodge), Edward IV and Richard III – who famously stayed the night here only 3 days before the Battle of Bosworth. In a sense the Woodside Riding School has revived this equestrian tradition at Bestwood.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7gmUYHamGQzZVHd_dz1ALZMJRSZDlT7NX46vpVRpYzwFauR2oArRgOc-A-lRB3ytBYlam4qj7ywXvqnsVNONsJ9Yv5ZjQFBkn1uH6Z83JmjM7yQcGS0DqRl3ECYodfQDCwfY8KKcqBy_/s1600/Woodside.jpg" />
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<i>Woodside riding school</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKshp9ROD3P4MTnY9qtcKet6br0BvSidVZTVHFIpYi93c6S8IUwfV40gF-tTcm2-bFAoJbYPeioynaL1CSiFgZmOK6HWF18dzFK_3PVaq958bfxPrtAtut1skh3wUjZNC5wD0BIUSkXpV/s1600/gatehouse.jpg" />
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<i>Alexandra Lodge – Bestwood Lodge gatehouse</i><br />
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Bestwood’s next and greatest feature within royal history did not emerge until the late seventeenth century, when the playboy king, Charles II, granted the lodge and grounds to his beloved mistress Nell Gwyn. “Poor Nelly” was the mother of his illegitimate son and Charles was concerned enough to endow him with a stable income and social position, entitling him ‘1st Duke of St Albans’. It was the 10th Duke, William Beauclerk, who had the most remarkable impact upon the estate, demolishing the medieval lodge and building an incredible mansion, gatehouse and stables throughout the 1860s. Designed in the gothic style by notable architect SS Teulon, the complex is stylistically the same as St Pancras Station (built the same decade). Bestwood was therefore a very attractive location for visiting dignitaries, such as Charles Dickens and Benjamin Disraeli. The Duke’s patrician approach can also be seen at the 1869 Emmanuel Church, built on the eastern fringes of Bestwood when it was still a small farming community.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42eg-8_xqmh0R4dWRS1EkdlLevdsU5rR_8mcCOayWRO4QEXad7iZ8ySp1UvvY51stGWRx_PwIHwK9bL8nDF4fS3Kgv2MAid3jE2cghDVxnnk3Df0jl3a6R7hITBG_WctGpQzgSwdvCMTL/s1600/NTGM016436.jpg" /><br />
<i>Emmanuel Church, Bestwood (Courtesy <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM016436&pos=4&action=zoom&id=74727">Picture the Past</a>)</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSersTQlrYy2CEJLwis1270VnCGILUHYrkQqJtLU3n1ElhPJXUgfDcFZSD6tOvM31EX4MVA1sfNA9LJHrM0R0ChcGHDh6KVLNF_Sd3scf69YUnhlT4Ouo3_8kqNtsNjtJwNFMdoqXhrVUQ/s1600/Winding+Engine2.jpg" />
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<i>Bestwood Winding Engine today</i><br />
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2. A Colliery Company Village</b><br />
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The 10th Duke’s next ambitious scheme involved a partnership with mining entrepreneur John Lancaster. This was the planning of an entire community centred on a coal mine and ironworks company. Bestwood quickly became one of the best provided colliery villages in the county, with a school, cottages, offices and the pit engine winding house built during the 1870s alone.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKunRlmmDK1KYoyY9iWOs5vAZO9HW5AXbYcbDPfi6wp26kZ-ttgUAz2Ex7kRqqYkNVml6905pAjL4dR3o63rpI0EJvDT2s6S7GUAB-Zx3kqNEJ3Ef9ixy7a37sqVnfhOoKjunUNdPjSqFO/s1600/Bestwood_Village.jpg" /><br />
<i>Miners' cottages, Bestwood village (Courtesy <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NCCC001903&pos=69&action=zoom&id=39125">Picture the Past</a>)</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpy2oxlysGrtxXGsc7DpRabmzmuzsMidtmFmXLFYCKVcaiyR1eGqna8kTX4AxoB-Zr6GVTt4zj32o2EL9RT7v2UqA5AOy8LIEWbE45nozVDj52fH7VBadlK9z0LwXyLSpf_qx5nBuITG-P/s1600/Marks.jpg" /><br />
<i>St Mark's Church, Bestwood</i><br />
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The Bestwood Institute pub, St Mark's church and cemetery were completed the following decades, but it is perhaps the little things which are most evocative of the Company’s paternalism. Notice the initials and date stone plaques on the cottages, walled gardens and the green square – originally laid out for allotments. Nevertheless the Duke liked to keep work and home life separate: the hedgerows along Colliers Way were grown tall to keep the blackened miners from sight.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbzhUbNiEpjKUBc0vOeJdRF8uKxWueGCxLUbVbfqMxQSd_PJ9QWgGmu2Z6nWNqUgrgOkvxcNvo_kXxtXTisr_R-4OTXi03P2EQQjnr2OdH6-PppYGDYCpNY1iMcM65R2q-9IWoFE_nj3t/s1600/colliers+way.jpg" />
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<i>Colliers' Way, Bestwood, looking towards Arnold</i><br />
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<img border="0" br="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBZg_-uxER-c80ZlzlgIb-Mfe4lg-37wEXGWbPWCWludiOY91rKQ68gHnt69fM4GzD6BLAxuFC_lFn8oon8hFFRsPn3VLy_Xe7hSjm6mu4zSuu2s98sT5W9LMpoV0B9AjUDwiwpd4kjAL/s1600/Bestwood_railways.jpg" /><br />
<i>Great Northern Railway line towards Bestwood village</i><br />
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By 1901 Bestwood was so popular that there were three different railway company lines scrambling over themselves to feed on the iron and coal produced here. Most of this infrastructure was demolished following the Beeching axe of the 1960s but the cycle routes beside Hucknall Rd and Moor Road follow the old embankments. At its peak the Bestwood Coal & Iron Company employed around 2000 people, but by 1967 the coal mine was considered uneconomical and closed. In the decades that followed there begun a successful transformation of the ‘moonscape’ – the colliery slag heap – into a Country Park and the careful restoration of the engine winding house. The panoramic view from the top of the Country Park is one of the best in the county.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OPGeZ45sbqwLlPI-07Vwhj6Ie1KgEhHJ8XWLFxcW1U3_MHMFJYtA16eKdP8Grne4cvDpvBspkyJ1cs_e7oqdiCoqx1TuXp0X2zediM7N7NksR5vA4Hwpr-OxZ-HW2_spDXDv-eEMo7wV/s1600/Bestwood+Country+Park.jpg" />
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<i>Bestwood Country Park, looking north</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4CuXk7Yf0-ELhdaHT63g7OlF0-dboWMkHxBhG8IXQE-MgBzUEmCo1UY4luYHZgrpKJ-0iIW85__8SIfekl9gJWw5h6B4g0bKjOJ252JHDaTVAlTMTs1wn-yuibL2HOlSRjTfOUz-pZop/s1600/Lamin.jpg" /><br />
<i>Named after a pioneer farmer of the nineteenth century</i><br />
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<b>3. Farmers’ Fields & Bendigo’s Ring</b><br />
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Bestwood’s difficult soils were a magnet for have-a-go farmers from 1775 until they were covered in housing during the twentieth century. The estates and roads still recall the names of the various farms that stood here, such as Top Valley, Southglade, Bulwell Rise Farm, and Cherry Orchard Mount. Remarkably the hedgerows of Southglade Park beautifully preserves the field patterns of the old farm. The first pioneers failed because the soils were so light and pebbly but by the mid nineteenth century farmers such as George Lamin were highly regarded for developing new methods in manure and crop rotation.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxgN9fvH69-b4kKvC2VlVwYndvN_15wrpScezhKGc1gZo50P-UR8z7iZjJZDfjUXW2ZzLYB39mvCMP_cSWUlQ0iJsP4X1XCbhvJQtNk_aVaJwdDZIXcwEhvdE2rGNFmwiRNRRy5IqgqzJ/s1600/Southglade.jpg" /><br />
<i>Southglade Park today</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUM9NuRjiZR3Cv-mC5hI6_RuNUpSOGBeH2-5twpLrhDgfMtA-_UEnY4w0OfSBC68eYVGWMDBhPjHHhcNux73f-iVg4uGeoYv_63sr4C1JrzpzDd1k-OOMF1qGll1ipa5eUJBbussaa9xa9/s1600/SouthgladeFarm.jpg" />
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<i>The original hedgerows of Southglade Farm – still intact</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShtMVNO47Wn8qYThdq7kRtzuX0eShBvBRzit5-N8QcSPyRW7o6-Bs7819hy9TIBZk-cb1ZzASwc753J0FCH7Ra1xSY7nwL2BbVTq17RQiGvoh7vkSohxV7aQ_8Spqnc3HwimzBsj7mA-y/s1600/NTGM012451.jpg" /><br />
<i>Bendigo (Courtesy <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM012451&pos=9&action=zoom&id=63899">Picture the Past</a>)</i><br />
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Just as these fields were carefully being tended to, a man with an athletic appearance would have been walking here, searching for a suitable hill to conduct a boxing match. <a href="http://parallax-viewpoint.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/where-is-bendigos-ring.html">According to historical records</a> it appears that Sunrise Hill was the site of Bendigo’s Ring, rather than is popularly believed to be at nearby Glade Hill. Either way, it was one of these hills in Bestwood where twice champion bare-knuckle prize-fighter William Abednego Thompson, practiced and fought during the nineteenth century. He died in 1880 but lived an eventful life (politics, religion, drink) and was nationally famous.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicrIRSVCoFGhvGrC-lLKBjNoJ32okD1fiRSp5-6opcxwn_NDl-JYXCb2H5eKFpHilsWS7kS-GKQcXg98Rq75TkyOykFo9YCInLk8OGws8UwS8ADMpgj4j9gmYoFD9q3lG4ZmpvVgWxxbn/s1600/Bestwood_View2.jpg" /><br />
<i>The view looking west from from Sunrise Hill</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12rFGA_P7rUD_HiP4EOcXJlgrAXUyt_PD74vym2vpKTl_aar22ew7f8uELDiFn7Km6jbhPhgkyW4cNZyeHbal7QQLecRK6aNHU6PhOmUEMw5lyLJahIp25KpLqS1TWmYxu3kp_bpDkL_W/s1600/boundary.jpg" />
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<i>1877 Boundary Marker, near Bestwood village</i><br />
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<b>4. Growth of the City</b><br />
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By the end of the nineteenth century Nottingham was growing ever closer. Neighbouring Bulwell was incorporated in 1877 – notice the boundary markers – but the first real instance of the city starting to absorb Bestwood was the building of a fantastic pumping station by the Corporation in 1874. Taking advantage of the natural sandstone wells deep within Bestwood, the famous water engineer Thomas Hawksley saw this as an important step in supplying water to a growing industrial population. Yet this was not without some stipulation from the design conscious 10th Duke, who decided that the chimney should look like a church steeple!
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9zWupZTt5Mf6bCGC72qoK6_XVlKNfJrdS-AvZjA_qSRxPWxLiya1nfml0b9Q7mbBHGnH2jP74-nuHJWlrygdJetYhXpLGIXM_URH8r8lwP0wmdKNfAfZ2veVVlpRGASo3G7lZPjCQQr6/s1600/NTGM007662.jpg" /><br />
<i>Bestwood Pumping Station (<a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM007662&pos=2&action=zoom&id=59107">Courtesy Picture the Pa</a>st)</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULkI1F5wL6gEaJJhFTqvGtnGJGFHKUftuRhSPM69u9jOdYnxHHNSYAnYlRwu_gSg9DpwanIRjoU1ZsGRhxJKbEr6vk786XTaTFOjhRyfhPm3iTyv2Kuv1dh5_ElodYIfE5zCtfYwKOkzY/s1600/Bestwood30s.jpg" />
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<i>Bestwood Estate, built 1930s in the traditional garden city style</i><br />
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The City acquired Bestwood fields in the 1930s and spacious ‘garden city’ style houses were erected at Bestwood Estate. To the east, Bestwood Park Estate – with its incredible views – was 1959-1966, and though of similar style and materials to its predecessor you can spot subtle differences such as the brickwork and modernist porches.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4ymn-m6vRQCyPVHVb3uiWM48mSqK-CXqoP4k8L5r_J0JuEPlVtbg0AlUDaa029jstI-bHKcjJ5SAG8ot3Wk_PFJcdVnYqIpz-HtFwhRylMV-NhWvSPpWYTxEO_3o8KNE4zlpwABmLlM0/s1600/BestwoodBricks.jpg" />
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<i>Bestwood Park Estate - modern brickwork</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOi98AFIRtaZToBHyfCR_AR1TvYtxkAGhRw1F9vvvttOAYn2gdYVXUK7F-6yiqSQ1iT3U5XxzxGkH72DLauSnApyGAJTNDV-pN93AjrU7CH-rhT1r9CC-SzMAZUdutFmDnhyBgR0jNPQ_E/s1600/Bestwood60s.jpg" />
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<i>Bestwood Park Estate, built 1959-66</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsya7bCL8oUrFIbpMo8Gu4aoegoakju9NDNJDqjMMWEl8RA834oVncYB2xoOqEOS7Cie_siV6H2KDjJsXEjRES8iLz9DjS1mP9BwTlTLOvLYLRKZJq3uQSUhS3ZOFHfs9Fk6SkXbdQm7rZ/s1600/Bestwood60s.2.jpg" /><br />
<i>Bestwood Park Estate - modern porches</i><br />
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By the 60s and 70s car ownership had grown enormously and local authorities throughout the country struggled to accommodate the growth in traffic and concern for safety. One approach – Radburn planning – involved the separation of vehicles from pedestrians and this can been seen in the ring roads, cul-de-sacs, green space, precincts and multiple subways of Top Valley.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCaRHGa_gv6z6sUNeWsI0nhfnaCmBvo9lWfekvAIWvwWEtHODAe31bkEmG7nlEXeWb1HimXUQSrq3Y3FmnT581yrIs1FPeSTl1tK9f0sBOB-SS5V2nF_p1-mjCN4HaHyV_DKmMlqTUuWK/s1600/TopValley5.jpg" /><br />
<i>Top Valley estate underpass</i>Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-58484587620503099452014-09-10T07:47:00.004-07:002014-09-10T08:00:32.680-07:00New Guide Books: Bulwell, Basford & Bestwood<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqHzI067sJomXUSD_m8sTqEYA6cqchEQrIohgJeMwRJ_afIqiX1Zx_S2xYkOIZZtJhz6RDPN8lZHYjAE5No74ZLTuj_K3kRIhXovW4PZPRXUDxrPI6t6mAqhAdr7oz36K67CNNzIyaMar/s1600/Part13.jpg" />
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<br />
<b>New Booklets Launched </b><br />
This Friday, 12th September, 6pm at Bulwell Riverside<br />
Freely available throughout the city, in public libraries and all good civic locations.<br />
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<b>History Walks</b><br />
Bulwell Riverside, Bulwell, 1pm, 13th September<br />
Southglade Leisure Centre, Bestwood, 1pm, 4th October<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaEP9Lsc7XAMxLafhqxYTQPfdLUNun_kJF_Kjq0qqr88aBvBFLgM5B6m1s507mzOzak04wzndy0z9mT_Jdzq3LW3gfmn_w2gTIIQ5iDt2QLt4ezMDCUeqOnOetL4uW8wIbfTvBjmMZDEG/s1600/Part2.jpg" />
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I’ve just got back from a short holiday in the South West. Always feels like a different world down there – a real get away from it all break. This time however I couldn’t really get away from the Heritage and Tourism industry; shops full of tat, overpriced museums and affluent towns preserved in aspic. It felt atomised, alienating and hopeless. How are we going to solve problems of inequality, transport, housing and energy like this?<br />
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History is often associated with tourism and because I find interest in some of our under-appreciated towns, people often mutter, ‘do you really expect me to visit Basford or Bulwell?’. Well yes I think you should but I wouldn’t want those places to suffer the same fate as Bath or Wells – however impressive the townscape and conservation. And yes, there could be much more restoration in north Nottingham – such as those decaying tombs of our industrialist forebears – in fact don’t get me started. It seems the history of aristocratic life is pretty well looked after compared to the rise of democracy, education, mass employment and the improvement of working class standards of living. It is these lessor appreciated historic themes that you will find in abundance in Basford, Bulwell and Bestwood. And despite the decline of British industry, which was so central to peoples’ lives in this part of the world, those historic themes live on and offer hope for the future: such as the NET tram, the River Leen Greenway and the (nearly always) award winning NCT bus network.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51OvpyUEY3PU6Ke7VKdE3MuQy9AlCdoxblsMW7BsX5mhDxAAXoYJY7mquRxLEYWHdts3C7zWtz7NpKSvOJGFcXwfdNL9al7Y_X1q_1blXVlWZ6G1xy0pmZPXhxaKTnTMNbka9C6etfTVW/s1600/Part11.jpg" />
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I’m not the most confident in meeting people – historians are often shy characters who are more comfortable with dusty documents – but the most inspiring part has been talking with the local experts: Norman Wooton on the lost street of Old Bulwell (an amazing limestone world as yet completely uncatalgued by any other historian); The Rev Andy Morris & Councillor Jackie Morris deserve a PhD on North Nottingham; The Rev Elizabeth Snowden already is highly qualified on planning; so is David Amos on Bestwood and Nottinghamshire coal mining; Peter Sallis on the hosiery industry; Robert and Jillian Naylor on Bulwell St Mary’s and Mick Stafford at Basford St Leodigarious – who has done some excellent work in making the churchyard a beautiful garden.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwgdhAr7USBw3fpZZ_5j234bhoWyHKp6OnwA-dH1Z-rzZ3dxsfI0I_7oFg1oOL4js6_YSj9lO0I7Ei2jra3ze8WjPHa1augsRVWkztgICWcTnpckd4KpyzAnf4JD5jCex9bYBYcxMB1bL/s1600/Part7.jpg" />
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In fact you really must see the beautiful slate headstones at St Leodigarious but there are other places too which I enjoy returning: The Prince of Wales Brewery is impressive from every angle; following the traces of Old Bulwell; seeing the summer holidays being well spent at the Bogs; the breathtaking views from Bestwood Country Park; and the neighbourly industrial life around Old Basford – you don’t get that in a business park. If history is not about such places and their historic themes of manufacture and democracy then it is a pretty shallow subject in my opinion. <br />
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<img border="0" br="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MZOL6U36_Wx8Nc3NQPSna_DpD18YXRh92kdNeOwKvbwt28V4rc0RQONjDwC6WxklumWAp43NbSrtoGvCtgB2QJTlYlKA_gq1pkFgvLhMnbfl7geYIPP_kcx1f5eC-w-J8T4RuCkL7ZeW/s1600/Part9.jpg" /><br />
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Detailed blog posts about Bulwell, Basford and Bestwood coming soon ...Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-1690727293373495012014-07-07T02:34:00.001-07:002014-07-07T02:34:36.470-07:00North Nottingham: Summer Walks & Events<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkE-9196FHZ1EmW5AC7808h1_BMabDeBghe5TiSvgW_gQdImUIK9DEpzxqpkdefSSiu297mTimiOILti5lLrcsIUiU3WusOiLWt9BUUnMllUoJN11is_e1oAJIDOMXnn9jDkF2HXN-WNJq/s1600/41_TR_Summer6.jpg" />
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Look out for the above leaflet advertising TravelRight's latest series of history walks and events in North Nottingham. Here's a breakdown of the walks and events – some of which I'm leading. Hope to see you there!
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<b>Aspley, Broxtowe and Cinderhill on foot</b>
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Using the 'Garden City' history guide as a starting point, historian Chris Matthews will lead you on a leisurely guided group walk.
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• Meet at Aspley Library,
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Saturday 19th July, 11am
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<b>Sheila Russell History and Fun Day</b>
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An event for young and old in the enchanting garden of the Sheila Russell Community Centre. The event will feature children’s activities, a guided historical tour of old Bilborough, buffet lunch plus creative activities for guests of all ages to share their memories of the area.
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• Monday 28th July, 1-5pm
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<b>In search of abandoned canals</b>
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Explore the history of the old abandoned Nottingham Canal between Strelley and Trowell using the #35 bus guide. Includes a pub stop before returning. With Robert Howard.
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• Saturday 16th August, Meet at Bulwell Bus Station at 11am, or Wigman Rd Top number 35 bus stop at 11:20am
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<b>Bulwell History Walk</b>
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enowned for its stone quarries, framework knitters, busy shopping streets and “the battle of the bogs”, Bulwell was central to the social and economic changes of the Victorian period. Historian Chris Matthews will lead you through ancient streets stretching from an important river crossing in an industrial valley.
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• Meet at Bulwell Library. Saturday 23rd August, 11am<br />
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<b>Old Basford Trail</b>
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This walk brings to life a close-knit community at the forefront of the industrial revolution in Nottingham: bleachers, millers, hosieriers, brewing, non-conformists and a once busy parade of shops which grew from an old street pattern of sleepy village life. Led by historian Chris Matthews.
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• Meet at Basford Library, Saturday 30th August, 11am<br />
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<b>Contact us</b>
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• To book places or for more info on any of our activities, please call 0115 883 3732
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• Email:
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travelright@ridewise.org.uk
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• Visit our website:
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www.travelright.org.uk/nottingham
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• Like us on Facebook:
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www.facebook.com/travelrightnottingham
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• Follow us on Twitter:
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@TravelRight1Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-68343254321333728422014-03-16T10:47:00.002-07:002014-03-19T02:39:55.244-07:00New Guide Books: Aspley & Bilborough<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Pj8e2Fl7s3mKuKDI4RoMEdD6amU9KNBPCVs5PpTudE1FmtGexA1TXno6gzrujuROFrE9WMuCSvQD0p7haJ_O2bPvpli2ZmJwjJylJ5o9biOzTGRrv1xNkNIVgLKGczj2uyX_oSk4gjT2/s1600/TR_blog1.jpg" />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnB-hRwA8RFQrqej2jg9x6g0g3qU53IJrEWPBtRwnXP-rWTEs-LbKt3UP4SL8EOnIEVC2ogWECSJfeSfhEH1BxVq9DxLWB1QEq-TaOHHDeI1NFu_aecgLAEOXF_SB0Eehc_tFJWMKMDJQ/s1600/TR_blog.jpg" />
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<b>This is my latest piece of work:</b>
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Two designed and authored historical guides to walking and cycling in Aspley & Bilborough. This project has been commissioned by <a href="http://nottingham.travelright.org.uk/">TravelRight</a> in North Nottingham, who's job it is to encourage sustainable travel and community engagement. Their research has shown that people want to see much more walking and cycling, and that people in Nottingham are mad keen on their local history - so with that in mind Andy Parkinson got in touch with me, because of my previous work for the <a href="http://christopherpaulmatthews.co.uk/index.php/project/the-river-leen-greenway/">River Leen Greenwa</a>y and <a href="http://christopherpaulmatthews.co.uk/index.php/graphic-design/the-big-track/">Big Track</a>.<br />
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<b>Launch Event!</b><br />
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Join us in the beautiful setting of Bilborough St John’s church for a talk about the history of the area including specially sourced archive film footage. Refreshments provided.<br />
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• Saturday 5th April, 6–8pm <br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZcHkZSxs-6pPiuPFRbyPXbS5UXerXdLcK8da3HjpA4G1wBejYK-DFfTKQ8DshBHCgB_DrbjXxhOtd5Uhu8NPwi2ObICBBlT-VD2a7PtCGYZMMKCwkt6EaWQQMWWlgJPEkNK33uikMYjk/s1600/TR_blog2.jpg" />
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These new booklets will be freely available from most public libraries and community groups mentioned below. You can also get in touch with TravelRight directly and ask for you own copy.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymSRNbMEn92dRdP8jy1JhEEJF0t9uRNGmcRa64lb7p26K5uaX3KBeW0DmQo2zcIgekFJZS7hHTbK5rKFjGW6rGdpgNlhJfBDxlGEwng5Spi23iXb45R4LdE2-aJNVJHi5UTEBe9z7DO56/s1600/TR_blog3.jpg" />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwBLoYfxBjCEosJX84f8Gpmjf70Hc-LTh8BCL5DtE86JD4pt5teAu6v6A-0EPRKrVClML53OkXdgnJqujUigOhCqS6tbF0hP73cscDpKa9IgXxSF7CXgDJ7Lys2s5XGLQ_oN_DG77a5vf/s1600/TR_blog4.jpg" />
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<b>Also available online:</b><br />
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A New World: <a href="http://internetcurtains.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/a-new-world-beechdale-bilborough.html">Blog</a> & <a href="http://christopherpaulmatthews.co.uk/files/Bilborough_web_view.pdf">Booklet</a><br />
Garden City: <a href="http://internetcurtains.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/garden-city-aspley-cinderhill-broxtowe.html">Blog</a> & <a href="http://christopherpaulmatthews.co.uk/files/Aspley_web_view.pdf">Booklet</a><br />
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<b>Thanks goes to:</b>
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I would like to acknowledge the following local people and organisations who helped to make these booklets possible - I apologise to them if this was not up to scratch but can assure that I tried my best! If I forgot to mention anyone here you are welcome to collar me at any time!
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At the <a href="http://www.stjohnthebaptistbilborough.org.uk/">Church of St John the Baptist</a> in Bilborough, Keith Wood (Secretary) and Margaret Wood (Reader) were kind enough to let me wonder around all parts of the building. Reverend Mandy Cartwright was also good enough to engage with the Twentieth Century Society, who visited in February 2013.
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Elain Harwood from English Heritage. who arranged a lovely bus tour through Bilborough in 2012, and was very enlightening on the prefabricated schools and housing.<br />
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Nearby at <a href="http://www.grasshopper-hosting.co.uk/Diocese/10_Parishes/020St%20Hugh%20of%20Lincoln.htm">St Hugh</a>, Canon Edward Walker was very enthusiastic about the history of not only St Hugh but also the planning of the shops on Bracebridge Drive. I would also like to thank him for finding my camera case (!), and I apologise that images of St Hugh did not make the final booklet - but they are here in this blog.
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Canon Edward Walker advised a visit to <a href="http://www.grasshopper-hosting.co.uk/Diocese/10_Parishes/019St%20Teresa%20of%20Lisieux.htm">St Teresa of Aspley</a>, and here Margaret Brown, (Pastoral Assistant) was very kind to arrange a visit and talk about the history of the church. Margaret interestingly pointed out how the church was often a port of call for Irish, Polish and Indian immigrants to the city.
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At <a href="http://www.stmartinsbilborough.org.uk/">St Martin’s Church in Bilborough</a>, Hilary Wheat (Churchwarden) and John Day (Reader), were a mine of information and very helpful. Let’s hope they are successful in <a href="http://www.stmartinsbilborough.org.uk/repairing-st-martins/murals-at-st-martins/">restoring those Evelyn Gibbs murals</a>. Terry Johnston was also able to point me in the right direction for those bell pits, and will hopefully be publishing his own detailed histories of the area in the future.
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Nearby, <a href="http://www.strelley.com/strelley-hall-history.html">Marian Henshell at Strelley Hall</a> and All Saints Church Strelley, kindly granted access to both the church and the hall. If you want to do the same, you are more than welcome, so get in touch.
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The staff at Nottingham Central Library dug out all the very useful folders about the suburbs from the stack - all compiled by library staff over the years. What a great service.
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Unfortunately The Land Registry did not get round to granting me access to take pictures of the <a href="http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/n/nottingham_war_room/index.html">Nuclear Bunker,</a> but they did follow my enquiry for a while - I understand the difficulties involved. <br />
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I kept missing the Revd Joan Whysall at <a href="http://www.achurchnearyou.com/cinderhill-christ-church/">Christ Church Cinderhill</a> - my apologies, I will have to arrange a visit some time in the future.
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Farmer John Blant of Strelley Village knew everything about Strelley Village and if he didn’t, he knew someone who did.
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The East Midlands Collection, The University of Nottingham - always very efficient and brilliantly useful.
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I also must have drove the staff at Nottinghamshire Archives round the bend with all my odd requests - such as a record (akin to the Doomesday Book) on the Bilborough Council tenants from the 40s to the 60s. There is a mine of information there for future historians of the Twentieth Century. Chris Weir was also very hepful in my Bulwell requests. <br />
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At the Newcastle Arms Pub, Nuthall Road & Aspley Library they kindly allowed me to take photographs.
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Nottingham City Council’s Insight and <a href="http://info.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/insightmapping/">'Nomad'</a> GIS mapping service is an excellent tool for online historians.<br />
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Dora Wood at Portland Primary School was able to agree to my surprise visit, whereupon Dave Hoyles of the Westwick Road Residents Association was an unsurpassed guide to the area.<br />
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The Notts & Derbys public service, <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/">Picture the Past</a> were able to supply and grant permission to use the archive photographs featured in the booklet. Special thanks here goes to Nick Tomlinson.
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Norman Wooton, a Bulwell historian, who though by his own admission not an expert on these areas but was always encouraging about the history of North Nottingham in general.
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Andy Parkinson and Juliet Line at TravelRight. I couldn't ask for a better client, both in terms values, and professionalism. <br />
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Andy at Purely Digital of Derby was able see a better way of folding the booklets and advise on sustainable paper. Also Jack, Wayne, Sarah and Steve were very helpful in producing a very finely printed pair of booklets. </div>
Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-74652913615940442032014-03-16T10:31:00.000-07:002014-03-17T10:49:48.690-07:00A New World: Beechdale, Bilborough & Strelley <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2syse3HCmqGQ7XTluyYD3IGWKPv1O3fvhiRRTkbRwiUpo6J9ttyjPe4gJxV0xiXrWgabDV0eqGAUyCbcq39dkBEneXqyOdpd_vT4x-oykxAN1r82Dy3IqJUzXF6C1AES38r6E4yoVTZ9/s1600/Bilborough+St+John6.jpg" />
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<i>The interior of Bilborough St John</i><br />
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This area continued some of the Garden City ideals of Aspley, but here the outlook was altogether more like a 'New Town'. It was mainly built during late 1940s and early 50s, an era christened as a ‘New World', when innovation and optimism were needed to re-build Britain in the years immediately after the Second World War.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vy2i0cZJ9QY" width="459"></iframe><br />
<i>Video about the national thinking behind Bilborough</i><br />
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Many of the schools and council houses were built with the latest technology in pre-fabrication and Bilborough received royalty and cabinet ministers who were keen to see the important changes being made. The church of St John is most characteristic of the post-war period, while the <a href="http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/n/nottingham_war_room/index.html">nuclear bunker</a> at Chalfont Drive is a stark reminder of that fading optimism. A part of the old Bilborough village can still be seen today, nestled around the medieval church of St Martin. Nearby, evidence of the preindustrial world of agriculture survives at Strelley Village. It is here where the city ends and the Green Belt begins: a ring of countryside earmarked to contain the city and conserve the countryside. Yet the treasure trove of medieval and Georgian buildings which survive here actually derived their wealth from one of the earliest coalfields in Nottinghamshire, where the seams rise close to the surface and shallow 'bell-pits' have left pock marks on the land.
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<b>1. A New World </b>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXP_aclTq3jixTXdHYtU_GPnckthq2GhVUXDUy7oRDgbrHIo_fuRpeUWhjyBQR55mfUiLUtIxo5Oivb-n1QlclcWC6POwsvY6uy3th6M97QzzcLqwBRQMG0tW_t0Msl49uiG1Il-6sQ7_/s1600/Harvey+Hadden+Stadium1.jpg" />
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<i>Harvey Hadden Stadium, first built in the 1950s</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QsjGPcKxIM_1vtF9MkwRJLn1JYmD7CVG1lZZGh7kQpiOJST5OxtW-HOg-O803geD9TAfJlv6VtUqF11yDd8wXN7WqnMUX2VtQ-grPRSZzqVvUvIbpv62Jyq7sn37xRQtSI4b5QlUiUJq/s1600/bracebridge.jpg" />
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<i>Advert for the new Bracebridge Drive Co-op</i><br />
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<i>The council determining the type of shop according to the local needs, as construction of the shops progressed the council invited tenders for the particular shop. The successful tenants being, No.79, Albert Padley Grocer, No. 81 Victor Thompson, shopkeeper with sub post office; No. 83, Henry Kenneth Baxter, hardware; No. 85, Harry Roberts fruiterer; No. 87, Frederick Abel Ltd, butcher; and No. 89, Albert Bambing, Fried Fish. Sites later being allocated to; - No. 59, the Nottingham Trustee Savings Bank; No. 67, J.H. Dewhurst, butcher; No. 69, J.D. Marsden, grocer; No.71, Boots Pharmacist and No. 73, the Nottingham Co-operative Society.</i><br />
Lawrence Marson, <i>A History of Bilborough</i> (n.d.)<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrSTGDrmOTNmt_G3TQFTQUKiZSE-ha-SZPX7VpmM3vDP-3hX4AewNdMaDfQfYr3dQyDgXhltcHw7x9eYE-TYXXAKhVhbgqE_-i7VLG1wN7FRKjaMfco-vMlT8HId4TB2rksalZT6n8T_b/s1600/Glaisdale+Drive+Industrial+Estate1.jpg" />
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<i>Part of the Glaisdale Drive Industrial Estate - this was originally Farrands, and latterly a printers </i><br />
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The area of Bilborough, Beechdale and Strelley was planned with its own industries, a sports centre, a grammar school (now a college) and modernist schools and churches. Shops were conveniently planned in centres such as Bracebridge Drive, while Glaisdale Drive became one of the largest industrial estates in the city, with perhaps the most impressive structure <a href="http://www.ribapix.com/index.php?a=wordsearch&s=item&key=Wczo4OiJmYXJyYW5kcyI7&pg=1">originally built by Farrands</a> the retail grocers. Built in 1955 Harvey Hadden quickly became the most important athletics ground in the city. Nearby, the former bus depot was complete only a few years before and is a reminder of the city's ambitions for an expanding bus network. Schools such as Robert Shaw Primary broke with tradition and were built with curved lines and flat roofs.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjFiQcnssHR_a3suxe7bJjhSjslGdvtK-IPN1QDtz9SIIAQ6VJ7jnxlYfOh1gxQRDz3nXCEdyHfW9l6FDF5dHaTjMdg5skyGPfUjSyvwXOM90uJKjERCSdbzV_G81DDEnzicG7MtG2JS_/s1600/Bilborough+St+John11.jpg" /><br />
<i>Bilborough St John, built in the 1950s</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pzOjvWkwoqXD7JRZY2gIwwhmDCnBkTX1G6EXa50xcFPklbMNmzU5izKgVisafPY_QBDEcJAs18Hh_NLU9YWyqxDgXQo9C6dlnuvU8DIZPVjfkE7wK8op03n6ZuJnjwzuF0OrWqIifhab/s1600/Bilborough+St+John.jpg" /><br />
<i>Interior - with many original furnishings</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4fO3arohi_3PaD3pbkL1_NvD0WRVDrpk8yuG9DBgXRLe-JmV9E3IiYPtjSkZCcb5bM_lw07E9YNBzxyEp4u4yDROZ4kLVmspXaJjNMaroK2nQ5e7QwTvUkZf6VcAERfBjENO5fcPy5Dn/s1600/Bilborough+St+John7.jpg" />
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<i>Ancient signs, modern murals - the one on the left represents man</i><br />
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The churches however are the most modern, even the old Bilborough St Martin didn't escape the times. This was painted with a mural by the artist Evelyn Gibbs, founder of the acclaimed Midland Group. Bilborough St John The Baptist is perhaps the city's finest example of the 1951 Festival of Britain style, designed by local architects Broadhead & Royle (Frank Broadhead also did the more widely known <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jc-arch/4389968001/in/set-72157623313971460">New Castle House</a>, on Castle Boulevard). It features wonderful mosaics, which were actually early Christian symbols found during research for Coventry Cathedral. The original parish of St John migrated from Narrow Marsh after it was bombed in 1941. In Coventry the <i>Tablets of the Word</i> by the letter carver <a href="http://patrickhumphreys.tumblr.com/post/51585743115/ralph-beyer-three-of-eight-tablets-of-the">Ralph Beyer</a> show similar ancient Christian signs. Beyer was influenced by family friend <a href="http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dsuuKUag8EkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Rudolf+Koch+ancient+signs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NlAYU4XhBcmXhQf1m4DIBQ&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Rudolf%20Koch%20ancient%20signs&f=false">Rudoplh Koch</a> who wrote a book on the subject and the same signs from his book (reprinted in 1955) can be seen at Bilborough St John - great stuff! <br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHoSSnntyb-ZM8yWxAYswhT5oEdafYgv098jverlqU4ITqgXJ_oPf9iHKhP-397yROIrVEKlHgYeCRg30_cvGrW3ABBMXBHuQU-U0y_ar1tGf6a0yUoH_0Cado5z_z2Bwm9dIwM3m5zLIM/s1600/Church+of+St+Hugh+Bilborough4.jpg" />
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<i>Parabolic roof #1 at Bilborough St Hugh</i><br />
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<img border="0" br="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YgwxSYymKw-nwn7bDWNfi8VoHJSfEvQ8mRCYvNnKz5rg8vIFyD4iB34lnJe8vQynx5tQ37qKzMvCSK4fKhTtDf0zq0x5XDsTPVPJIXOrEqe65vrBavQdY5o6_C5KdRMQcaAbBxaK1DIQ/s1600/St+Martin%2527s+Church+Bilborough4.jpg" /><br />
<i>The Evelyn Gibbs murals at </i><i>Bilborough St Martin</i><i> - hopefully to be repaired soon</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFYR9f8ga7qmlwI0fDCWIhmdHdIixMfQn02H8v4tVgKH-gP7TnQZQFoGVzUufynA4z5Fv4X9Su76fQ9Xoq1oHsdP9OBWJmRa_-c-wC1T1_JtWEpeAQ2GBiyGa7Y4kM_GEZToE6hBF9RIO/s1600/St+Teresa+Aspley3.jpg" />
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<i>Parabolic roof #2 at Aspley St Teresa</i><br />
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Nearby the Catholic Church of St Hugh features an impressive parabolic (strong curve) roof designed by John Rochford and Partners, who were also responsible for the structurally adventurous St Teresa’s in Aspley. Both were complete during the 1960s. Yet that post-war optimism quickly faded as the cold war developed; the <a href="http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/n/nottingham_war_room/index.html">50s concrete bunker "RSG3" at Chalfont Drive</a> was one of 13 regional government bunkers to be built in case of nuclear fall-out.
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<b>2. Pre-fabrication</b>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0hJNn_pUQ-gy2ufTqU_oHwnWMQjO_25esxdOazW4W5PDEBdzY77ymnpB6EjtZ9nNX_6WRUUkkZMIW5HgaePKhfZxUA34uAwe4Tr2V-NNMT9cKsADmh8cUVNrCydSCu5f6k1TT3L4AVrF/s1600/BISF+House+Bilborough.jpg" />
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<i>A currogated steel house in Bilborough - manufacture by BISF</i><br />
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<i>The first BISF houses were let in the late months of 1947 at a rent of twenty one shillings and eleven pence, which included electricity at a concessionary rate since both the electricity and gas were then produced in the city by the Nottingham Corporation. A list of do’s and don’ts was supplied to each householder for strict observation. The first item being that the rent shall be paid promptly every Monday morning to the rent collector. In all there were sixteen items to be observed which included the height of the privet hedgerow not to exceed four feet; that the keeping of fowls, ducks, rabbits and pigeons was strictly forbidden and the attachment of outdoor wireless aerials to chimney stacks also forbidden. </i><br />
Lawrence Marson, <i>A History of Bilborough</i> (n.d.)<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBK2tin4q7AftrEiKHxTspy0drV9QFxfXk_juX00jH0eeNlfGTlDajeSv1POu3DsJAQiAFqiTiKDbJoX5Fw_5jk0srS5Fp4O_XJerCYw8TKzPyinaVN1BBA0ds5T9Cp_alXQaViEFHLqd/s1600/NTGM017276.jpg" />
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<i>The first bungalows along the western side of Wigman Road</i><br />
<i>(Courtesy <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM017276&pos=2&action=zoom&id=77899">Picture the Past</a>)</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_91oyuijJTrPUaa0joPIpXTV38Gw2mWi4kvxekzBw1hR7n6dPEEDWJhkA7OypgnSc63T6WVJzbSKLXUlTt6tLXgxHQyGG5ME6sVtILUHtRFN-k0JrcfQ1dP1hCfeffao5VdegwmZYhCU_/s1600/bungalow.jpg" /><br />
<i>The bungalows in their later years (Courtesy <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM017276&pos=2&action=zoom&id=77899">Picture the Past</a>)</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyUwXK3rfo0GmuD781ev-0NZbdfzfh106DjJIeF-7vyX7CelVKrCtFu0Orgro5FxN2WKWeRKmVvemF8-nE4-PDavC4JLsHWjo3TZEhH-Wvj9E0_fGSkfmfWnDwEr8WSolkXAFWarSjUJH/s1600/Former+Alluminium+Bungalows+Beechdale.jpg" />
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<i>Some of the earliest aluminium bungalows at Beechdale - since bricked up</i><br />
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In the late 1940s pre-fabrication was necessary because 11,000 people were on the council's waiting list while materials and labour were scarce. So much in fact that prisoners of war were employed on-site for a time. Among the first to be built were the aluminium bungalows on the west side of Wigman Road. These houses could be mass produced at a factory and then erected within a week. Accompanying these came a thousand houses manufactured by the British Iron and Steel Federation, which were all-steel houses with a concrete base. These were being let by late 1947, by which time the order for "No Fines" houses was well underway.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ynf0isexrrbL6boStYOY-FsvtO7Qkk-e0VO8pvkXeeV1TCzLEUiXpEKfWBl2v62kRHWLWotDD8sZPaYYTGJSoNAk9O1-DDgetP-1QyCGqCft5lL4_jtlcg-OXmjRhBYAbElcEdolGz3a/s1600/Tarran+Newland+House+Bilborough2.jpg" />
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<i>A Terran Newland prefabricated concrete panel house </i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-L0uXxcNikQ151dznrBbLTd4Mw1hioi0padgah8pXUzQrOBMgOA010kTChWi7zfXzPCpqTz-A43lRNG-k_VYsY4No7emJjgXKJtqUXA3-oxW52eJGYF0Z7wOowwLAyhrS1BkMjoBrry1x/s1600/Wimpey+No+Fines+House+Bilborough.jpg" />
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<i>Wimpey no-fines poured concrete houses along Bracebridge Drive</i><br />
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These were poured concrete houses made from a special concrete containing no fine aggregates (hence the name) and manufactured by Wimpey, at first on the upper part of Wigman Road. In the far west of the estate around Cockington Road are the Terran Newland houses, a prefabricated concrete panel house made by a firm based at Hull. Today most of these houses have been refaced with brick, but the original proportions (and some features) remain.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aIvLlAtFNBof23f5S_neTk9KWP6fNMrH1RZzQFFsofh4gPLAX9tpxK5dRYO2C1wjxwigwpRhbh3Dcn_pUT1pHKvbcSMWHtFV1PXKE9eya-Imk17NRT75_arn8PhmQG9aPiTz9KI0vTNa/s1600/Aluminium+Portland+Primary+School3.jpg" />
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<i>The aluminium Portland Primary school - made by an aeroplane company</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlMJAn8hVEGPqCLMJXvEyI_46_-Z6l_0bzEdEVd0kGqjOszdzj0x6cvatq1EksWbfqERie9rhgKOkkqOk9zlbrq69cHccnOxfXt7yUYh4thtHHzK6zqP7eYXeZJHnR9a9fqyXs64oM2Hp/s1600/AlluminiumSchool2.jpg" />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The Bristol Aeroplane Company's designs from the 40</i>s<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoRDFMdaHz60wgSSSGtNDcLdM7ebSS7hvf3VF50jIrEcOafTGUbUcjSL1vbQnuzM1cs1FfTyFHPYeGh_QWA6gT9n3BpsDZZekHTeD6vAGoxvu8vxxO2QZicBRWG9HFoVAb8cKNnYQhsAU/s1600/Strelley+Estate.jpg" />
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<i>The early 1950s traditional brick houses of Strelley estate</i><br />
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Even some of the schools were ready made; Portland School was built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which specialised in aluminium buildings. Strelley housing estate meanwhile was built of brick in the early 50s and marks the point where materials were no longer as scarce.<br />
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<b>3. Old Bilborough </b>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_7wiDMqjimxu1WaTj7FxQOHEsvNZmpPJ3-mUQdVTeF8dsfX5gqbTsIOPhEjIGc1KIcgiL0M6fKxfGtYCJKMgNSyR15MK_ds3FJytXsl7J6Qc2CqOw-GCoDrmpNIIfWPwwAf5S1LdXHdE/s1600/bilborouhgvillage.jpg" />
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<i>Bilborough Village on the eve of change (Courtesy F W Stevenson and Picture the Past)</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiut31fGNglBtQQ6XCKSf5gKPp6pq8b0TvcbAvZMwCrTjjmIqLae8Bk3Ou7iOIeqHaWTecUXLCr4S5T2tddZZh8XFRCZg0hzWbzsNjep80xhyWk1D_pD2gy-tXQEuDI69fN-oxRsPhaheUJ/s1600/to_the_parish_church.jpg" />
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<i>A pre-war sign directing the new council tenants to the church</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjMj827gHU2iLUOMtoPg7JYhHaEOFcrQA2SX7dnzvjRVJux44OkFp6IiunszKrPMn8rwwF_3EAG4E8G6xb3uB5en_7MG4jB4_54KiaL2kcSSJRfhW8oEA0SEzzD1_msknOyCa3NtCbxIX/s1600/The+Old+Forge+Bilborough3.jpg" />
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<i>The Old Forge - built of sandstone, quarried nearby</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>There was even a blacksmith in Bilborough Village, which I had to pass through to get to Strelley. He was a squat, surly malcontent who shouted at the estate kids to “clear off” if we poked our heads round the open door of his forge to watch, awestruck, as he hammered the red-hot shoes for the giant shire horses of Appleyard’s farm. The days past slowly in that first summer, and outside of the house the world had become a fascinating place’. </i><br />
Derrick Buttress, ‘Broxtowe Boy’, (2004), writing about summer 1939<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2sCOFYiWfZ174n3YVJoEdnSZ8BNltgXPRkABIvMNW7q7g3M0SdKrn9Qr2ojYQsOmMfYfETrcYVCWOwQv6_Ls6XPcnBGgoM4Pys0BuPWRY2a2oEd9u08TSwo5KSfAN0oiZHDtx1iXzF6G/s1600/Old+Bilborough+Village.jpg" />
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<i>Old farm buildings nestling beside each other at Bilborough village</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRx7EEDhn1Yv51Wflp3_FBqvXW93J9MBnPTexrRSXQXBXGiXrnlEUOeHd0l8v7ptioSkrMyconBc-YG41oWU8zdsvnw0EyHpxewZ_4bAG3R4n_idZCOeCw23aT3plUbCfPsD1VE9APyTcA/s1600/St+Martin%2527s+Cottages+Bilborough.jpg" />
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<i>St Martin's Cottages, Bilborough</i><br />
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Situated off the beaten track is the original Bilborough village, an important historic reminder of agricultural life before the surrounding council houses were built. A number of buildings are listed, among the earliest being St Martin's Cottages and dating from at least the eighteenth century. Forge Cottages as its name suggests was the local blacksmith's from circa 1800, while the rectory is a somewhat grander building, built in 1842 to house the Rector of St Martin's. The Church of St Martin dates from the late fourteenth century, and houses some historic relics which are important in Nottinghamshire history. The Helwys memorial, dated from the 1590s, commemorates a family which founded the Baptist Church, while the Thomas Barber plaque reminds us of the origins of one of the big coal mining dynasties.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwlurpz6bGUIDANIPvqNb6ybiHHB7b9V5VeytWcIVZCj1vz0t5i_FruIQcf1mzDRE46W-oY5Blu5w_bFlTZBfxJobX6mDj2oed0cWR1JM1BZ7yCP-gEOhmTZfEGEMEsudON_isnf65U_8/s1600/St+Martin%2527s+Church+Bilborough2.jpg" /><br />
<i>The medieval parish church of St Martin's Bilborough</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAy5kcg80TPOlgaEqjD8vXg9oZbHKpeBmTTUqDB-dWd4mrq90YHotYFS8sJ9z0NfapImf5A7DOfC3MMxOqPYkcsi3v3Am-7LRWQUsBqRN_asn3TjMBNkGFVcswKlCYKRVQnV05JK43cCE1/s1600/St+Martin%2527s+Church+Bilborough3.jpg" />
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<i>Possibly mid-late Victorian door fitting at St Martin's Church</i><br />
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The church itself is similar to St Patrick's Nuthall with an impressive porch, gravestones from the eighteenth century and Victorian fittings. Surrounding the village there are further reminders of Bilborough's agricultural past, such as Manor Farm, and the Sheila Russell Community Centre, which both date from the nineteenth century. Spring Bank Cottages also dates from that time, while the site of Grange Farm has much older origins, possibly the middle ages.
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<b>4. Strelley & The Green Belt </b><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbRmqalMc-TwHkeePsTQp9MyWEHtdJ2uyM9hbpyff09AbMBXDQXHu1SCaU0-zH3db84f-dYrE9Vw3vJjo-pJRI9G4bEWGNyrQ-pPKYRoWfE6OyAW5BpmYavbluYmNOce8O2Wjt2_i3pjf/s1600/All+Saints+Church+Strelley.jpg" />
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<i>One of the finest parish churches in Nottinghamshire - Strelley All Saints</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHLxyBH-QiJ40vTTNWLYWIylVJcXLaKhc6fMse5PcePrUYGOqLHLTttKT7_bn80uNSRwJIPJ7G_qns6OtrMSe_h1tRfx7HgR9uE_BN7YisToEbi8ibPX7n3p63qS2eVUCrCfngL0oYf9V/s1600/Strelley+Church4.jpg" />
<i><br />Alabaster monument - commisioned by the Strelley family, 1501</i>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQAEa5DVyUPSlKebh1fNOv0WTBU31K88Zv5smqpLqIDlfIs3bUZ2LhBs09QWFkFQ1-pChf4DqeNjFSHm8ZgsmGXGIGDJWbN_AAcd3zm_GdKVs_JOhO9V9ynuqMmvsKWo0LYXKGctt41xd/s1600/Strelley+Church3.jpg" />
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<i>Brass of Isabel Strelley, 1487</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlF8jOvqB6p7SayOrMTWswa3RFhiGaEmq53G_-giw_ZQcrEhMU9m6yfMNm_YsUwZq4uk32neAqH7FB3AhPeYvX2UXv0PmOSbVtYgM1-Ejwv6OBxBmUwFjI6aWxMkEnpWU5-4z4q5xEe4PH/s1600/Strelley+Village+%2528Medieval%2529.jpg" />
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<i>Medieval townscape - the original site of Strelley Village</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj4k4dl4dzhMYSbCAMb59WN8uu5x5-j0cpUMDwOf88ARtL0GV-6ZkHrw33IOS90TWcWCE_HriiqSIRpesKIp0FtXwcpA8BWwk7Hzo_O-4rx8zMDijqhEdvWJPWb9XFFRzxXL6sfv3v_v4/s1600/Monks+Way+Strelley+Village2.jpg" />
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<i>The stone slabs of 'Monks Way' more likely a packhorse route for coal, than a pilgrimage path</i><br />
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As the new housing estates spread out from the city in the 1920s and 30s, people became concerned about sprawl and the loss of farming land. In 1947 The Town & Country Planning Act designated areas of land known as a 'green belt', which could not be built on and would limit the spread of British cities. Strelley village marks the point when the Nottingham green belt begins and despite the M1 motorway (built during the 1960s) it is still surrounded by agricultural fields. Yet the ancient buildings and monuments here were also financed through coal mining. From the fourteenth to the seventeenth century the profits gained from mining were managed by the Strelley family, who built the Church of All Saints - one of the finest medieval churches in the county. Strelley was one of the earliest coal fields in Notts with the remains of old bell pits visible from the field gate adjacent Broad Oak Farm House and south of the business park. Supposedly a pilgrimage path, Monks Way was more likely a packhorse route for distributing coal.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PTG2P3Da2xAOQkNLYwobadO4wKUZz0od4NWh4ZwO9UmbXJ9j7ONlMV9GkCG7id_zaEleD0ia4r64p9Ty1C11NkLmmILUDEO6Pl11168X-xcl83HGd5ISpnEjCIoBImBtmXLwtLsi_ZB5/s1600/Strelley+Hall1.jpg" />
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<i>Strelley Hall, built by the Edge family in the 1790s</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHy22jGALpJDIRqNEkyxhZ4PZWLD62uz7lBm3EeRj0fwr9KF6goKLsdtR1L8vZptXQ_ftZpxtjOqIMNIWFtTOmzYPe59T5t_2C_feoc3PPSozltUpTyulJRiI_7g-XSHZQ7YskKrkLhK2/s1600/Strelley+Hall2.jpg" />
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<i>Entrance to Strelley Hall</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPo4RUTWsWPruMBQhPlYhLXvPzf1YYxVRbyevDgXdDcE00VJngyDjYVnejJXzfPyuzoCghrI3HtUG91uXQh_yG63G8Qkvm4FpCMAs6Vpi_RocaYO1o_NoioHc5GYsvpjJ9Utu25X30-wxQ/s1600/Old+grounds+of+Strelley+Hall2.jpg" />
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<i>The grounds Strelley Hall - </i><i>landscaped during the 1790s</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqIdGO2_v4BvxqcMzZIuPP6kwcCbxCk1SxhcPFT8uLDhh6O3jkgQboRe2Db_QyjRyM_-BWK2aP4UNMohtCqpY_jP7m-oOvjKUJ9qtHAeQ082-DnnFwP0btHEcfnQdMN9mj8RKYWaM4H8B/s1600/Strelley+Village+%2528Georgian%2529.jpg" />
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<i>The later site of Strelley Village from the 1790s onwards</i><br />
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From the late seventeenth century the estate was looked after by the Edge family. In the 1790s T. W. Edge built Strelley Hall, which features an excellent cantilever staircase. For the sake of improvement, he also demolished the old village towards the church, built the present one and landscaped the grounds. This was a common practice known as 'emparking'.<br />
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<b>Reading</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i><span style="font-style: normal;">Nottingham Local Studies Library, </span>Bilborough Suburb Pack</i></li>
<li><i><span style="font-style: normal;">Nottingham Local Studies Library, </span>Strelley Village Pack</i></li>
<li>Lawrence Marson, <i>A history of Bilborough from An Anglo Saxon settlement to a modern community </i>(n.d.)<i><br /></i></li>
<li>Geoffrey Oldfield, <i>The illustrated history of Nottingham's suburbs</i>, (2009) </li>
<li>John Brunton and Andy Smart, <i>Memories of the estates Aspley, Bilborough, Broxtowe & Strelley</i>, Nottingham Bygones (2002)</li>
<li>N. Pevsner, <i>Buildings of England: Nottinghamshire</i> (1979)</li>
<li>J. Becket, <i>A Centenary History of Nottingham</i> (1997)</li>
<li>D. Kynaston, <i>Austerity Britain 1945-51</i> (2008)</li>
</ul>
Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-20701408216235027712014-03-16T10:22:00.001-07:002014-03-17T10:53:46.518-07:00Garden City: Aspley, Cinderhill & Broxtowe <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ylY1x4TOQ1Rqesfmo-x_bMnRZubnSuKXct3Qn01BKuqMsTargffz2e-0lJTI3lmW-0toF0BCce79mdR72Tfy76UInq_HxzwdM81npXo68Md6skCLrWd08guREwppB21j10kZntNop-nC/s1600/NTGM001932.jpg" />
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<i>1930s Council housing design in Aspley, Nottingham: "variation in a formal setting".</i><br />
<i>(Courtesy <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?action=printdetails&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM001932&prevUrl=">Picture the Past</a>)</i><br />
<i><br />In the early spring of 1939... we joined the exodus of families, most of them from the old slum areas, to the new estates west of the city. Nottingham had an admirable record of slum clearance and re-housing from 1919 until well into the 20th Century. Broxtowe Estate was an expression of that pioneering energy. It was built of ugly red brick, but designed with good intent, plotted and planned for a new way of life.</i>
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Derrick Buttress, <i>Broxtowe Boy</i>, (2004) <br />
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This area is home to Nottingham’s largest example of the Garden City, an urban planning concept that sought to bring together aspects of town, country and industry. Built during the 1920s and 30s, these council houses marked the biggest advance of living standards in Nottingham's history; all were supplied with running water, flushing toilet, gas, gardens and electric fittings - amenities which thousands had previously been deprived of. The fresh air from these hills must have appealed to the council house tenants as they left behind them not only the smokestacks of the city, but also the slums of <a href="http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/learning/healthhousing/theme1/photographs.aspx">Narrow Marsh</a>. In the rush to make these improvements little thought was given to preserving evidence of the past, except for Thomas North's collieries and railway lines, many of which were still producing coal at that time.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv17AVkIEal2QS5TSmhtlZ_Bcj_81j5RovkW2M_v_BslQZHRXhNjPmtYuzCTGxjOL1Ar2Ezn8qfcOlEFfem1da9Qn3EKVE1HtSZqN9ym8PicjXxoeKpDlgHXNnMq6jcaTjXK6P0j5z8eZt/s1600/Aspley+Hall+Cottages.jpg" />
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<i>Aspley Hall Cottages, Aspley Lane</i><br />
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The decline in coal mining during the final decades of the twentieth century has meant that today there are no immediate signs of pit heads, coal stacks or wagons. Yet if we look hard enough we can see the scars and relics that remain a distinctive part of a landscape marked by a complex network of former collieries with Cinderhill pit at the centre. There is little left of Broxtowe Hall or Aspley Hall, homes of the notable Helwys and Birkin families. At Broxtowe Hall Close there survives a perimeter wall, while the cottages which served Aspley Hall stand proud on Aspley Lane. Visible remains of ancient Broxtowe or Aspley, <a href="http://romannottinghamshire.wordpress.com/the-fort-at-broxtowe/">the Roman encampment</a> and Anglo Saxon meeting place are long gone, however it is possible to imagine their ancient geographical importance from their elevated position.
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<b>1. Cinderhill Colliery </b>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4-aEPJs3Sen1JgqJqaaSeMxyHseakGJCvAS15IeeywFpYLg3ds3D70s_zGsLUFDVvBGfHYv7AcLGl2swF1KB5CzQKVbV6IGccuyNnt124vLSPmhDG66GvuZ3rC3-fAxubMoOGh_14xCe/s1600/NTGM004629.jpg" />
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Cinderhill Colliery 1986 (courtesy <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM004629&pos=10&action=zoom&id=56078">Picture the Past</a>)<br />
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Cinderhill pit was an enormous industrial complex and one of Nottinghamshire‘s first deep pits, pioneering powerful winding engines, ventilation and lighting. When it closed in 1986 it employed just under 1000 people, produced around ½ million tons of coal per year, and had an underground link to Hucknall colliery in order to reduce road traffic. The only visible reminder of this incredible undertaking is the man-made hill known as Stanton Tip, a slag heap of unwanted earth. Phoenix Park was built on the colliery site during the 90s and there is a plaque in a small roundabout commemorating the colliery.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtREaUFcqBabxTRU-hIXu6pOG1RYXGjKZV-Sp5ExspNYcZ3zHKvgl4SGlmAtxyjQLSexlj_o6nZlrqiPiKWcZ7D1K4g-Q11ERGtny15zmg8fDnUrnR-JriMq9Uq6vXtvXBA4QkofDSFSZ0/s1600/Memorial+Stone_Pheonix+Park1.jpg" /><br />
<i>Former site of Cinderhill Colliery, now Pheonix Park</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmKPxXWW-POFB1Mf4mOLK0qFVI6Z7CE1RKg783MXNWzwK74HCltzl6_rzUOP47DgCHAFi2P9Lql-Y7xSpDoql5jUthXoC21rvivc5t-XHcIR1hDUF5r2QRCUfNdRTNmIvoS9_3sMPyyAN/s1600/Memorial+Stone_Pheonix+Park2.jpg" /><br />
<i>Detail from the comemorative plaque</i><br />
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Confusingly, Cinderhill pit is also known as Babbington, which is a village of that name nearly 5 miles west of here. This is all down to the nineteenth century mining entrepreneur Thomas North who sank Cinderhill colliery in 1841. When he died his portfolio of collieries, which included Newcastle, Broxtowe, Strelley and Babbington were grouped together and known collectively as 'The Babbington Estate' - Babbington being one of his earliest. It is well known that North died in debt in 1868 as Collieries such as Cinderhill required large investments: engines, timber yards, repair work, brick yards, horses, ropes and drainage. But had he lived just another three years he would have seen the fruits of his labour. At his funeral crowds lined the streets to pay their respects and raise funds for a memorial which still stands in a graveyard off Church St in Basford. Many were thankful that he had provided employment and housing for people who had previously struggled as Framework Knitters.
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<b>2. Colliery Lines & Relics </b><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOkZXOfe4CIpdrFILPsgwRFHx7YztoW3Yk5KlPx9BnADq9YmndJhAmhbMDzEe_JCUN5HbBf25TFbbPBHS1qTOQEL11ZnBLQrW2deaaOmtp2qHid6GQvr5b18waAP1GwCvuW0rBn2kg2O4/s1600/Broxtowe+Country+Park2.jpg" />
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<i>Site of Broxtowe Colliery - now Broxtowe Country Park</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkn1KNKrwXKXC0dx8bhzgvLDmH_0WTRltQJzEGGECrp2R0-lVWnFV4pRZUFS-L4GIK98trdGR1jFMD-uwKHl351_MiCedVKSuWyNP68pemLVOBoyK3MGZ4clUggkZ8jNa0ehRnmlrskgsV/s1600/Old+Colliery+Line_Cindergill+Tram+stop3.jpg" />
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<i>Victorian bridges over a former colliery line at Cinderhill - now a tram stop</i><br />
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If Babbington was one of Thomas North's earliest mines then Cinderhill was certainly his largest, sitting at the centre of a huge network of collieries. One of these collieries was Broxtowe Wood and today the pathways still roughly mark the route of a railway line running southward from Cinderhill and then westward to Babbington. The NET tram from Phoenix Park to Highbury Vale follows the original colliery line which formerly connected with the Nottingham to Mansfield line. The Victorian bridges crossing the line are still in use either side of the Cinderhill tram stop.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXaqjGwwwqmeUBHG0CKekaYw3gh67BPS3S9XrPXNnkpI9dUtzU15wzv_Skcu_zuiZoSibMFMhfQ4idKqKyOOFbcOi0sz255Va064-pLlfWW3fBJqUugETXAKhI-O8Xl49-qoBsmSEAItW/s1600/Aspley+Library+-+Keverne+Cl.jpg" />
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<i>Car free route from Aspley Library - Keverne Close - another former colliery line</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilYxMkJPxCtjNO4g3LvI-dWJ18lI36P-GH_oJeXFq7lpGOpxja1DxYXrU6_Xm79jiRnddRteUhkLwinhzJCIvNhQS9XgErMhFbenF7tFUQw_PXgRAn5vh0GJ98vDb_FhyQEMPxJWOWqRE/s1600/Old+Miners+Cottages+Nuthall+Rd.jpg" />
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<i>Former miners cottages from the nineteenth century</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_l5ZBuEz5Is1XPazSm0v7gE9xPg2Gn907tWf8ileZott3A82JklGZtxeAU7GYFkYmmytsqSwXCxeew-qUNheVBPs9WcUg8gJJXVjSU5RxqEofvoUdMstNngOl99KSJs7LebrvzAjMzps9/s1600/The+Newcastle+Arms+Pub.jpg" />
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<i>The Newcastle Arms pub</i><br />
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At the rear of Aspley Library is a car free route to Keverne Close, <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM004625&pos=51&action=zoom&id=56074">the legacy of another railway track</a> from Cinderhill through the medieval Quarry Holes Plantation and then to Melbourne Park where there was a pit known as Newcastle colliery, so called because the Duke of Newcastle was formerly a major landowner here. Also, note the Newcastle Arms pub and miners' cottages nearby on Nuthall Road.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-W6awz9uROoUZ6cSWqd21a7LaL6BAUwgD9usUhKm5_Uo3vUt4FOHKqBCHgOJ05ibigqAhr4i_DZHzBDfoE7VXubCOKH_u1zhNiSH8nKLrps4e2Ga8opx0CQAUv_Lpi_aeHqorFJtq6iE/s1600/NTGM017490.jpg" />
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<i>Christ Church Cinderhill, 1858 (courtesy <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM017490&pos=2&action=zoom&id=79036">Picture the Past</a>)</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLa6NgcFZHrhkAWwEOxBUNwYrhpUMzsJ7LkUDlUHVPpz6112kTyfuj2jpYAopM1s18O50Q8ecKxMCobw5s8DWaS3XN-ixanCwmZ0WEIN7LXpHPhElmcZWivXsjUUybY9BEt-KLYs6P2XAp/s1600/Christ+Church_Cinderhill.jpg" />
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<i>Christ Church, Cinderhill, built 1856</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFCgno79McL9MZzETHD7YgOFiCXdsF4puzJ7P4mAX9ETDuzdZ7j8wd4vMxm42G12AxK9V47ltc3CxoJaEUMkVXcCb7Pw-XEYjfBU40WJ_fOuEZSXCx7Fu6R9t4i7mhjmBxje5oyRPlV4o/s1600/Christ+Church_Cinderhill2.jpg" />
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<i>Detail from Christ Church Cinderhill</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOQY8EdOKQUN6hINBsO7RCDu3WXC88Ka272PUsSM11PKT9eAPZ6I2Unt4DDjC82vDXW9m6vykPDTeJpSmQmN5wfouWUKyki7wmzjU9i8-W_drlkASkz3ksQ1LMR70ELwgwb8CXPn_vxXO/s1600/Basford+Miners+Welfare+Cinderhill.jpg" />
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<i>Basford Miners Welfare and formerly Thomas North's house 'Basford Hall'</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81GqB5_22jHMFSgox7eXYsDu2zcsf7P9AI2wSIi-fFUfbpR_QDgxHYX-idNBXonBhyaZqeJ4vtki3Ut_I4fYbpGQLL-hGcEsv9uNFLUzQrufxcwP1msUEYYB4z4As10dHUftKvkDiCfNU/s1600/The+Elms+Nuthall+Rd.jpg" /><br />
<i>The Elms, Nuthall Road (a house which formally served Basford Hall)</i><br />
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North also provided housing for his workers along Cinderhill Road but sadly <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM016003&pos=6&action=zoom&id=72032">these cottages</a> have all gone, but what does remain is the Grade II listed Christ Church, which was financed by North in 1856. Less than a stone's throw is Basford Hall, North's former residence and later a Miners' Welfare.
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<b>3. A Garden City</b><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvd8WvSe3gjiLGC9zwrwKDJ4fAURb6l785pmDiOgSillsUwIgczSgQaWj0ZyIgRtBbAgQbPAFMrTDeyt2XQ8IRvrLLEOar0GZVfKkLg7mcgV8-eigXr_8tv2IX1Tgrp88cj-hwWzrR5V3W/s1600/NarrowMarsh1.jpg" /><br />
<i>Narrow Marsh before slum clearance in the 30s</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7B65akUepN5G4UjJw2o1sz8L4hLzgBvIX7gF4zh60SFE9QLfCiUhfZZjjnJJNSsd62Yvcc3DXA1jQc1yY7QJm5Rl6DwNm7oU-i3U5UOHV8LtSm2A9m9iLraPgvi_npMVnsi8LKRGPwB8r/s1600/standpip.jpg" />
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<i>Collecting water from an outside tap in 1920s Narrow Marsh</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfre1H5ZM8-YV1HfWCfODiyS5RhvccOzhNmx0Af0DAKamy-vksAthWAddPgjrvNPjcxQzjOpyRna46JBW7T3ZYFNro18AqTz6TNYj7gZiwZN8qq9whRDqr2AXv9o-nOOeJbkMdyhzZSBm/s1600/PailClosets.jpg" /><br />
<i>Pail Closets on Sun Street</i><br />
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In Nottingham after the First World War there were still some 30,000 pail closets (a steel bucket for a toilet), serious overcrowding and houses without water, gas or electricity. The situation was urgent and the city embarked on a slum clearance and council house building programme. Nottingham became known as one of the largest and fastest builders in the country: nearly 17,500 council houses were built in the 1920s and 30s, about quarter of which included Aspley, Bells Lane, Broxtowe, Denewood Crescent and Stockhill. This huge undertaking followed national guidelines for "Garden Cities" which decreed that suburban housing should be based on the traditional countryside cottage with proper sanitation, parks, gardens, wide roads and plenty of space.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9PwsMr75RgDwELs8J8LkfDaBWbffA_HY7Im7Ica2_SfM57y61kngmLa9q_j1SbbC2XjmlcpWkb8YbmdHfQ3PxwuyBeUtbpNxevqn_ib-sY1U5kmKu4BhjNZVu_otLZgw858g_p1qYmyy/s1600/GardenCity2.jpg" />
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<i>The Garden City ideal</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCVMfWTITM1aJ1U9kc_SOVwPVC6o_Z7SfmNZyIVby1T4z7lm1hxU8Y-PoMZc4-NriSCngKGJaekCMxamqgy8imniEioGGPmvJf91NFrGHDViRDSAeg2bk9MVDDRUPUFvCsRJL8O6QAoJz/s1600/Aspley+Garden+City+Housing1.jpg" /><br />
<i>The hipped roofs of Aspley - a traditional Garden City design</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1Y6p2pbi3XRONsPbgH8nlpWbicGNrD26NlwIYiTEstQCtmdIXe0kVeiNALzMQ2U-N56EmE3vidyiNnjB0N5ztnl0EtNG2vL_IvVhVMiZ5dZJBgkuiS_TfO7OykZKUCr50T4yIt8FGfVL/s1600/Melbourne+Park.jpg" /><br />
<i>Melbourne Park and the adjacent allotments were complete during the 1930s</i><br />
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“Come look at this!” Brenda shouted from another room. I ran to her. This room was smaller, even than the attic I knew so well. Fixed to the wall by the window was a handbasin with two shining chrome taps. Brenda was wrestling with the cold tap, trying to turn it on, but lacking strength. “A sink in the bedroom!” she said awestruck. I knocked her hand away and turned the tap on. We watched the water swirl around the small basin, then gurgle noisily away. After the one tap houses we had lived in before, such a facility in a bedroom seemed a reckless extravagance. I turned the tap off and we scampered, excited, into the third bedroom.”<br />
Derrick Buttress, ‘Broxtowe Boy’, (2004) <br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3HkReJqh2al0I0CwdrFdJzDT5b0MugjNdmIkxmfDtHdXOrzfbHF2_reVdKzluph1RjypAr_tSmWT5PF6nmnFq5ah3OkO3FdK5Gl6ACQ6sQE7_VQz6gKawzW4s8K5F_QbbUp2ZiaXGb_1/s1600/Denewood+Crescent.jpg" />
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<i>Trees, privet hedges and Bulwell Stone walls - Denewood Crescent</i><br />
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<i>Whilst tenants were expected to keep their gardens respectfully neat and tidy at all times, little official advice or assistance appears to have been offered. In these circumstances tenants sought advice from family, friends and neighbours, sharing tools and swapping plants and cuttings. Garden practice often centred on salvaging and making do with very little, but the results were frequently dazzling and a source of local cohesion.</i><br />
Miss Georgina Couch, University of Nottingham School of Geography (2002)<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3pB4dV8CamlPzGA7CvzfDMWCzCr3CbBNXcESfC57OFs7VrpSoEBbarVn5orDImEpVJOswf1UUirDA9QvyZbER0CFWlczuH-vZa5Nm0ENy7hBWo3IztF1-e3IUnhcrn2HSHQGWlVVZ1ux/s1600/Broxtowe+Lane.jpg" />
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<i>Broxtowe Lane</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52_4nkP9HdT_fZX1RAS435zZOchpnt4nWOesgk6RbvfyKoU2WkYLQigr6Nrr63_HSjaM6NKvGurllXLukhL6IrUVYycLSkU84ocZl3ROaXOFBYppvoafwCmXnVkQXKz2AC499fJfdG1og/s1600/AspleyEstate_blog.jpg" />
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<i>The radial plan of Aspley with William Crane School at the centre (Courtesy Picture the Past)</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOz7pRLagzJn6RQRSUx1uELaWrF8cu71sGIrOoG7syM3hfE60uzL75VCNepD3i_6oUl08qsnhyphenhyphen0PSQC6UfPVQz2_U6QqyzypivuiU39P0KJjC7DWXuPCXus5BCgoHe7_USxopx0wT3KGS/s1600/WilliamCrane.jpg" />
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<i>Garden City schools were keen on the outdoor life (Courtesy Picture the Past)</i><br />
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Stockhill Lane was among the earliest Garden City council estates in Nottingham, complete during the 20s, while Aspley was begun towards the end of that decade. The success of this meant that in 1932 the city was allowed to extend its boundaries and build upon the fields of Bilborough, allowing Broxtowe, Bells Lane and Denewood Crescent to be completed during the 30s. These houses followed designs by T. C. Howitt, who sought to create "variation in a formal setting", with housing <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM001934&pos=134&action=zoom&id=53382">planned around radial routes</a> and given differences with facing gables, mansard or hipped roofs.
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<b>4. The 1920s & 30s </b>
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<b><br /></b>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiRg5dJgDQeFNr_5rut3UKkMfzxuTo57Mi5qujUvHgPeg5-nZ7JslgBVZKe3IdEbFQ_DTXqaOTENlBrzT_yfTJkpnHmn5Vju01-8UQVQ5fjVlHiJBpPZmLd_LAvawpBruCEzptqivKSzV/s1600/WallsGordan.jpg" /><br />
<i>The city dispersed: the early 30s ring-road, and council house plan by </i><i>T. Wallis Gordon</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDJqoD_W0YR30eDnvuegkB7CWj6QJw5Excn173bDN2OP248JcVV2Y24XEy1MEbpclIY6hAmXuEh4dEYBf0sTse5yWOlkUdHsLmS4jwcgL-dTmNs3Ap7SpH-AGNVzyQ05z0DqPNSL8h1ih/s1600/NTGM014948.jpg" /><br />
<i>Western Boulevard under construction (Courtesy <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM014948&pos=14&action=zoom&id=68144">Picture the Past</a>)</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3zL-q90iaZlH3gVcWUUM-8GMtdWIhkp9fNJf7TbnCkG96FFOU6o71tCSb9m0_S8bxdhu743bkpgNN-F6uu1oQqnGZrc8203gp5rXNBkTIjC8l30RWWL-cQDhyphenhyphenh4tBdGWIfW_l7eVXXp_/s1600/Western+Boulevard.jpg" />
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<i>The 1930s ring road and cycle route - this is Western Boulevard today</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCX5VGzxroTbo-bHXU3iD1YpoMu3goHYA278vp6B0eKCzxaZPsd_Td2buqumK1n0iclyjy1f0YzthWXqdCXjEKLbw6YmwDyNxc0F6GeK1NmWKcJPhcbnE1X5ySC_FjIj8QjYYVKY9QzNci/s1600/The+Broxtowe+%2528Nuthall%2529+Inn.jpg" /><br />
<i>The old route to Nuthall, Nottingham Rd</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4QWHBAdItntV479KvAftbZkS3E2syKOvbqUPjjccCq27d2fU9LcoljwirNVTEsKDVkPsq5uG3nIg7jo5PlvN0jWfRLso5ZTIX1w7TbpVfpzprDvDXlf4E6tkz8lFGDnbBhoLmET9F0ZF/s1600/minerscottages.jpg" />
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<i>Miners cottages, Nuthall Road - now a petrol station (Courtesy Picture the Past)</i><br />
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This was a period marked by new roads, branch libraries and a style all of its own. Road building and widening was necessary to accommodate not only rising car ownership, but also new motor and trolley buses, which were then replacing tramlines. Until the 1920s Nuthall Road at Cinderhill had the appearance of an old country lane with miners' cottages nestling beside it; The Nuthall pub and the Elms still preserve part of the original route. But the largest road scheme was the ring road of Middleton Boulevard, Western Boulevard and Valley Road. This was one of the last pieces of work by City Engineer T Wallis Gordon and was designed to follow the example of Nottingham's Victorian ring road (Castle Boulevard - Gregory Boulevard).<br />
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<i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJyMINxkk8Br90u5aqwsNXhWdS3wQvj_2qC4fRo5HuXm4TPdynP7vgZsJ_278TXOUyvht4ve2jmp8jsGHVd277uvIVFr1ClqhPjXssUuXiNeRVQYxZ-QmyZ4W4Y0pQqKyiR8acPMzGb0uC/s1600/aspleylibrary.jpg" />
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<i>The original interior of Aspley Library </i><i>(Courtesy Picture the Past)</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-L1pYP4ZmcAWqhanSk1TxMWBQJvLTapxWaKSMQPyt0STbLSYOs7HZuW4b0YIvVp0nQuPHsP7QGFdxgoQl1yAbE4CTZfy1icY13c0KDJQ-Wc2oa5uPuglJ12CEkzcnscj0_n_IK_1jWHk/s1600/Aspley+Library1.jpg" />
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<i>The lantern at Aspley Library, built 1937</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihuhmDJnPj_fAhirHZiEBUfNDz2H3w4FdXPdjCcyjFrX562P8Xcmj1FgizJUOunfEA75LFxNWNyY7Mb-lC6RLhVplmTj_YcwyFoPMvimKOTNDnZ7MSprmiOtrukjxwiIqm9xr8V5G7GYAb/s1600/aspleylibrary2.jpg" /><br />
<i>Aspley Library in 1937 (Courtesy Picture the Past)</i><br />
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<i>I entered the room and felt like yelling for joy. I had never seen to many books in one place, and all for children. Even the smell was beguiling. It would take me for ever to read them all, and the prospect was wonderful. The room was brightly lit and furnished with round tables the colour of honey. Around them there were child-sized chairs with upholstered seats - the luxury!</i>Derrick Buttress, ‘Broxtowe Boy’, (2004) <br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8BO7zyoM3OdfZIm5bn6OOxbQd39VbeQ4A8Beya6SuWdmvlRDrjQBK44Jc52lrwQJCPpB2jIe8Aph2v3KyQEgBL1tECcsOadCKP35AVJ96-S880-1dxgowFK1wC_dRyVSeJhwN267M-vp/s1600/Aspley+Lane+%2526+Strelley+Road+Shops.jpg" />
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<i>Mock tudor shops - Aspley Lane / Strelley Rd</i><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUw5_c_mc8zxLuaEBv6zuWC4SZpDyXRjGzxfAFaxd9twzGg_30n2a5LkSbKlSBneG8yiUIHJ5UBRaTUk51rD9zaLP_k811hUKKV0zHpD_7s-ig-IohQoDWjUajVImqfw5Fa4peI4OJC2I1/s1600/St+Margarets+Aspley3.jpg" />
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<i>1930s Gothic: St Margaret's Church, Aspley Lane</i><br />
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These two decades were also marked by the building of 6 new branch libraries, which culminated in the <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM014593&pos=28&action=zoom&id=66038">art deco Aspley Library of 1937</a>, with a stock of some 10,000 books. Designed by Gordon's successor, R.M. Finch, the library features a remarkable lantern and was described at its opening as "set in a garden at the gate of a Garden City". Along Aspley Lane and Nuthall Road, the shops, pubs and churches tell us more about the prevailing style of the Garden City movement which was imitating the countryside; mock-Tudor timber frames and medieval Gothic; the best examples being the Tudor Lodge, The Beacon pub, St Margaret's Church, <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM004509&pos=54&action=zoom&id=55958">the 30s Newcastle Arms pub</a>, the recently demolished <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM004106&pos=55&action=zoom&id=55554">John Barleycorn pub</a>, and the row of shops on the junction of Broxtowe Lane and Strelley Road.<br />
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<b>Reading</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Derrick Buttress, <i>Broxtowe Boy</i>, (2004) </li>
<li>Ernie, Scoffham, <i>Vision of the City: The Architecture of T.C. Howitt</i> (1992)</li>
<li>Nottingham Local Studies Library, <i>Cinderhill Suburb Pack</i></li>
<li>Nottingham Local Studies Library, <i>Babbington and Cinderhill Colliery: a selection of historical resources</i></li>
<li>Nottingham Local Studies Library, <i>Aspley: a selection of historical sources</i></li>
<li>Nottingham Local Studies Library, <i>Strelley Village Pack</i></li>
<li>Geoffrey Oldfield, <i>The illustrated history of Nottingham's suburbs</i>, (2009) </li>
<li>John Brunton and Andy Smart, M<i>emories of the estates Aspley, Bilborough, Broxtowe & Strelley</i>, Nottingham Bygones (2002)</li>
<li>N. Pevsner, <i>Buildings of England: Nottinghamshire</i> (1979)</li>
<li>J. Becket, <i>A Centenary History of Nottingham</i> (1997)</li>
<li>D. Thompson, <i>England in the Twentieth Century</i> (1965)</li>
</ul>
Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-66190394111341498232012-11-11T09:56:00.002-08:002012-11-15T10:27:17.011-08:00How Nottingham was nearly Birmingham: Highway Engineering in the 1960s(Click on images to enlarge)<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismatthews82/8175963744/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdo01MyKjGdEfFOEbUYfiAsaq6nGIpXe1frKVVhUVdtk5WpXhSev3rA7jdtsC4p7XFajASVNX_63nhjlwrj0Hx80smnSIUcGhmUNOx113iWu2XA5aRQRXiToD5Ht9z6HPepBus8IOj-wgE/s400/DSC00942.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>This was going to be Nottingham - but it looks like Birmingham</i><br />
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Blaming planners for ugly towns is a bit like blaming doctors for eugenics. A one sided kick in the teeth for a practice, which has often achieved a lot of social good, and just as there are different kinds of doctors, with the different political motives, historical contexts and specialisms, then the same is true with planners.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismatthews82/8175927991/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83qm_B4liiCdAq4PUcm4_xjZXZoA1aHbSdL5pefwxkqvZOJW1i8AN6f_0TBkj6eR6OB5jSmU7KQx1M0agJVLtFbi08BDXDOMVmF2ZvoNx4IXPOYgU6BIsNCJyo4u-x8rc0jj37SB9kKLp/s400/DSC00961.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The 1965 Traffic Plan</i><br />
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Take the largely unimplemented 1965 Nottingham traffic plan, drawn up by the FM Little the then Highway Engineer and Planning Officer. No doubt at the time it was influenced by contemporary thinking and developments such as the Buchannan 'Traffic in Towns’, which sort to forestall anticipated grid lock by separating pedestrians from cars and investing heavily in extensive highway engineering. Birmingham, ever re-inventing itself (and throwing away its past) was one of the biggest proponents with Highway Engineer Herbert Manzoni seen my many engineer at the time as some sort of hero. Manzoni retired in 1963 having planned the inner ring in the 40s. Manzoni is described in the Birmingham Pevsner guide as "ambivalent to town planning, indifferent to architecture and contemptuous of history". Ouch!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismatthews82/8175963990/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUpidT1zb8J2aJ7wp93TEqI0jnxvghhfqYuaER23gB75WzoOrRCOlfgW4Sd1x_3IL09FIQ6moEvHe-_er6qMtyYWU26xt_sfh5oJWtppmcXotkOMoO6P7X7ybrg25TukWK83zxIqLl79d/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The proposed motorway and dual layout system - key
</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismatthews82/8175929817/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEJ_KtioR2IcFzOEjlKkSQj7aOvn9cAcWw1anwuyELJNjSgD85m9f__9grej2vikEJxHppsWkods2Zvn49AIA9R9qUbKbUalLKoKJEjtJhR2Ddy5NBLwzQd3C5swG3Zm5bv3fzqMUGBhb/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The proposed motorway and dual layout system - map detail</i><br />
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So how did this thinking physically effect Nottingham? Maid Marion Way scythed through the Norman street pattern, and busy Victorian shopping streets in St Ann's and The Meadows were lost. Yet unlike Birmingham this provoked a powerful conservationist backlash which is still with us today. Nottingham of course sees itself as a historic town - and rightly so, but this mindset has often created a reluctance about building for the future (for more on that read myself and Adrian Jones' blog on the city's planning history <a href="http://www.jonestheplanner.co.uk/2012/09/nottingham-reluctant-city.html">here</a>) Nottingham was thirty years behind Birmingham in embarking on a new road building programe yet by this time there was a strong national reaction to urban motorways, and so the city was accidently saved by its own complacency.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismatthews82/8175929549/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRR10h5_wEspb5Rqo-nRpSzNIqH7QR5n8dsbTKLcLfirnMVgI9RJ3c4Ewrnav1PB8cDZS1_hQ7xbXdKJd1qBadEi71lF4hhViNFc2ckfrOaSuOgLUGHIbb9oKpFRwrfBKbY7qzqd_CD2w/s400/DSC00939.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<i>The central area traffic plan</i><br />
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Yet before we embark on a criticism of Little's 1965 traffic plan it is important to remember what Nottingham was like before the redevelopment of the 1960s. Parts of the old Victorian inner city were known for their poverty and physical dilapidation. For example most people in St Ann's were without hot water, baths or their own toilet, never mind their own inside toilet. All this was embellished through Ken Coates and Richard Silburn's sociological study "Poverty and Forgotten Englishmen" - although much of this was refuted by various local residents (more on that later). There are reports of gutters blocked with industrial fat, flooded cellars, broken sewage systems and epidemics of lice. Independent surveys showed that most people actually wanted to move out into better areas and so the stories of displaced communities when St Ann's was redeveloped are not clear-cut. There was little room for car parking, terrible through traffic in residential streets, no room for new consumer goods and many houses in very poor structural condition with streets covered in brick dust. So FM Little was under political pressure to start a new, use fresh ideas and do something radical and quick.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismatthews82/8175928565/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwp0Yqp5XYao7IaSMbVcNUT1RYlBsUE6bA-zsAtD-7Qkcct1t-9ydgQ4K-6a0tsEIqShpmLBtfvMd3bpFhFzCFHaaedhsGiZNIjqaKOHqm5QeeeW5J8OSSCTB1I9R2tBblvyhrMjpkWV4/s400/DSC00944.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Park Way, flying over the Park Estate</i><br />
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But Little was a Highway Engineer and not a Planner, and so his report was myopic in the extreme: focusing solely on highways and not on social, economic, landscape or historic information. A planner is like a jack of all trades, responding to different political view points and social and economic pressures when most interest groups only consider their own. The city's first architect David Jenkin was only appointed in '64 and doesn't appear to have been directly involved, so this was a case of highway first, architecture second. It was hardly an an integrated plan. The report was almost instantly opposed by his fellow planning officers in the Corporation of Nottingham (the Council), the Nottingham Civic Society and a number of local residents associations - especially in St Ann's. In the end it was actually dropped after central government weighed in, probably anticipating further opposition and funding problems if this scheme went ahead.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismatthews82/8175928199/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxASebh1rLGzHA5n5CadlWaTZTjI_q10I_wWPo9625k1vetGvwhpf1oHrd21Q_jVKJ_qhtrENmeeJ97qEM8TIqtikoalbG6r9Ygd_EfjG3S3Zt358lNDIeMOBQ93nERU9nqg-MAMbw4Wq/s400/DSC00959.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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<i>The Eastern Bypass: roughly Alfred St, Manvers St and LadyBay
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So how horrific was it? Very. The Aboreturn and The Park estate would have had a 2 lane dual flyover. Huge junctions and slipways would have sat heavily over Forest Road, St Ann's Wells Road and Huntingdon St. The first inner city suburbs (St Ann's, the Meadows, All Saints) would have been physically and physiologically cut off the post 1877 suburbs (Basford, Forest Fields, Lenton and Sneinton). St Ann's would be cut into four islands and Eastcroft would have a giant flyover and bridge crossing adjacent to Lady Bay. Mansfield Road would be a 3 lane motorway. The Lace Market would have been intersected by a slipway. It doesn't bear thinking about.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismatthews82/8175962736/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbP5xfPoHRQcFVt25WpvR5zdYdY6RzHMAge4aA-XUwCF4ji0lJbWzKq4mq-yLOrt042k2IomtPCBwtCdS86uf5F5RFZAfnp2N4rSkIL4IH9y3OFTdbuIAxGahLJFc6zxDN1WsJ_Y6xnd9e/s400/DSC00958.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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<i>Forest Way flying over the Arboretum and All Saints
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But FM Little didn't have hindsight. We now know about traffic inducement - if you build more roads for cars then there will be more cars and less pedestrians and public transport. In short he didn't know that it would in time create another grid lock; only one which was larger and uglier than before. We can all imagine a blackened concrete flyover creating a constant droning noise during a Sunday stroll through a desolate Arboretum.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismatthews82/8175927857/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEjWONVO4XsIh65Wq20fmXzKW9ISiEvjMKYzhc_2GclE63cUtG6V_f6A_8nxi9znrDuxMC1j_uGre_7IOTTgSPQ81xTFyWWdCiGQ_VSooYoVe5fcBrcuOlB0y-BgdC96MES9PPgabIRfT/s400/DSC00962.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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<i>1970 St Ann’s redevelopment showing failed Eastern Bypass
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So thank god complacent democratic Nottingham stopped it eh? Or stopped most of it at least - you can still find traces of the Eastern bypass following Alfred Street to Alfred Street South. The southern end of Barker Gate is still a vacant plot awaiting a slipway which never came, and of course we still have the awful 'unwelcome to Nottingham' Broadmarsh gyratory. Maid Marion Way has recently been gently tamed - pedestrians can cross over it rather than under it. What we have now in Nottingham is a city which is comparatively good for walking, cycling and is often seen as a public transport exemplar. Much of this would have been near impossible if 1965 traffic plan wasn’t opposed by the local residents and subsequent generations of city planners.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismatthews82/8175927649/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzaEQW_K5fW0VtP5hJ6aSZJAWWMbzV0S_DeqT1nMo3qYqo7j5VeJdTkPaKmaJt7LoXz2yDnH1-sbszlguY2eubg6xNgRvONV1qSVwjm9WLCd6f9MU0b0HCfHUA_NYjd6q8xU8eAscE5Ku/s400/DSC00963.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The St Ann’s Radburn layout, again showing failed Eastern Bypass
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The redevelopment of St Ann's can rightly be criticised for an incoherent Radburn layouts, poor shopping streets and often stark landscape. Yet in someways these massive postwar schemes were successful: after redevelopment all residents had hot water, structurally better houses, room for new consumer goods, more green space, and a healthier environment. Coates' survey showed that most residents preferred the new St Ann's but the biggest thing they missed was the shopping streets and pubs. However, "St Ann's Inner City Voices" by <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2002/dec/11/regeneration.communities">Ruth Johns</a>, refutes a number of Coates and Siburn's arguments through many first hand accounts and argues that people were displaced. There is a general perspective that the area needed the attention but in the end it was far too insensitive. It also shows there have been much campaigning since by SATRA (St Ann's Tenants and Residents Association), FF (Nottingham's Family First) and various councillors to make improvements since. Nevertheless Johns is rightly upset about the area's currently undeserved contemporary reputation and highlights the various active social organisations going strong.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismatthews82/8175963246/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjL1F4p787LoSnxDNAUAMrMFP1qd9yigGVjWYQ1BkKl_Wn3xxpc9BzwT5k8irK1gH6Jhg6CbIZqx0v7LteWxt5TWfrgeGc588F3FvXfwCk-jcr_nH9R4WSAywU_c08Vhj6t7rNEptw9Cp/s400/DSC00955.jpg" width="300" /></a>Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-68983644793587062642012-08-09T10:47:00.000-07:002014-01-10T15:24:13.933-08:00River Leen Greenway: Bulwell – Basford car free route<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6vZXitYC_tKKpd3yjLlW2i4v-B90KSzqpI6HwtHxul3juC89X6Y87trdjZ_Oo2BsDZJhrvVoO59YQYA7N4NXSexinbFkpj-koSgw36OujToWt7DVX_UuFSbFFiFWfk-vx7zmuS2FaYlt/s1600/River_LeenBooklet1blog.jpg" /><br />
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This is my latest piece of <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2GAmSfUnAvwSE5XR28wa21KNGM/edit?pli=1">work</a>: A designed and authored historical guide to a car free cycle and pedestrian route. The River Leen Greenway runs from Bulwell to Basford. The first edition has currently been printed and distributed by The Greater Nottingham Transport Partnership. The booklets can be collected from most libraries, cycle shops and the tourist information centre. Or people can email <a href="mailto:admin@thebigwheel.org.uk">admin AT thebigwheel.org.uk</a> to get a copy post out to them.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NVVY-Sx1unfojfjPF98MraabiiIh7CfeOdXCp9kh474HO0NqgFljNrNtwk0NjDppivcY3TW7shHYIb2SQ8ANg5jeQIOkUlzGwK5QiOGb8viCKclWM6G-TAR9EU-Ao0_4jBWJHQO2fBaO/s1600/River_LeenBooklet6_blog.jpg" /><br />
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In case you haven't already stumbled across a copy, I've uploaded the content and its images in the following blog post. I hope you enjoy it and have a pleasant wander around the area. Oh, and a pdf copy of the document can be downloaded <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2GAmSfUnAvwSE5XR28wa21KNGM/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>.<br />
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<b>Bulwell - Basford</b><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTW5zsTMSIYINeLnxvWN4cNiIMoIrqgQ_80cTvzVs1dvNkFpQH94Z1NpP12bECAoUatlQYxaniSyTEn_oKoMWHImdsBmV7St7bn3bHYxGIhorNSisoLyTDAr08qlOKTwzhWTUGPXPwmaA/s1600/River-Leen2.jpg" /><br />
<i>Beside the River Leen heading towards Basford</i><br />
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The Bulwell to Basford car free route follows the River Leen as it flows south from as far as Newstead Abbey and falls into the River Trent at Wilford. The River Leen was embanked in the 1960s and since then the river has often been forgotten about despite its important history. Today paths are being built alongside the river so that people can enjoy the history and wildlife once again. Of particular note on this route is a medieval street pattern, a Victorian battle for public recreation, the horrors of the workhouse, three former railway embankments and some proud industrial remains. Today the route ends at Basford but in future it is planned that the pathway will be extended to as far as Wilford, in order to provide a sustainable free transport and leisure corridor from the north to the south of the city.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2vRX4IPYEsSttL99uZMRa0AFyR1dKF44j0a3xc4V6Vjab4e-2_1F_Ma6AWyU57K_okw4l1dFUKSk8K0ra38tAgrU8XJ5v_EuObm53zeseWcBuL2-7wstRVt7DR6QAt2ECUfk_vktwb7y/s1600/stmarys.jpg" />
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<i>Heading towards Bulwell with St Mary's overlooking the Greenway</i><br />
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<b>1. Bulwell Town</b>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94dcOs6s6ocavOLhTuEkZMnlEyGFJbn2kbNEIHAvuGoSpvvrkZI6pD5fgfKE5GKScbi5gz0r65PuencUaRz3hZ0LZsDLAIrxzpqSbbBz8sCgEL2A6ZJ2IYeF4MonEzYrRnyWYKz1j79-q/s1600/Bulwell_CommercialRd.jpg" />
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<i>Commercial Rd with former shop fronts</i><br />
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Between Commercial Road, Main Street and Station Road the medieval street pattern survives. This radically changed in the 1970s when Bulwell nearly doubled in population with the building of housing estates on the town’s western side. These estates were built on farm land, potteries, collieries and stone quarries. Many people thought the traffic would increase and so a ring road and flyover was constructed cutting Commercial Road in two, yet thankfully somefine and historic buildings survive.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEL1SnzQcPATaJuwwb4Z1u3Q1v4V4IErYSjROPRRtIFEmmP2vxx1iot3JhFlft7yh0fZr7o4xyVgpyG4qRBRbxMqO-EpFA-xRz9m0HOvTbpRpMg15rtQmm0xr_GdBavZxP9RTYR7ELuZCd/s1600/Strelley_House.jpg" /><br />
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<i style="text-align: center;">Strelley House</i></div>
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Strelley House is the oldest and dates from 1667 and was an early charity school funded by George Strelley of Hempshill. The nearby dovecote also dates from this time and was a useful source of meat. Bulwell’s architectural heyday was in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, when the town was booming with nearby collieries, quarries and bleachworks.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkCQnpe4fnskHK4JdY46pQxQypU4ZvpL_E4f-q5IKrRQUIeGLKgRUMGPfKlrRRml-eZ_WycZP_hNh8VhrvxnXXnlYqdDbR1TgYffs6-5Xa1mF5bMlMUNOE3PICXiUnL8hdBW2Utqi3Klw/s1600/Sheltons.jpg" /><br />
<i>Sheltons Solicitors - originally designed as a doctor's surgery</i><br />
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Main Street is littered with interesting buildings from this busy period and perhaps the most original is currently under the care of Sheltons Solicitors. This was built as a doctors surgery in 1919, designed by a local man and features a fine first floor stone oriel window.<br />
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<b>2. Bulwell Bogs</b>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6clwMaz3S2u5jiQeEDC2Zfb-Pn4pFGSww3y4L84pD_d8i7ebl9eweda0lfXcjtwxlNgrfhZvtR_eYFCnEW2XXWLxQpnwCKduyQCtJg0CiVjJMHj0rsPg1sRw_1yxaOqQ35bOiBBiCWXPO/s1600/ston_bridge.jpg" />
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<i>The 1830s stone bridge carries the ancient river crossing at Bulwell</i><br />
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The changing history of Bulwell Bogs can be charted via its three bridges. The oldest is the 1830s stone bridge which once carried the only route to Basford now known as Station Road. This ancient route features nineteenth century houses, some of which are built out of magnesium limestone, which was quarried nearby and called Bulwell Stone. <br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-i7Qy6wIqzm13beZ-ZZXIxRcjmxc9TGBwrqSBfMJgzmuYkyTRjgUiQr8t2DZlTrCCNz9YBXd_O6GyV84psKj8R_15QItzF5hgZZhlRKXIhD2JNDqhY9dQG0crBokbk-DcsL6FZFSYtmo/s1600/Bulwell4.jpg" /><br />
<i>The bogs waterside recreation park</i><br />
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The bogs were always a source of fun and recreation in Victorian Bulwell until a land owner attempted to enclose the grounds in 1871. A dispute ensued known as “the battle of the bogs” which was only resolved by Nottingham Corporation, who agreed to purchase and preserve the bogs in 1879.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwrrt9XqgpAj-WBCyJrSndplsbz9g4fo0hpzOqyXfUhrfclLs9le3Hosflbo7_843WGe0xRqmcVvkb2NjeAo-QeNr1JIO8CVNHwaDWH62nzoR4IUKnv6VYbRMTPKJ9wHOVt1v8rybE1GQ/s1600/Bulwell3.jpg" /><br />
<i>The iron footbridge built in 1880</i><br />
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A year later the iron footbridge was built - note the leisurely lattice balustrade with curved brackets. Seven years later the Highbury Road bridge was completed and is marked by the fantastic Public Hall built in 1895 for entertainment and early cinema shows. History repeated itself in 2002 when local residents successfully campaigned to save the Bogs from development.<br />
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<b>3. The Workhouse</b>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoFck2C8Tw2yF9a1q9tBSGppO1367n7oNCrGdc61__m-Ctvl7sN2n6vsfZKdlbNEO20NwmXrLqlgjJhfk2baV5ZzdO1SFwASQzoab9991hq1Pum7ImlJNezgbfO5_1cqf7rsf33easJK7/s1600/workshouse_wall.jpg" />
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<i>The old perimeter wall of the Workhouse</i>
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Along Northcote Way an old perimeter Bulwell Stone wall is clearly visible, this was built when Highbury Hospital was originally <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM003466&pos=1&action=zoom&id=54914">Basford Workhouse</a> - a Victorian prison for the unemployed poor. Its history begins in 1814 during a period of rising unemployment and economic uncertainty. The government sought to control the situation via the workhouse, a place wherethe poor were incarcerated upon receiving benefits. Inmates had to wear uniform and were given hard labour such as stone breaking, digging or uncoiling rope, while men and women were segregated both from each other and the outside world. Food rations were weighed before eating and the day-today routine was disciplined by religious instruction. Over 300 inmates jostled for space alongside children, the sick, the disabled and the elderly. By the 1930s it was gradually replaced by a more successful system of education and healthcare.
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<b>4. The Railways</b>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN_0v0T946q4RithdLK8E7oFHtk3xWWHI56i2Kz2WZPbOOERNZRIYZ2ISjKL8F7FJpyxwp8sWsxDqRSFvqaqo7Z0lkt1_oev8pAlPFGc5qTcSUsSaM92fRJbwd_QydWBTkfBMs0WC84k-/s1600/River-Leen1.jpg" /><br />
<i>Formally a landscape crossed by railways</i><br />
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Between the Deptford Crescent footbridge and Highbury Vale tram stop there were three railway tracks crossing over the River Leen and heading west, two of which left the main Nottingham - Worksop line, while another crossed the Leen Valley after circling the eastern half ofthe city. The first was Thomas North’s colliery line, constructed during a mid ninteenth century economic boom in Nottingham, as land was released for building factories which demanded fuel from the coalfields of West Nottinghamshire. The tram to Phoenix Park follows the original route to North’s mid nineteenth century colliery at Cinderhill. Stanton Tip is a reminder of the millions of tons, which were hauled out of the earth here. The other two lines were built by famous railway companies who were competing with eachother to supply coal to the city.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0_oUU4JOIsVqlpp61zZ2ncIpSxovmNJ29zbB9-069svblUBtnJS7q5oe0iTWGBESr4evcSXamhMrgozwpUzaL4eGlVehOr3xytUW77zP3ZWNyKV4AllP3Dbp4eoFXHalBbGdTBJQQ100/s1600/Gt_Northern_Railway_Embnkment.jpg" /><br />
<i>Archaeological remains of the Gt Northern Railway</i><br />
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The huge embankment beside a pedestrian footpath to Garton Close still preserves the remains of this Great Northern Railway line which arrived in 1876. Unnerved by their rival, the Midland Railway followed this route only six years later. Today you can stand on the earthen remains of the route before the footbridge which connects to Deptford Crescent.<br />
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<b>5. Industry</b>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8vvmhEdNd8dADKsHuBqjbe6ysMBLIZ1diGxrwKt-AGiVqdzXTqtvHCcDin4T5RhTbCfZFlX51_bCU6nHd3rxrLbiKhvG1Jjd5qIBQfrYDmv3_vW8a_6nMeJfhc7_i9Px578wjoFt8rAP/s1600/Basford2.jpg" /><br />
<i>Pearson’s former bleach works</i><br />
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The River Leen had always meandered near Davids Lane and in the nineteenth century it was a hive of industrial activity and experimentation. Our first relic is the mill on Mill Street, which was built in the early nineteenth century to grind corn from the fields to make flour - a reminder that agriculture wasn’t far away. The mill leet which was the watercourse that powered the mill, is still visible. Some of the numerous riverside millers between here and Papplewick were also innovators in cotton spinning and bleaching. George Pearson and Co’s bleachworks was built by the 1880s on Southwark Street - one of many factories which used the waters of the River Leen and Daybrook in order to dye Nottingham Lace perfect white.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINm4Mx4PUwjtktSa_rS1-jTffmmi5abZCesaOjXyKTjBUGKAAIIAT4nZWR27mHrC-BX7rBboJek_K72vvVywwcsjjS2cvf-sd2Sns4yHSPy6qD40lTKZA8Ev5W0Zzh58PoGdqAvQDN1rn/s1600/Basford.jpg" /><br />
<i>E Sallis hosiery manufacturer beside the Vernon Park entrance</i><br />
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Until the City Council bought Vernon Park in 1900, it was formally the ornamental lake and garden of a bleachworks owner. Despite the decline of hosiery at Basford, Ernest Sallis and Co’s works on Waterford Way is a remarkable survival and an architectural gem. The building is complete in its original 1950s deco style and is still run by the family descendants.<br />
<i><br /></i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxsL-KgrakWo0mtK3JpTptg845tvueorJeA1tO0AO6iBRSJrNkRdTF3T2TsMsXGYsTaejOghhlrrRch97_bBMBYPj73haP8-hEcoFdU1mD90M-T6blD0PRLxh8PsHeFGYpUfRzIg4Qimn/s1600/Sallis_Typography.jpg" /><br />
<i>Wonderfully intact cool 1950s typography</i>Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-74913831600232517982011-05-17T12:41:00.000-07:002012-09-03T06:57:56.209-07:00Nottingham to the Sea: Trent Lane DepotAn update:<br />
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<a href="http://savetrentlanedepot.blogspot.co.uk/"><img border="0" br="br" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWSwt50prBpZUliGFMhNkiP7EbVIawl_RYXVEX4oI1oAHOGjrRW-ifnlrPBQ4kGWIpIa27hVp9GmPzq_eYkRc89MYLdJr6_76woKD7YH5-7K6Yuw2InGX5jVaiV31RKGB08zGrxQYMNFK/s1600/Picture+1.png" /></a>
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For an update and petition, please <a href="http://savetrentlanedepot.blogspot.co.uk/">visit this link</a><br />
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Original article as follows:<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomFGexMMaYgJpp7e103zvzdmG1UeAtuyMprv_4Zh1OehllWmsl6zhXHwY1DmXwMkVuPvQFq_MW_BVhokzCUh9T1pWRhhHKGuMUhIO3XUa6_eRGaFCZTTOMp_yYm-X0KcXXWIXFWoTyGor/s1600/DSC04467.JPG" /><br />
<i>Trent Lane Depot, Nottingham</i><br />
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Trent Lane Depot was Nottingham's ambitious attempt to connect with the trade of the North Sea during the inter war years of the twentieth century. During that time the Corporation of Nottingham took over management of the Nottingham - Newark stretch of the river. This was when the city was seeking to continue the diversification of its economy, especially since the local monopoly of the lace trade was then clearly at an end. But the corporation was also seeking permission from central government to extend the city boundary from beyond this very location (the eastern end of Sneinton) and eastward into Colwick. Any ambitious project on a national scale was sure to bring the city kudos at a time when it was struggling to shake off a reputation for slums. At first central government refused, on the grounds that the city had yet to clean up its social problems, and so the corporation solicited the help of local architect TC Howitt and begun building a series of 'garden suburbs' of both private and public housing. Nearby council houses off Colwick Road, are witness to this early stage of council house building in Notttingham. It is perhaps no co-incidence that TC Howit's civic centre, which was complete in 1929, was named 'The Council House'. Three years later the boundary was extended. <br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwWRqVritQvwSDVQA3S2CjdKTLhjTaTCiZ_lPQhwOgAOyocysrXqtlP89Tcoxi6CQN7nBgwWGjRr6ZyHcQNbCCuM4mGZzzKIqtYSnmWsB-qTwPuZW6h8AQjf2HvDSMSUXiVfsAJzYh7nj/s1600/DSC04465.JPG" /><br />
<i>Corporation of Nottingham c.1930 </i><br />
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The warehouses on Trent Lane were constructed of reinforced concrete and at the time they were proudly considered by the corporation to be among the best in the UK. With a total of 9 floors for loading and discharging materials such as timber, metal, chemicals and manufactured goods. These would be carried by barge to and from Hull, where any international trade could then be transferred onto ships. The 1937 Nottingham handbook proudly states that during the previous year over 230,000 tons had been carried on the Trent and that Nottingham had successfully created a major inland port, boasting "from Nottingham to the sea". Although this is somewhat less than the two or three million tons carried by an international port such as Hull, it is still quite an achievement for a landlocked city.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCpYL28I5f9-JNa6V7oBjNDThiIGc8dmvIyqJxMjSisq6OL_nyP6gL-SZMCuEMafDQSzJclMdgvJjMGWP1k237jCZ1eLKu4IxlvqUnuTovI-Nw_XfYe5YxI8wihJifE-qU9Ug6ohyKzAm/s1600/DSC04462.JPG" /><br />
<i>Second warehouse and dock entrance</i><br />
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In the post war years, petrol was also carried down the Trent to a new depot at Colwick further down stream. It was the growth of the combustion engine coupled with the gradual silting up of the Trent at Stoke Bardolph, which was to bring about the end of Trent Lane by the 1980s. Of recent years there have been attempts to regenerate this area with waterside luxury apartments, although with the onset of the credit crunch, the planned demolition of this site appears to have been put on hold. When I was commissioned to do this walk by Hinterland in 2006, it seemed as though this landscape was going to become another symbol of a laissez-faire era dominated by finance and property. Instead, we are now returning to some traditional ideas set deep with the rotting concrete of Trent Lane: social housing and industry. <br />
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References:<br />
J. Giggs, Housing, Population and Transport, in J. Becket, (ed.), A Centenary History of Nottingham pp.435 – 462.<br />
Nottingham City Council, The City of Nottingham Official Handbook, (Nottingham, 1937).<br />
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Originally written for Hinterland Projects Publication 2 (2009)Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-13397957436748366922011-05-07T08:31:00.000-07:002011-05-07T13:26:28.798-07:00Boston, Holland<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3I_2FmZBFZIaDMoZw_outGqhsFHoEK19a29vs92AE7RPebZvaaxg0uE3aL4Bd58V7PvK3UuPTFn4hGQ52X7As3sitEmwDsiVIjrj78-NhzW8IDn_sxAbdXNd5VNCOvlPYP1KF4q26YrPC/s1600/pump_square.jpg" /><br />
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Finally, finally got round to writing my own blog post on one of Britain's lessor known towns: <a href="http://www.jonestheplanner.co.uk/2011/05/boston-holland.html">Boston</a>, in the Part of Holland, Lincolnshire. This is via <a href="http://www.jonestheplanner.co.uk/">Jones the Planner</a> - a collaborative blog between me and the urban designer Adrian Jones. You can also check out our <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/61413702@N07/sets/">Flickr Sets</a>. Hope you enjoy it.Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-87992794685913126492010-10-30T10:06:00.000-07:002010-10-31T04:42:47.367-07:00CLASP School Open Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaG4sgu7PPdl8ejg5Y32G4MGBBJ5GzgylA9ggNZPUcZT6r-oW5ztVi2Uz_3XMLO5vOVxfOgNgdKDNAmU32OIU13amIdbO0J6gpvbkSdJdTAgcmHVkfowRPk6B9kAESf9YC1kswdjjwvDOQ/s1600/DSC06497.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaG4sgu7PPdl8ejg5Y32G4MGBBJ5GzgylA9ggNZPUcZT6r-oW5ztVi2Uz_3XMLO5vOVxfOgNgdKDNAmU32OIU13amIdbO0J6gpvbkSdJdTAgcmHVkfowRPk6B9kAESf9YC1kswdjjwvDOQ/s400/DSC06497.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494232324143611266" border="0" /></a><br />"You could see out beautfully, so that you were part of the outdoor environment - though it was poorly insulated." (Janet Wilson, former teacher, Larkfields Infants)
<br /><br />Having discoverd that my first school was a 1971/2 CLASP build, (complete with steel frame, timber panels and hung tiles), I decided to pay a visit and venture inside - curbing the CRB madness by using relatives and former neighbours to gain access after school hours.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziX9Dj7-ntMMRbiMXOPo0e6vmjfyOSxAbjVrFfTvMOSkuWiFX3WoD99hi6hKG3B-VwrvENl00DLrr4c1q7IvYy8AmFDzQBiQrYlXgJgRogCPUol4oqHnTFxBmt7sStb2Ay3BDsNhkWeaj/s1600/DSC06598.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziX9Dj7-ntMMRbiMXOPo0e6vmjfyOSxAbjVrFfTvMOSkuWiFX3WoD99hi6hKG3B-VwrvENl00DLrr4c1q7IvYy8AmFDzQBiQrYlXgJgRogCPUol4oqHnTFxBmt7sStb2Ay3BDsNhkWeaj/s400/DSC06598.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494213379114051890" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I was more than aware that that my poor aesthetic heart would be broken by the UPVC and security fencing, so I thought it best to interview my former teacher Janet Wilson for some level headed realities about what it was like to work here. This I hoped, would stop me straying into too much post-war modernist nostalgia and waxing on about Eames, Lyons, the Bauhaus and all the rest of it. Interestingly the conversation revealed more than I had bargend for.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEly2lcvieXIPpwmmzo5OqRzXi8NIVpDMzZEh0qsqbUtiWhkYsXAlBb_hTq_TZdX6Qm2A6r9Rfjbfj7KRPhgDJP4sZ9O3Bt8JFSkkbouqAyjPiedy-ZX4BJ32e7HgGU26Ww_h8XD2bKsE/s1600/DSC06546.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEly2lcvieXIPpwmmzo5OqRzXi8NIVpDMzZEh0qsqbUtiWhkYsXAlBb_hTq_TZdX6Qm2A6r9Rfjbfj7KRPhgDJP4sZ9O3Bt8JFSkkbouqAyjPiedy-ZX4BJ32e7HgGU26Ww_h8XD2bKsE/s400/DSC06546.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494276112195368578" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Like me, Janet comes from a local family with a history of Methodism and mining, complete with laissez-faire horror stories passed down to us about times before welfare and compulsary education. To my surprise, the nearby <a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2237/2541926935_d6b9bcc602.jpg" target="_blank">Nuthall Methodist Church</a> built in 1966 had some similar modernist aesthetics and principles to CLASP: it was built on rafts to withstand mining subsidence, it didn't worry about tradition or facing east, but instead focused on what was practical. Coincidentally many of my teachers here were also Methodist, yet this was by no means a religious school.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnfwUQrBT2GUGAQFb9vlB0-IL06YQzdo8XOIa0K58LMoAaUFlBNxHdpqG88ntdkMoITkMUQ4v6_GKdSuTwgkc2znWwRbzCR_petYfmUTDzJynK_kPRQOk6g_tct8vryuja4fCRI8fkozz/s1600/DSC06553.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnfwUQrBT2GUGAQFb9vlB0-IL06YQzdo8XOIa0K58LMoAaUFlBNxHdpqG88ntdkMoITkMUQ4v6_GKdSuTwgkc2znWwRbzCR_petYfmUTDzJynK_kPRQOk6g_tct8vryuja4fCRI8fkozz/s400/DSC06553.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494212732532535010" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXugZ_cIqan-dWXUpLXM9RoyYdbHPVDIlwTpGtjNPRNOpLoHHRpWXrWVayblLK223OU81MMxjn108Fm4lcNRL3A94lPTlL9S8nqdZ1uqZZWmfb_-6lo3H8o7oWfpRYsiUcS1OEgpVO5Ak/s1600/DSC06555.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXugZ_cIqan-dWXUpLXM9RoyYdbHPVDIlwTpGtjNPRNOpLoHHRpWXrWVayblLK223OU81MMxjn108Fm4lcNRL3A94lPTlL9S8nqdZ1uqZZWmfb_-6lo3H8o7oWfpRYsiUcS1OEgpVO5Ak/s400/DSC06555.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494212746315365634" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Both the church and this school were built during the post-war suburban expansion of council houses and private housing into old Nuthall, which had hitherto been an aristocratic <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?action=zoomWindow&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;DCHQ503973&prevUrl=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" target="_blank">parish</a> with very few residents. Thanks to the draconian laws of settlement in the nineteenth century, most of the labouring poor had been <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?action=zoomWindow&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM002464&prevUrl=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" target="_blank">squashed up</a> and fighting for survival in either pit village or town slum. Through the centre of Nuthall D. H. Lawrence’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottinghamshire_and_Derbyshire_Tramways_Company">tram car</a> in <a href="http://www.pseudopodium.org/repress/shorts/D_H_Lawrence-Tickets_Please.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tickets Please</span></a> plunged and jerked on its way from hilly soot stained Eastwood ‘till at last the city looms beyond, the fat gasworks, the narrow factories draw near’.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTMtxJ7_tyhfN8fAdbdG46_J_mFchIx5AzFUQ5kklmKRlMm7LEE-Ythvs5TcHl14HbKgI3twWjETIVLEwA8RQsEi1zS7ACniJUFSn4jsSIipQLpgo-8P1wXB8PD8z4aaVtXyPeh-t6GSy/s1600/DSC06588.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTMtxJ7_tyhfN8fAdbdG46_J_mFchIx5AzFUQ5kklmKRlMm7LEE-Ythvs5TcHl14HbKgI3twWjETIVLEwA8RQsEi1zS7ACniJUFSn4jsSIipQLpgo-8P1wXB8PD8z4aaVtXyPeh-t6GSy/s400/DSC06588.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494213365230610578" border="0" /></a><br />Today this upper working/lower middle class suburb stunts the growth of the city boundary and is known by the press as marginal voting country or the ‘home of motorway man’: Nottingham for your industrial estate address and the shire for your home.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-9T-Fc7tbX6tpRr5-7pBeMomQKWWcSrSHwBrAg0DKWIwDfWwYWHRU1QpBCMrkQTfk_8TyLZhdM2H-vHgvA-B3IeEvlPbPK8nMN543TtjEfNR1OFIm3H-sVuKNK2-Scd4YsFu2NnCHOFg/s1600/DSC06560.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-9T-Fc7tbX6tpRr5-7pBeMomQKWWcSrSHwBrAg0DKWIwDfWwYWHRU1QpBCMrkQTfk_8TyLZhdM2H-vHgvA-B3IeEvlPbPK8nMN543TtjEfNR1OFIm3H-sVuKNK2-Scd4YsFu2NnCHOFg/s400/DSC06560.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494276142539801570" border="0" /></a><br />Both <a href="http://www.architecture.com/LibraryDrawingsAndPhotographs/Palladio/PalladianBritain/VillasInBritain/VillaRotondasInfluence/NuthallTemple.aspx" target="_blank">RIBA</a> & the Pevsner guides lament the loss of the unique <a href="http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/nuthall/nuthall1.htm" target="_blank">Temple</a>, which could easily have been a National Trust property if it were not under Junction 26 of the M1. However, the aristocratic decline in the area did allow Basford District Council to become the principle landowner and this allowed Larkfields to became generously endowed with a <a href="http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=stzf2qgwwtn1&scene=4293271&lvl=1&sty=o&eo=0&where1=Nuthall%2C%20Notts" target="_blank">vast</a> playing field: complete with both running track and football field in an <a href="http://timcrocker.co.uk/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=span_2&id=NAG_TC_014_2" target="_blank">Eric Lyons </a>inspired piece of landscaping. It was so large that all the feeder schools for Kimberley Comprehensive would come here and compete in a district sports day. <style>@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "Georgia"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYbr2hgt-WPezvcL6DjHGlDiCsq-qExzEpaMDGWskInStKNWEqh4dUgYg34GSusc0_BNf8nubXSYdomJZQfqsjszdFgNDKR8iLFuiwthoTCkiAnYZmInG0HLLd59-Z1A2dzOFKrhSs-j7/s1600/DSC06518.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYbr2hgt-WPezvcL6DjHGlDiCsq-qExzEpaMDGWskInStKNWEqh4dUgYg34GSusc0_BNf8nubXSYdomJZQfqsjszdFgNDKR8iLFuiwthoTCkiAnYZmInG0HLLd59-Z1A2dzOFKrhSs-j7/s400/DSC06518.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494212705778878930" border="0" /></a><br />The open plan building of Larkfields Infants was centred on play, reflecting the education ethos of the time and making it a malleable place in which to work. However as time progressed the tiles fell, the roof leaked and the fire hazard in the ceiling cavity fanned the flames of concern.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrB8w4ctFTp7osMmiJ1EU35dnNaqptmHjBCHN94ElKBqKbexom60WkilkOjR8HqcWauVB77IcxJ9Dp6krTfmATAXuJd2Yw0pwD-PLTAnB3GTEEnrH81Z0umbiar8qWP8XphmjvVaTJQeC/s1600/DSC06456.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrB8w4ctFTp7osMmiJ1EU35dnNaqptmHjBCHN94ElKBqKbexom60WkilkOjR8HqcWauVB77IcxJ9Dp6krTfmATAXuJd2Yw0pwD-PLTAnB3GTEEnrH81Z0umbiar8qWP8XphmjvVaTJQeC/s400/DSC06456.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494212077866103986" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmk78Zle9Ythp-bN2btjAXChJCviK_ObJZQam46w3NKoRUpKgl_4Qwb8ve-8N2oucTtU2GE_WziysXEkJtkV1sHo0luTxJyXPh-ueMkvHuyMRMINRM9GtdbqWeI7arZRYMYQ7CXvpGZqRW/s1600/DSC06515.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmk78Zle9Ythp-bN2btjAXChJCviK_ObJZQam46w3NKoRUpKgl_4Qwb8ve-8N2oucTtU2GE_WziysXEkJtkV1sHo0luTxJyXPh-ueMkvHuyMRMINRM9GtdbqWeI7arZRYMYQ7CXvpGZqRW/s400/DSC06515.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494212688746624450" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I enjoyed this brief study of my old school but I have to admit that it's taken me nearly a year to pluck up the courage - due simply to the hysteria associated with adults wondering school property. What is also troubling is that the local authority architects of these schools had originally designed these education centres to be accessible to local people of all ages. It is as though schools have now become enclosed spaces: caving into demagogic television and tabloid hysteria. As a former newspaper lad on Coronation Road I know that some of those tardily delivered and rain sodden newspapers are partly to blame.<br /><br />N. B. This piece of work was commissioned by <a href="http://www.yh485press.org/" target="_blank">YH485 Press</a>.Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-59566318114368819592010-09-20T13:10:00.000-07:002010-09-20T14:17:49.362-07:00Structure & the City: Station to Art Gallery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJfOrKSjfKkk_9Db_hLdQ0_ernD7jTHKHQEfrs8qw4ViaPe2w7BObVwB9H3K-okjkFghqbWTwWxWT1ymPLqy7gY69zjWyt9CYJPcVfHPeoMtW6R4Fc-8tlqFdu1_0Whb9pAhn35c0bMXcL/s1600/Structure+and+the+City.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJfOrKSjfKkk_9Db_hLdQ0_ernD7jTHKHQEfrs8qw4ViaPe2w7BObVwB9H3K-okjkFghqbWTwWxWT1ymPLqy7gY69zjWyt9CYJPcVfHPeoMtW6R4Fc-8tlqFdu1_0Whb9pAhn35c0bMXcL/s400/Structure+and+the+City.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519100657432507586" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The folowing is a visual study of a pedestrian route between a city's train station and contemporary art gallery. How will people visually experience this walk? Some of the abstract terms used are those taken from Christian Leborg's <span style="font-style: italic;">Visual Grammar.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.localhistoryandart.com/Structure_and_the_City.pdf" target="blank">Structure and the City</a><br /><br />N.B. The above is just a small experiment as part of my London College of Communication coursework, so I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing here but with any help it may develop into something.Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-14994111639480152032010-08-15T13:45:00.001-07:002010-08-18T01:54:10.221-07:00Nottingham View Points 1: Mapperley Top<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJaLs7jWPIozYvl88T6woegQZR0E-Qbqpszu2o7NnovNTFSBMw_Ur97dGysJ3t4K9zqtO1VxvMyDlPQdw6Um4FIpz4yU2K3MW7RhruSrdBJCVjA-Au9x7JJYpPf6nIncJ35vSL0tt7KyG/s1600/DSC07056.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJaLs7jWPIozYvl88T6woegQZR0E-Qbqpszu2o7NnovNTFSBMw_Ur97dGysJ3t4K9zqtO1VxvMyDlPQdw6Um4FIpz4yU2K3MW7RhruSrdBJCVjA-Au9x7JJYpPf6nIncJ35vSL0tt7KyG/s400/DSC07056.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505763047821984770" border="0" /></a><div>Woodthorpe Court and Winchester Court<br /><br />This is partly in response to <a href="http://sheffieldpublicitydepartment.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Sheffield Publicity Department's</a> recent series of guides to local view points, which are accessible to the public. But it is also in awarenewss that civic vistas play an important role in town planning and a recent <a href="http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=7137&p=0">local study</a> has correctly identified a few of these in my home town but alas, not all. So I intend to add to the list with my own series of Nottingham View Points and first up is Mapperley Top, where the Keupar Marl Clay lowlands of the Midlands meet the undulating sandstone hills of the North. At 400ft above sea level this is the most elevated part of the city and a painfully steep area which is relieved only by the excellent <a href="http://www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk/site/?page_id=5" target="blank">Bread and Bitter</a> public house. Incidentally,<span> I currently have five complete Castle Rock reward cards squirreled away!</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Facing South East</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">: Towards the Trent</span><br /><br />There are hardly any views on Mapperley Top itself and it is only when you begin to descend what is simply a huge ridge, that you are met with an impressive panorama. The two sides of the ridge are different: one faces south east and the alluvial flood plain of the Trent Valley, while the other faces the undulating sandstone hills of Sherwood Forest and the coalfields of the north west.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbv6VzxuiOZJCF_fClpEiE7OHpyRvN7Q2VIaXb33_PKDgHAjgf75NkyMMCFCCvbHAc55TMvfFIudjANHkJUsBbNNrdHynI8PfLxcu8PWnolwIJOBYGAdFG06EXH-fOBFCeapm91bKrupJb/s1600/correction_views2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbv6VzxuiOZJCF_fClpEiE7OHpyRvN7Q2VIaXb33_PKDgHAjgf75NkyMMCFCCvbHAc55TMvfFIudjANHkJUsBbNNrdHynI8PfLxcu8PWnolwIJOBYGAdFG06EXH-fOBFCeapm91bKrupJb/s400/correction_views2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505741541815903154" border="0" /></a><br />Porchester Rd, Thorneywood<div><br /></div><div>Looking down the steep Porchester Road you are met with the lush green and blue horizon of the Trent Valley. Notice how the council housing does little to add to this sense of place, though it is perhaps fair to suggest that these buildings certainly appeared more bucolic when they were first <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM006960.jpg" target="blank">built</a>.</div><div><br /><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9H4FeWVjcP_OSFxcvNfIEd5kUExcIRip-MP9U7QOpCLlLlziEgkWX_yloDxTn3VPKjg2iSQZZfRGsIBOl2lkHjF0FnZsdV3eV8NWZfd-KF3KGGwytqESzFFijiTYbDRcBAaqRPt92reQ/s1600/DSC07087.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9H4FeWVjcP_OSFxcvNfIEd5kUExcIRip-MP9U7QOpCLlLlziEgkWX_yloDxTn3VPKjg2iSQZZfRGsIBOl2lkHjF0FnZsdV3eV8NWZfd-KF3KGGwytqESzFFijiTYbDRcBAaqRPt92reQ/s400/DSC07087.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505744217530195346" border="0" /></a><br />Ransom Drive, St Ann's<br /><br />From here you can see how the city has grown from its original site as the principle crossing point of the Trent. Yet despite this view being sited on land owned by the local authority the view is only accessible via a small grassy knoll. It's also feared that the council may be <a href="http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=538&p=0" target="blank">selling off</a> some of this property for cheap housing development.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cPnerPhQCrCGTV1SsYdG9W7mp1Wk4OyMfom5_O8mugGF70eKJGkNpquduS_hk66ldgsSGVOz89CDT_cKjFXST1ZHzkcXXlMm4GzUwdnhIagCuHML-IwRzHIGBSypwEMk_nw4fWzy6JwF/s1600/DSC07041.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cPnerPhQCrCGTV1SsYdG9W7mp1Wk4OyMfom5_O8mugGF70eKJGkNpquduS_hk66ldgsSGVOz89CDT_cKjFXST1ZHzkcXXlMm4GzUwdnhIagCuHML-IwRzHIGBSypwEMk_nw4fWzy6JwF/s400/DSC07041.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505742932827763858" border="0" /></a><br />Kent Road, Porchester<br /><br />Here the Keupar Marl contorts into peculiar steep little valleys, which populate the Porchester Estate. Like parts of Hyson Green, this housing estate begun life as a series of allotment plots developed by Nottingham workers and according to Geoffrey Oldfield the shape of some of the plots are still visible, while the streets were named after the original committee members:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Porchester Estate, with its 800 gardens, subscribed for by instalments paid over 10 years, with the patronage of Ald. Bennett, Sir John Robinson, and Messrs. Whittingham, Haywood, and others, is a valuable institution, showing the power of self-help, of co-operation, of thrift, of the desire to live in quietness with healthy garden surroundings. These gardens were inspected by Lord Salisbury, the prime minister, when in 1889 he on a visit to Nottingham took occasion to announce free education.<br /></i>(Robert Mellors <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/articles/mellorsarticles/mapperley2.htm" target="blank">Historical Articles</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>1914).</div><div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmppz9v7FOh4HZr4NeyCnquY7_uYH8eAhI5I8lctWWQ2djM28sB45pygtnX2-5hMqgWd39q5g7VtGHuxmEcbtmKIajX_X1dG4dzPsGXDAy3v_1w0i1SveQ2KOzE600go-yCbtD05xHKME3/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmppz9v7FOh4HZr4NeyCnquY7_uYH8eAhI5I8lctWWQ2djM28sB45pygtnX2-5hMqgWd39q5g7VtGHuxmEcbtmKIajX_X1dG4dzPsGXDAy3v_1w0i1SveQ2KOzE600go-yCbtD05xHKME3/s400/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506434661867299730" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><i>In those days Nottingham was surrounded by allotments, not in their hundreds but in their tens of thousands, and the great Dean Hole…estimated that in his day, about a hundred years ago, there were some 20,000 of them scattered around what was then an important town but not yet a city, and the home of under 200,000 people - an allotment for about every third family. </i><br />(<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2djvqytfSPU#t=1m0s" target="blank">Harry Wheatcroft</a>, <span style="font-style: italic;">My life with Roses</span>, 1959)</div><div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygk_9ZCM91RIX3L_SB17BOXQ4T8a8LTFwz47KbgHCNxLbjPalUpaRFCOjPuTeY55hkh4L8On6f3RqjjnTNdt92TFURNPgrv4x5NvVrg2AIoYNwd6hofu62JXruwI_qip6S3cTCwewUUgc/s1600/DSC07043.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygk_9ZCM91RIX3L_SB17BOXQ4T8a8LTFwz47KbgHCNxLbjPalUpaRFCOjPuTeY55hkh4L8On6f3RqjjnTNdt92TFURNPgrv4x5NvVrg2AIoYNwd6hofu62JXruwI_qip6S3cTCwewUUgc/s400/DSC07043.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505741560461900242" border="0" /></a><br />From Carlton Forum Park you can get a good impression of the hidden valley of the Porchester Estate. To the right of the picture is Mapperley Top and the hospital, while to the left the land slopes towards the Trent. The background and foreground show how the valley dips into a hidden crevice - I think it is safe to guess that this is one of the first of a series of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumble" target="blank">dumbles</a> which mold the clay lands east of the city.</div><div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Facing North West</span>: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Towards Sherwood Forest</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgPj81MwTtkJsFA-NEN2NPByLRt3JxC0B8WF8BxRQUrNQM7rYrCelsfGht0HIS-4AY2nKa6viGNVy3QgpOCqyXNdefMTqJmaQjqaF759-2qsgwaTwmD1HZxxhyphenhyphenJDKeY1lkJ6RmqnY_uW7/s1600/DSC07051.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgPj81MwTtkJsFA-NEN2NPByLRt3JxC0B8WF8BxRQUrNQM7rYrCelsfGht0HIS-4AY2nKa6viGNVy3QgpOCqyXNdefMTqJmaQjqaF759-2qsgwaTwmD1HZxxhyphenhyphenJDKeY1lkJ6RmqnY_uW7/s400/DSC07051.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505742922843085458" border="0" /></a><br />Sherwood Vale, Sherwood<br /><br /></div><div>From this escarpment we are no longer met with a lush valley of clay and alluvium but rather the dark and looming heathland of Sherwood Forest.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBSRAHOQcT1hg5T-kCqZXZa6MxrjEv-yBtGx_pt-9RzflFRTFLP8z5_QA43iDTYrZ7y4G9exQJHYoSUnFb04TVewYmywVA0CYni5bJHayoOHo0RdjwOxGy9qGw7kytQ8Oif70iQXuAUAN/s1600/DSC07074.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBSRAHOQcT1hg5T-kCqZXZa6MxrjEv-yBtGx_pt-9RzflFRTFLP8z5_QA43iDTYrZ7y4G9exQJHYoSUnFb04TVewYmywVA0CYni5bJHayoOHo0RdjwOxGy9qGw7kytQ8Oif70iQXuAUAN/s400/DSC07074.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506127684175472562" border="0" /></a><br />Nearby on Morley Avenue (a street name which lured me in for numerous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Morley_%28MP%29" target="blank">historical</a> reasons) is one of the <a href="http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Nostalgic-visit-city-s-hidden-lace-factory/article-1691107-detail/article.html" target="blank">last remaining</a> Nottingham lace factories originally built out of a clay pit from a nearby brick works. It is important to remember the phrase 'Nottingham was built on Mapperley Hills' and indeed so is <a href="http://internetcurtains.blogspot.com/2009/05/st-pancras.html" target="blank">St Pancras Station</a>.<br /></div><div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYF7Gj7xZ48FajKQNWqgfLDpGeCIeziYtL92xmqs20RKdmlscqfcCO0LRDKWBqD4iGVnSqjmpjrIW6VtXL62h4EHW8oxszoZeDopY4_BXba3r4OB4cVTUVZ1y1zTCDFtPrkcL0H1OSYBxB/s1600/correction_views3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYF7Gj7xZ48FajKQNWqgfLDpGeCIeziYtL92xmqs20RKdmlscqfcCO0LRDKWBqD4iGVnSqjmpjrIW6VtXL62h4EHW8oxszoZeDopY4_BXba3r4OB4cVTUVZ1y1zTCDFtPrkcL0H1OSYBxB/s400/correction_views3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505741543779999154" border="0" /></a><br />Breckhill Park, Woodthorpe Drive<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><br />brekka</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Old Norse, for 'slope' is fairly common in Lancashire and of very occasional appearance in some other northern counties </span><br />(Margaret Gelling, <span style="font-style: italic;">Place-Names in the the Landscape</span>, 1984, p.129)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-_c7BzxxisNkgc35UC2hFtjKYKIKnB_RJj13vY4xOKf0Y2XKIl31De3X9_OjnBVTbBbmXJfm3B5snD7G7RXQ_Wn99DmQ8O6hsZFtgkmsjFaMLd2hmOQthRuTui_eLeco7sbb19YLIJka/s1600/DSC07064.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-_c7BzxxisNkgc35UC2hFtjKYKIKnB_RJj13vY4xOKf0Y2XKIl31De3X9_OjnBVTbBbmXJfm3B5snD7G7RXQ_Wn99DmQ8O6hsZFtgkmsjFaMLd2hmOQthRuTui_eLeco7sbb19YLIJka/s400/DSC07064.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505744207996318530" border="0" /></a><br />Woodthorpe Grange Park</div><div><br /></div><div>One of my favourite parks in the city was given via the varied actions of a string of liberal industrialists which reads like a <i>Who's Who</i> of early twentieth century Nottingham: the eccentric <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julien_Cahn" target="blank">Julien Cahn</a>, <a href="http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/articles/mellorsarticles/mapperley7.htm" target="blank">Gripper</a> the brick maker, methodist & chemist Jesse Boot, the railway builder <a href="http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Trip-memory-lane-Woodthorpe-Park-walkers/article-2525636-detail/article.html" target="blank">Edward Parry</a> and Henry Ashwell J.P., who ran a dyeing company and was an early member of the Thoroton Society. There are many stories of interest here which will have to wait for another time, not least is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham%27s_Tunnels" target="blank">Nottingham Suburban Railway</a>, which was again thanks to those civic conscious industrialists. In the distance is Daybrook and the central sandstone watershed of Nottinghamshire.</div><div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtjDp5J4D0J3cIdr3BdVx7sZP-6FTI7H-IEIxqG5nipeg4DtJxFfCOwnMxjXE6PwPu9BFV_cKTZiG28zZqKkxzqFn69WShiojrj1YvMZIsbdy1MDLwoGGgYblSz0uOQzJlY-wU0ZvVYep/s1600/DSC07057.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtjDp5J4D0J3cIdr3BdVx7sZP-6FTI7H-IEIxqG5nipeg4DtJxFfCOwnMxjXE6PwPu9BFV_cKTZiG28zZqKkxzqFn69WShiojrj1YvMZIsbdy1MDLwoGGgYblSz0uOQzJlY-wU0ZvVYep/s400/DSC07057.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505744195467002626" border="0" /></a><br />Woodthrope Grange Park (towards Winchester St)</div><div><br /></div><div>Woodthorpe and Winchester Court tower blocks overlook the Leen Valley and out towards Sherwood Forest. I think it is safe to assume that these are the same postwar standard 1001/6 <a href="http://ukhousing.wikia.com/wiki/Woodthorpe_Court" target="blank">Wimpey</a> build as those on Manvers Street in <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM014617.jpg" target="blank">Sneinton</a>; brick walls, concrete panels and square balconies. Neither inspiring nor tasteless, though unlike Sneinton the design is flattered with a <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM002480.jpg" target="blank">rolling public park</a>.</div><div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiRn3AClxElIwSNxuS3t4xejgnIaa7jMkKz8bJpE01RQjCNfDncujSpgGpBBc_ZpWleE_kS6K3q-4vwJvcm9FW_SQj-3PURDY-pPwDDGywT6K03frEl5953palhxmveCvrW4LYKSaUuYQ/s1600/DSC07055.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiRn3AClxElIwSNxuS3t4xejgnIaa7jMkKz8bJpE01RQjCNfDncujSpgGpBBc_ZpWleE_kS6K3q-4vwJvcm9FW_SQj-3PURDY-pPwDDGywT6K03frEl5953palhxmveCvrW4LYKSaUuYQ/s400/DSC07055.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505742954500980738" border="0" /></a><br />Woodthrope Grange Park<br /><br /></div><div>According to the British Association for the Advancement of Science Nottingham is the most geologically complex city in the UK, save for Bristol. Some of this varied topography will be revealed in future views of the eastern clay lands, the Trent Valley, the western coalfields and the sandstone hills of the north, though I may struggle to find a view on the thinly veiled Limestone <a href="http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/environment/landimprovements/landscapecharacter/countrysideappraisal/countrysideappraisal-chapterfour.htm" target="blank">escarpment</a>. I have previously regurgitated R. M. Butler's <a href="http://disclosuresproject.wordpress.com/disclosures-ii-the-middle-ages/nottigham-open-field-guide/" target="blank">Thoroton article</a> on how the modern city's street layout owes much to its geology and medieval field system but this will be a chance to follow a more aesthetic dérive. It is certainly exciting to think that the city has such an interesting topography on which to develop (or grow), though it is perhaps upsetting that it is not always realised. </div></div>Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-8253148992114781352010-07-23T10:53:00.000-07:002010-07-23T11:20:30.131-07:00River Leen: Cycle and Pedestrian Route<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeULMfyoy1ocBZ78oTjmvc_FhXRG1CA7mz1XhRPxZ3wKZMxyu0HnC2CFDTl1ICm0G7TdsVBDNGHkTsdaer-T8ERO4vriqqrfBcpYwsPw0QT9bP321D9gPSdx46Gc7edWvyxdcfbxT3tYD/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeULMfyoy1ocBZ78oTjmvc_FhXRG1CA7mz1XhRPxZ3wKZMxyu0HnC2CFDTl1ICm0G7TdsVBDNGHkTsdaer-T8ERO4vriqqrfBcpYwsPw0QT9bP321D9gPSdx46Gc7edWvyxdcfbxT3tYD/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497161649897968306" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.cmatthews.co.uk/River Leen Access and Biodiversity Study.pdf" target="_blank">River Leen: Access and Biodiversity Study</a><br /><br />This latest town planning study is looking to create a new cycle and pedestrian route along the River Leen and is largely the work of Keith Morgan and the transport planning department at Nottingham City Council. It's basically extending the already successful <a href="http://www.cmatthews.co.uk/bigtrack6.html"target="_blank">Big Track</a> idea. I will be creating a historical and visual guide book of sorts and looking for other peoples' responses to the route. Feel free to add your ideas and comments below. Ta.Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-84394351365926588102010-03-06T09:50:00.000-08:002012-09-14T08:05:17.791-07:00Colwick Industrial EstateThis follows part of a group bike ride from Stoke Bardoph Lock to Colwick Industrial Estate, along a newly relayed Trentside path. I have to thank <a href="http://cyclesneinton.com/" target="_blank">Sneinton Bikers</a> for their patience, as I must have tired then with my insistence on meandering along Sillitoe's <i>tape worm artery</i> of the Trent - stopping at rotting industrial heritage and contemporary manufacturing units.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2k5wyfbv6t5D22Ss8MAtO0G8HMIqIM_igY-PS5n-5DNkwRx5mwi1bei4Su-cZDx_VksrAhFR2DFGdhFr70Z4XNR7HDzoqtIwV9rJMXxh5Qs685RH2zJF_Om7kupByfu89zsK-K-DvoMi/s1600-h/DSC05260.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446803630423195810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2k5wyfbv6t5D22Ss8MAtO0G8HMIqIM_igY-PS5n-5DNkwRx5mwi1bei4Su-cZDx_VksrAhFR2DFGdhFr70Z4XNR7HDzoqtIwV9rJMXxh5Qs685RH2zJF_Om7kupByfu89zsK-K-DvoMi/s400/DSC05260.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a></div>
In 1915 the Corporation of Nottingham took over the entire stretch of river from the city to Newark in an ambitious plan to increase the volume of traffic carried via the Trent. Hitherto the rate of traffic had been in decline; in 1898 the river carried over 400,000 tons per year but by 1915 it had declined below 300,000. By building <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM009507.jpg" target="_blank">new locks in the 1920s</a>, such as this one at Stoke Bardolph, and with an extensive river dredging and deepening programme, the corporation successfully doubled tonnage on the Trent to over 650,000 by 1939. But it doesn't end there either, oh no, in 1978 the city had plans to develop the Trent further and build a major <a href="http://www.macearchive.org/Media.html?Title=28913" target="_blank">European port</a> at Colwick for ocean going ships!<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">(A. C. Wood, A History of Trade and Transport on the River Trent, in Transactions of the Thoroton Society, 1950, Vo. 54), pp. 1-45.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6dZQJURUb8XwpMNZWVxABH2dy-yPkAIohfbdUIvHHgU0-LWgwX-pjm_rVLrClDFbnHKQNIv_wyk6dcmNG2zIXYV8V3NRtmCZh3F9a9krnsyNjTyqTbGUL_T6rtP0BfrWjvithGbYDxpb/s1600-h/DSC05256.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446803622268274770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6dZQJURUb8XwpMNZWVxABH2dy-yPkAIohfbdUIvHHgU0-LWgwX-pjm_rVLrClDFbnHKQNIv_wyk6dcmNG2zIXYV8V3NRtmCZh3F9a9krnsyNjTyqTbGUL_T6rtP0BfrWjvithGbYDxpb/s400/DSC05256.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Today the river is mainly used for recreation and the 1920s plantation of trees which surround the lock provide an attractive haven for wildlife and a suitable spot for a <a href="http://www.hinterlandprojects.com/search/node/foraging" target="_blank">foraging picnic</a>, which dare I say it in such plain English: is a very nice place! A calming spot to sit and watch an autumn sunset. This can be a positive side of Britain's decline in industrial prowess - good footpaths, nature reserves, public recreation and wildlife. Not luxury riverside apartments inhabited briefly by dodgy football managers - as we shall see further up stream.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FcWIaJCxCPbNPyqAPMrbiqKissxsOb0hrGf7M9odvKjBH_yLjBKK5o5ccKzdHbHCVJyQXuYLZs8zEpaz_1HfiqK8mVlfyEcIXMlhA6TBUA5btTPHilig07oP2rERekyo0afjyEyKJBvs/s1600-h/DSC05263.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446716110546735058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FcWIaJCxCPbNPyqAPMrbiqKissxsOb0hrGf7M9odvKjBH_yLjBKK5o5ccKzdHbHCVJyQXuYLZs8zEpaz_1HfiqK8mVlfyEcIXMlhA6TBUA5btTPHilig07oP2rERekyo0afjyEyKJBvs/s400/DSC05263.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Next to the picnic tables is a wildlife guide powered by hand - also notice the bat carving on the corner.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLFeePv2XoRURjV9c5-NznKWT0l02M3951ggxqoRwJpP5OTdL1wIp5csmbnbcVBUpc8np5e5UT8ZgX0DUI3GpL53jI3GW3aYUylevoMCKo3ZliU0U2HQ5p28GK-qqZIKDV5i-fnO3p8Vx/s1600-h/DSC05264.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446716117812763490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLFeePv2XoRURjV9c5-NznKWT0l02M3951ggxqoRwJpP5OTdL1wIp5csmbnbcVBUpc8np5e5UT8ZgX0DUI3GpL53jI3GW3aYUylevoMCKo3ZliU0U2HQ5p28GK-qqZIKDV5i-fnO3p8Vx/s400/DSC05264.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />Between the lock and viaduct a cycle path has been relayed alongside the river, which is abutted by Radcliff-on-Trent. No need to explain the Anglo Saxon <a href="http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~aezins//kepn.php" target="_blank">terminology</a>. Also notice the white bands of gypsum, a feature which rendered the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW978FfNHOE&feature=related#t=6m53s" target="_blank">Trent Valley</a> as a centre of medieval <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham_alabaster" target="_blank">alabaster carving</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_ale#Burton_Pale_Ale" target="_blank">Pale Ale </a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BPB_plc" target="_blank">British Gypsum</a>. Illusive, familiar, moderate, bitter and flowery. It covers the cracks, the faulty joints and the dividing lines.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9axIBKnbwxdndUEUFYFYyhOHelpvu3icaPfnHoyY5T4jbire5WVyW0EI6S2Fg9EBFfhQgeKTviDJRMBpYD4Y-yt4iG6FYDDfAm-sxHEkWBklNE-I7iw00DY0Qw4xCFklGQlwDXOvES-W/s1600-h/DSC05271.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446716122007477970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9axIBKnbwxdndUEUFYFYyhOHelpvu3icaPfnHoyY5T4jbire5WVyW0EI6S2Fg9EBFfhQgeKTviDJRMBpYD4Y-yt4iG6FYDDfAm-sxHEkWBklNE-I7iw00DY0Qw4xCFklGQlwDXOvES-W/s400/DSC05271.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />Unfortunately <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCC000236.jpg" target="_blank">encased in concrete</a> by British Rail in 1981 but the attempt to strengthen the crossing could have been worse. The bridge was originally built by the Ambergate Railway company - one of those many speculative and imaginative endeavours from the age of steam; this particular fantastical dream was to link Boston with Manchester but didn't get as far as Nottingham. It was eventually bought out by one of oldest of the big six railway companies: The Great Northern, which originated in Stevenson's North East and terminated at King's Cross. But this was Midland Railway country - the fourth of the big six, which originated in The Erewash and terminated at St Pancras. At least private railway competition was <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> back then, not the botched excuse it is now. Can anyone today seriously imagine each company with their own competing station in every town, or First Great Western sabotaging East Midlands Trains? But this is what happened here, back then in 1852.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrJPeBxPBXePt-prGhnCU10kEioRZm4jBAg2KH0kUNijerQ0o2bpa7SlTyQNREweP_qpRHF2CtQzELhCU6q8nWGPRVornu1NONz1gXDKvW-fCE7IL3VGFvDEJpl0iscema1ygxj9AjTAA/s1600-h/viaduct.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448652470974591570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrJPeBxPBXePt-prGhnCU10kEioRZm4jBAg2KH0kUNijerQ0o2bpa7SlTyQNREweP_qpRHF2CtQzELhCU6q8nWGPRVornu1NONz1gXDKvW-fCE7IL3VGFvDEJpl0iscema1ygxj9AjTAA/s400/viaduct.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />By controlling the Grantham to Nottingham line, the Great Northern had a connection to the Erewash coalfields and the MR heartland. The MR retaliated by kidnapping the first GNR locomotive to arrive in Nottingham and it wasn't released for another 7 months following a long winded court case known as the 'battle of Nottingham'. The despute was settled by the GNR agreeing to pay a 10 year lease to the Midland for the use of their property until the they built their own station. It was in lieu of this that the GNR employed one of Nottingham's finest architects in TC Hine to decorate their new line with his then modish Jacobean and Italianate architecture: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham_Great_Northern_railway_station" target="_blank">Nottingham GNR Station</a>, the <a href="http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=45360" target="_blank">GNR Warehouse</a>, Aslockton, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCS001997.jpg" target="_blank">Bingham</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM009735.jpg" target="_blank">Colwick</a> and Bottesford have the best surviving fragments. Nearby, Netherfield became a Great Northern Railway town with one of the biggest railway sidings in Midland country but was largely disbanded since post war nationalisation. This is one of those moments where Ray Gosling's <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/eastmidlands/series7/revisit.shtml" target="_blank">observation</a> about Nottingham can ring true, as a place 'where the Midlands meets the North'. Though I don't know if it is always a friendly meeting but sometimes more of an actual tension. The line also splits in two here - with another concrete viaduct which until 1993 was a mineral line to Cotgrave Colliery.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">At evening by the lights of Netherfield-Dubovka </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />
Walk similar embankments and announce their love </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />
To rivers snaking over peacetime faces.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/622561" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 85%;">Alan Sillitoe <span style="font-style: italic;">A falling out of love and other poems</span> (1964)</span></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGgOaNioyHyogzyT2j3rZKZ4Ycsv21sy2EnFMpWp-vFgqtmXw1C3tNb5IgwG9Y1oLxN9ZFigXRcwuOepJhNIo6OF_Qk0PRJorAF8cLHDcrvpjGEh4ivx_wbI4TR9amYrkbPbS3yOq1dnc/s1600-h/DSC05273.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446716124083292098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGgOaNioyHyogzyT2j3rZKZ4Ycsv21sy2EnFMpWp-vFgqtmXw1C3tNb5IgwG9Y1oLxN9ZFigXRcwuOepJhNIo6OF_Qk0PRJorAF8cLHDcrvpjGEh4ivx_wbI4TR9amYrkbPbS3yOq1dnc/s400/DSC05273.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />The Clayton Shuttleworth & Co. is credited with manufacturing the ironwork for this bridge - a Lincolnshire engineering company which made various machines for agriculture; threshing, ploughs, portable steam engines and so on. It is understandable why this company had a clear interest in the Ambergate Railway - connecting the Lincolnshire farmlands with the north midland coalfields. Boosted with the sales from the Great Exhibition, by 1857 the company was described as having machines all over the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with factories in both Vienna and Budapest. Despite the overwhelming success of the 1850s, by the turn of the century British agricultural machinery had lost out to American developments in reaping and binding technology. The post 1870 agricultural depression hadn't helped either when British farmers struggled amid growing international competition. There is a common tension thoughout these tales of British rise and decline; at one end proud complacency and at the other increasing international growth.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">(<a href="http://www.jstor.org/pss/2592039" target="_blank">The Market and the Development of the Mechanical Engineering Industries in Britain, 1860-1914, by S. B. Saul <cite></cite> © 1967 </a><a href="http://www.jstor.org/pss/2592039">Economic History Society</a><a href="http://www.jstor.org/pss/2592039">.</a>)<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGH3emONiKNBwPA6s7WYzfBB3rBnnFjH6KqfHj3ael9hSPfapvS0s4j9GrYkNRZrOhYE_z7zwRDQywQ779LtYYTiJZ2FXZ2bNedwK656Fvvesdf_vpiI42s6LCwf-Ypnd1ziCDf_zRADup/s1600-h/DSC05281.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446803642286153266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGH3emONiKNBwPA6s7WYzfBB3rBnnFjH6KqfHj3ael9hSPfapvS0s4j9GrYkNRZrOhYE_z7zwRDQywQ779LtYYTiJZ2FXZ2bNedwK656Fvvesdf_vpiI42s6LCwf-Ypnd1ziCDf_zRADup/s400/DSC05281.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Cycling east to west, <a href="http://www.parklogistics.co.uk/" target="_blank">Park Logistics</a> is one of the first firms you encounter at Colwick Industrial Estate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgMN4bODJvTFyQU4soadFHRyVZOhRVfNA9baG2L4Vg_ZITGI-K2X8lpAP6UDzc0gR7Ec-b4IqEvlvIQHdIIxUbh4yYm8Ho-X3_NwSrkUjthbzOU_59WX7EJaP9KNYnIJ2BUuawpFAgTXb/s1600-h/DSC05280.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448651092249356450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgMN4bODJvTFyQU4soadFHRyVZOhRVfNA9baG2L4Vg_ZITGI-K2X8lpAP6UDzc0gR7Ec-b4IqEvlvIQHdIIxUbh4yYm8Ho-X3_NwSrkUjthbzOU_59WX7EJaP9KNYnIJ2BUuawpFAgTXb/s400/DSC05280.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
One of the other major sites is <a href="http://www.wastecycle.co.uk/About.html" target="_blank">Wastecycle</a>, a private refuse collection and recycling company.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRRgrla1bsfIv63_eA7rfURQmBCySbete2vyqlWZ2xvPISAOtXT5afXMxsmtZPx_iHFavngVCLQ8LDnr2CeKEDe_uy_kvdyZmdT1YTNpaHhN4D2nH76GNIeY_VdBdH_CKwiWQP8JOJk15/s1600-h/DSC05284.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446716125961186722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRRgrla1bsfIv63_eA7rfURQmBCySbete2vyqlWZ2xvPISAOtXT5afXMxsmtZPx_iHFavngVCLQ8LDnr2CeKEDe_uy_kvdyZmdT1YTNpaHhN4D2nH76GNIeY_VdBdH_CKwiWQP8JOJk15/s400/DSC05284.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />Trent Concrete has been here since 1919 and is one of the largest prefabricated concrete businesses in the United Kingdom, with a staff of nearly 150 people. Its most <a href="http://www.trentconcrete.co.uk/projects/6/" target="_blank">significant project</a> of recent years has been the precast concrete panels for Nottingham Contemporary using technology developed at Derby University. Historically the company has been an essential part of twentieth century construction in Britain, taking it's raw material from the numerous gravel terraces of the Trent Vallery. From the 1920s to the 50s Trent Concrete provided the material for "Nottingham's Highway to the Sea", and ambitious infrastructure project along the river which included warehouses, locks, sluices and dredging work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFAqA8nSTFc7H7HBZ5970sJDT_dleiLnWGq8a8At61o9D7UvGQJR7d5nTET_5RYHjai0ifHdYI9yf2CY-giqSe99uBoKzQ_TF5WdukfaRTxS5dczE1UEh6QUAQZGiv47hToByDrRtKMcV/s1600-h/DSC05285.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446716456398369490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFAqA8nSTFc7H7HBZ5970sJDT_dleiLnWGq8a8At61o9D7UvGQJR7d5nTET_5RYHjai0ifHdYI9yf2CY-giqSe99uBoKzQ_TF5WdukfaRTxS5dczE1UEh6QUAQZGiv47hToByDrRtKMcV/s400/DSC05285.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Armitage Brothers has a Royal Warrant for the manufacture and supply of pet food, <a href="http://www.armitages.co.uk/our-company.html" target="_blank">priding itself</a> on being the largest companies of its kind in Europe. It is over 200 years old and has had its main factory and distribution centre based in Colwick since the conception of the industrial estate during the <a href="http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/books/colwick/colwick8.htm" target="_blank">interwar</a> period. The writer <a href="http://wayneburrows.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Wayne Burrows</a> worked here for a short time until he moved on to better things at the McCain Chip factory in Grantham.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4WbJO2HTTJRpFgnWciOWl2p9s5hGouQ6f4FO5PnO0YJW_hJNCrQsq70ztOlOjVAXb93oUzdW56iYUcd9vdT7K1oHP_XGed6nHo12RDQCLt8Ua8ZBIkCedYFhsMcpIx_GzEH3D6gae2Kw/s1600-h/DSC05286.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446716467213041586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4WbJO2HTTJRpFgnWciOWl2p9s5hGouQ6f4FO5PnO0YJW_hJNCrQsq70ztOlOjVAXb93oUzdW56iYUcd9vdT7K1oHP_XGed6nHo12RDQCLt8Ua8ZBIkCedYFhsMcpIx_GzEH3D6gae2Kw/s400/DSC05286.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />The estate was originally conceived as an inland port to Hull and eventually the North Sea. It was generally considered a success by the 1960s but twenty years later this function had declined due to a combination of reasons, some of which include: the silting up of the Trent at Stoke Bardloph, an increase in road traffic and I think also the <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/312665" target="_blank">piping of north sea oil</a> to Colwick - though as yet I can find no further information about the inland piping of refined oil.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0_Ctx8XrBtKEimnzaNxeyU-zVlLTjwoMl5Y2OYIp7M7PgWW9xJO6fHY8MhI-EHdeVnZ3OoCpE83DxAZPoo8wX0izUnR1aJPXe8EQV6T1sKqAua2n66U53oqrqcpqrlgquHV3JVS_Jq32/s1600-h/DSC05288.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446716466993737570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0_Ctx8XrBtKEimnzaNxeyU-zVlLTjwoMl5Y2OYIp7M7PgWW9xJO6fHY8MhI-EHdeVnZ3OoCpE83DxAZPoo8wX0izUnR1aJPXe8EQV6T1sKqAua2n66U53oqrqcpqrlgquHV3JVS_Jq32/s400/DSC05288.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Access to water traffic was a valuable asset for the import of raw sugar. Perhaps the oldest building on the estate is the Sugar Beet Factory - an industry which was established in England between 1912 and 1928 and one which was more predominant in the flat lands of East Anglia. Colwick was therefore of marginal importance in the industry, being developed out of speculative corporate decisions rather than locational necessity. There were and still are a small number of sugar beet factories in the <a href="http://www.britishsugar.co.uk/RVE607d00f2db6a43e2aa4b2e88c1eabdb1,,.aspx" target="_blank">UK</a>, although Colwick is no longer one of them. This was an industry which appears to have developed out of Britain's decline in its international standing: in the nineteenth century it had relied on imports via empire and the continental dumping of sugar - hence the Victorian origins of Tate & Lyle. All this changed in the early years of the twentieth century when the dumping of sugar in Europe was restricted by international agreement and new customs duties were imposed on the material. The site is now used by <a href="http://www.kitchenworldnottingham.co.uk/contact" target="_blank">Kitchen World</a> and the grounds as depot for <a href="http://www.leec.co.uk/web/leec/index.cfm?page=1" target="_blank">Leec</a> - manufactures of medical and mortuary equipment.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><a href="http://www.jstor.org/pss/621661" target="_blank">(The Location of the Beet-Sugar Industry in England and Wales, 1912-36, by H. D. Watts © 1971 The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers).</a>)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMWDeYpxh4kBiqSz-V-L9Q45s6cFts5bUfvhjWsRYCxLJxRASKraug-CAqaiXSKupA-6EP48cuah09fWoQ5aUJJc8GoI5l8ECl39BTeY5mlSn74mIlnOO7otRx8ek0AkMHmSiNU6pY3Rt/s1600-h/DSC05292.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446716469552694770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMWDeYpxh4kBiqSz-V-L9Q45s6cFts5bUfvhjWsRYCxLJxRASKraug-CAqaiXSKupA-6EP48cuah09fWoQ5aUJJc8GoI5l8ECl39BTeY5mlSn74mIlnOO7otRx8ek0AkMHmSiNU6pY3Rt/s400/DSC05292.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Since the dredging of the River in the 1920s, this was a place where oil could be distributed from Hull via the Trent to the petroleum depot at Colwick - an important distrubution centre for the East Midlands. The oil drums are still an impressive site from the Colwick Loop Road, but it is now a shadow of its former self - at one time the site was home to <a href="http://www.eco-action.org/dod/no7/66-75.html" target="_blank">Texaco, Esso and Total</a> but it appears that only the latter remains - the adjacent site of the former occupants have been cleared for redevelopment.<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">(<a href="http://www.jstor.org/pss/2396591" target="_blank">The Inland Waterways of the United Kingdom in the 1960s Author(s): H. D. Watts Source: Economic Geography, Vol. </a><a href="http://www.jstor.org/pss/2396591" target="_blank">43, No. 4 (Oct., 1967), pp. 303-313</a>)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrnsXkYgP-L8LJjOvr6RDfuOnec05_Cf23Ug8_4RBBQ-A3wRLUp0wbZuzjXG4PaD9hCbCEvOsCDPxs66UqpMOWKNIjYKERb2a9CL_pdrh5MOeGHruSx7RFm1qQy_muENjnZDswC5vR_o4/s1600-h/DSC05293.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446716480622239042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrnsXkYgP-L8LJjOvr6RDfuOnec05_Cf23Ug8_4RBBQ-A3wRLUp0wbZuzjXG4PaD9hCbCEvOsCDPxs66UqpMOWKNIjYKERb2a9CL_pdrh5MOeGHruSx7RFm1qQy_muENjnZDswC5vR_o4/s400/DSC05293.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />ROL is an international retail fixture suppliers which has offices in Italy, Denmark, Sweeden, Holland, Spain, France, Brazil, USA and Thailand. It is not suprising that its UK headquaters are based here given the city's history in commerical manufacture - especially Boots. World-wide ROL employs over <a href="http://www.rolgroup.com/templates/WebPage____2040.aspx" target="_blank">500</a> people.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1cyJhA42qncETjP8zCWL78rk5Hv4G4aooD5nI5q8McNOtE6oYn_LKVRatwh4mfYf-nKCDouZdhsW9UmUGxDrFP4pVwCKIixxxY0bTUQ3wqWS-1bf6o1TN60igHdDRy6RZ0f45dyxOToj/s1600-h/DSC05296.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446716817247689106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1cyJhA42qncETjP8zCWL78rk5Hv4G4aooD5nI5q8McNOtE6oYn_LKVRatwh4mfYf-nKCDouZdhsW9UmUGxDrFP4pVwCKIixxxY0bTUQ3wqWS-1bf6o1TN60igHdDRy6RZ0f45dyxOToj/s400/DSC05296.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />It is perhaps fair to suggest that the quality of architecture at Colwick has declined since the 1970s and this building marks the last attempt at industrial aesthetics, in this case a muted Scandinavian modernism. Manufacturing is still a vital part of the economy, but its relative neglect compared to finance and business is evident in nearly every industrial estate I have been to in Nottingham. Business Parks at Ruddington, Pheonix Park, NG2 and Assarts Farm have pine plantations, good roads and new builds - many of which are empty. Yet manufacturing estates such as Glaisdale Drive, Lenton, Bulwell, Dunkirk, Radford, Stapleford, Basford and Eastwood are left to rot; with huge potholes and a regular diet of dodgy burger vans. This is the unit which my Dad rents <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=nottingham&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=16.837555,46.538086&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Nottingham,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.015971,-1.317372&spn=0.007539,0.045447&z=15&layer=c&cbll=53.015967,-1.317362&panoid=1M4OBfxGBFfS1UFzvmUaTw&cbp=11,265.57,,0,-0.44" target="_blank">for engineering here</a>. Bio City and the Science Park are notable exceptions, though they are not built for mechanical engineers or manufacturers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NYeidLMBO5mL7LMMWkvFhOCO8IxMp3M4FHNcI0J96VWohYs_p86FSHRsH0FUNJ-H8lzNZr3qBFBhb4l1Wgo3kEER94M1kvx4-cZk8zUrpV8eLJVnwjBl8cfc9ug97kEe2nTyiZ4OAo0n/s1600-h/DSC05294.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446803645134495506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NYeidLMBO5mL7LMMWkvFhOCO8IxMp3M4FHNcI0J96VWohYs_p86FSHRsH0FUNJ-H8lzNZr3qBFBhb4l1Wgo3kEER94M1kvx4-cZk8zUrpV8eLJVnwjBl8cfc9ug97kEe2nTyiZ4OAo0n/s400/DSC05294.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />Notice the potholes. In 1907 textiles was the largest single branch of engineering in the UK and a dominant force in world trade. <a href="http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Illustrious-family-built-empire-industry/article-592705-detail/article.html" target="_blank">Earnest Jardine</a> was one of its major players with a highly successfuly lace machine making company based in Nottingham. Colwick Industrial Estate was originally conceived in the 1920s and financed by Jardine's ambitious plans to make way for the city's expansion and make money in industrial real estate. It is perhaps testament to his forward planning that some of the original occupants are still here, though it is also a little endemic of the lace machine markers' complacency that companies such as Jardines are no longer with us. But all this is sometimes just provincial English self depreciation, which hides the fact that since the 1980s, central government has often done little to help <a href="http://www.macearchive.org/Media.html?Title=35950" target="_blank">industry</a> in the regions. Since the spectacular crash of the finance and property driven economy in 2008, we are supposedly seeing a return of industrial interventionism by government. I will believe it when I see it on the banks of the Trent.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQejHi_N3EtT3fehuusBNof86z7LYpqrf599LzDJFsv1lgbHgG7ejMPoU4GKKu4rajuSvI-mxo7x79QTn84jsWxvNk8boWcA9lutBk9wytlFrP2_9RvA1RGVHiwIcuRG8HyaDa83fzOuv/s1600-h/DSC05300.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446716821060061330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQejHi_N3EtT3fehuusBNof86z7LYpqrf599LzDJFsv1lgbHgG7ejMPoU4GKKu4rajuSvI-mxo7x79QTn84jsWxvNk8boWcA9lutBk9wytlFrP2_9RvA1RGVHiwIcuRG8HyaDa83fzOuv/s400/DSC05300.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Candle Meadow estate with the hill of Bakersfield in the distance in an <a href="http://timcrocker.co.uk/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=span_2" target="_blank">Eric Lyons</a> style prefabricated modernism, though without the same middle class wealth or sensitivity to landscape. This could have perhaps had a better relation to lakes of Colwick Park but instead they are enclosed by the busy Colwick Road on one side and flood embankments on the other. Having said all that they do have a fair bit of public green space in the back alleys - which provides a separate pedestrian walkway from the road.<br />
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<img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6paJeydui5EbpNYrmAgFJD10LX2vzXA0PApWxooZ8eaLBvF4YWail7oGj0eUfpmFIsrQ5BZF5WWj_qMi4cgZBOLSqDwvaiD8QMpGeNzeab75JrBzLgdaCLkVHiLQjmGHyHnQ1NDP7GzN/s400/DSC05315.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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<img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiQi5v9FR-AxehLhblmEHncQYGmhN5EbudnSVVqGFWg96FL23T1stBiJb55_sUIDhRdFE3XFnQrUkTq3N9XGNa4IVOqK8rnAGGA0K9oiwbOQgXy8cMhVFkMBn5hO3rueFA_QsPH2SSgIN/s400/DSC05317.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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Finally our tour ends at Trent Lane, immediately adjacent Trent Lane Depot. An interesting location which juxtaposes working class entertainment with a failed residential development designed for the super rich. Though River Crescent does have some (sort of) environmental credentials (taking heat from the Trent to heat the swimming pool), the bulking mass of this development is an aggressive affront to riverside. Its size was rightly criticised by residents at Lady Bay, and so far the very few City bankers have found a home here. Sven Goren Erkison took a flat for a short while - a neat analogy as his whole premise for being here was based on financial scam at poor Notts County. Currently the scheme looks as though it is heading towards receivership. Neighboring this Trent River Cruises continues to patrol the Trent, where revelers and boatmen discuss the forgotten history of the riverside.</div>
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Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-8632358239215538812010-03-06T05:48:00.000-08:002010-03-07T10:02:36.482-08:00Highwalking in London 1I don't know really what I'm doing here but I enjoyed it; it's a look at typography and architecture in a highwalk. I'm following a project set by London College of Communication, which has asked for some research by walking and collecting stuff as you go and so on. Though I found I was not so interested in the leterforms in this location (which do reveal a quite a bit about the area's changing history) but I was interested in the actual <span style="font-style: italic;">experience</span>. For the uninitiated, Highwalks or Pedways are an elevation of pedestrians above the level of traffic - popular with Corbusian modernists - they creates a feeling of being in a computer game - say <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashback_%28video_game%29">Flashback</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_%28video_game%29">Doom</a>. I began at Moorgate and went west to the Barbican and then end up in circular route, including (briefly) the Museum of London and London Wall (aka Route XI).<br /><br />N.B. The crude and less erudite comments are entirely my own.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfK4gV0PIi2LZMwickxxAHd-oZg5oX_a3-kjCskFfQz54y09Uyqw3UvWZ6DMl94Zcy2fadWmtIqJ_UOZjK2ZAtRktlvlJv1REQLnKlbqAxSKPY82n9o6-wSePeKwgyvkFPRxRGusN8Rfun/s1600-h/DSC05089.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfK4gV0PIi2LZMwickxxAHd-oZg5oX_a3-kjCskFfQz54y09Uyqw3UvWZ6DMl94Zcy2fadWmtIqJ_UOZjK2ZAtRktlvlJv1REQLnKlbqAxSKPY82n9o6-wSePeKwgyvkFPRxRGusN8Rfun/s400/DSC05089.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445677725756926594" border="0" /></a><br />Finsbury Pavement House on the east corner [of Moorgate], by R, Seifert & Partners, 1971-2, has aggregate faced floors and the trademark Y-shaped pier. (Pevsner, p. 566)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1uASX_RGb03NHTXzqwTwHF65NV4f1xdTVflIuqXRFBP5BpaXrHMkBIkJGfB7jsPznD4bWjulkT-LW21HvR7JCk4HFGolrrnVsAYhLPuIwczabWkHIX86HWIgAb81Qq1ySd-FrP6DDbGbi/s1600-h/DSC05092.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1uASX_RGb03NHTXzqwTwHF65NV4f1xdTVflIuqXRFBP5BpaXrHMkBIkJGfB7jsPznD4bWjulkT-LW21HvR7JCk4HFGolrrnVsAYhLPuIwczabWkHIX86HWIgAb81Qq1ySd-FrP6DDbGbi/s400/DSC05092.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445678652210021186" border="0" /></a><br />"Most large buildings designed in the 1960s and early 1970s therefore make provision for the walkway" Pevsner, p. 131.<br /><br />"A large complex by Leo Hannen Associates, completed 1973. Seven storey slab to the street, its grey floor panels with jagged relief pattern. On the ground floor shops and the new Moorgate station entrance. Balcony-like abutment for an unbuilt extension of the ped-way." Pevsner, p. 561.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQbMmAmuwCMm0uzCejw1Nv33w3LpSGJDu6KVtwlrtDJu-q4sVAkrv-I1jZDM_1u6BouJ4i-e0tnly7bjZV2KPbRy-7uvhfokOlZ4MsCPnNCTW6zAtdKwDWPCGmSnaS2AOHr0MFj-nRXlv/s1600-h/Picture+6.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQbMmAmuwCMm0uzCejw1Nv33w3LpSGJDu6KVtwlrtDJu-q4sVAkrv-I1jZDM_1u6BouJ4i-e0tnly7bjZV2KPbRy-7uvhfokOlZ4MsCPnNCTW6zAtdKwDWPCGmSnaS2AOHr0MFj-nRXlv/s400/Picture+6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445876039093648498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83aDVDB7gEMiozak5cNX6Q4KWLwrwpgGjRwmVqsk4IsBWr8FtGGM6-e3Z5Uye2GX_m1Jf-WcMTIM3CMJeBYXkhwYN61TfZZWXCCX0ZS51rSWga_9NlRkruKkmlzaZNqf9vxt_di_VqlZt/s1600-h/DSC05111.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83aDVDB7gEMiozak5cNX6Q4KWLwrwpgGjRwmVqsk4IsBWr8FtGGM6-e3Z5Uye2GX_m1Jf-WcMTIM3CMJeBYXkhwYN61TfZZWXCCX0ZS51rSWga_9NlRkruKkmlzaZNqf9vxt_di_VqlZt/s400/DSC05111.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445678657184783538" border="0" /></a><br />"Lots of pubs and shops were provided at podium level, in anticipation of the rebrith of pedestrian life on the upper level. The ensemble can still be appreciated, though its windswept upper level will appeal to few and the balance of buildings was upset by replacements from the mid 1980s." Pevsner, p. 131.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRu4ftMEvn4SX11gP9cZExBHclgqYLy6g2cO7ksReigNGIaco6PkQOhHu_EEUBsxT3RqDxqKtAfEMof0kVTv0YLE2HFozAmNmT877y1bypz4AbHX5XFeVK-0yBxx0iRVpU3NmI063K7DZ/s1600-h/DSC05118.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRu4ftMEvn4SX11gP9cZExBHclgqYLy6g2cO7ksReigNGIaco6PkQOhHu_EEUBsxT3RqDxqKtAfEMof0kVTv0YLE2HFozAmNmT877y1bypz4AbHX5XFeVK-0yBxx0iRVpU3NmI063K7DZ/s400/DSC05118.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445678660199711762" border="0" /></a><br />"Escalators lead to a paved upper court made over the station platforms connecting with the walkway along London Wall." (Pevsner , 561).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gC61znwzDJ1CHtxKq5neNuyqLkQSudZ_5xi6-03TX62SQ8BnNybFABVrGvlvw7bvnLQz4y91jmmCsiSBPZGaRnlQDWUjlDnReipRz3M1yHyUbP2GcccnMs6KYLl41PyfZ9-kOLP08PEt/s1600-h/DSC05121.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gC61znwzDJ1CHtxKq5neNuyqLkQSudZ_5xi6-03TX62SQ8BnNybFABVrGvlvw7bvnLQz4y91jmmCsiSBPZGaRnlQDWUjlDnReipRz3M1yHyUbP2GcccnMs6KYLl41PyfZ9-kOLP08PEt/s400/DSC05121.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445678665198623314" border="0" /></a><br />That jagged relief pattern.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36clT9CpqXZzGOpCVNoV_HBfKjf2hd1C8Qqcrg91Lmwhrz0YydC-YetHcSYg5dqSgSl4bvlM7EncLSiTuGvFzz0bvV2Y7XU0C3op6CFUKR_Q8u9-BJab1MePvWlILdVQJTPR8cW3FTydL/s1600-h/DSC05120.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36clT9CpqXZzGOpCVNoV_HBfKjf2hd1C8Qqcrg91Lmwhrz0YydC-YetHcSYg5dqSgSl4bvlM7EncLSiTuGvFzz0bvV2Y7XU0C3op6CFUKR_Q8u9-BJab1MePvWlILdVQJTPR8cW3FTydL/s400/DSC05120.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445678671862726210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexDzrtvB3fDof9VBZslhkgjRP71tY_jBbwXDF07MgM0U_MB6qmre8I5_HjLMgkjfkj6iNqsm6eYESOp0s7pNr6lwyUeKUjgIvEx0mMqHXi-My0BaMCQA25EtC6BvFJLiz1-tEtKHsYGc7/s1600-h/DSC05123.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexDzrtvB3fDof9VBZslhkgjRP71tY_jBbwXDF07MgM0U_MB6qmre8I5_HjLMgkjfkj6iNqsm6eYESOp0s7pNr6lwyUeKUjgIvEx0mMqHXi-My0BaMCQA25EtC6BvFJLiz1-tEtKHsYGc7/s400/DSC05123.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445679254556763298" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKCvZm6I_5VLDPaIgzWaPxyM-vu1PxB5x4miwVmRmcGkC3UUjyHktb_9UvfIYkLrjXHN5WUpx1s0wlVnOYODSWnG4254o00g3lSVJWyxXhPthwTcrl584mq_IF_vv4pBG9J7ahhNlWGrI/s1600-h/DSC05124.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKCvZm6I_5VLDPaIgzWaPxyM-vu1PxB5x4miwVmRmcGkC3UUjyHktb_9UvfIYkLrjXHN5WUpx1s0wlVnOYODSWnG4254o00g3lSVJWyxXhPthwTcrl584mq_IF_vv4pBG9J7ahhNlWGrI/s400/DSC05124.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445679263084924482" border="0" /></a><br />"Slightly lower west slab with gloomy passage to a narrower court" (Pevsner , 561).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTj8u_f5KVXSmwRw7eUh5HhsrhvNMjEXhU86w331s_hTza5BSrceLDQ1SNBSOWSAvtRDK39-cgGFv9Hq0ZRwHG9WHbMPCvzPaVNBVXPfOd6aQJg85n8rsUkiXQWAEhH-RhmjswFJH7B7UR/s1600-h/DSC05132.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTj8u_f5KVXSmwRw7eUh5HhsrhvNMjEXhU86w331s_hTza5BSrceLDQ1SNBSOWSAvtRDK39-cgGFv9Hq0ZRwHG9WHbMPCvzPaVNBVXPfOd6aQJg85n8rsUkiXQWAEhH-RhmjswFJH7B7UR/s400/DSC05132.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445679266977648114" border="0" /></a><br />I think this is the Leo Hannen Associates build which has been recently (?) disconnected from Tenter House by some redevelopment.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWLn3xDC6gJa0drJVYP_nLxmw3OwH86kf7O9ChM27Kx81fJKbgb0jg_mpjuM9pDGNv662tZ4Nu9uzt610cnKMgtllno1kD6SoYpxpDP2sUS6paoM-bQz0O4Cl33yXLA_WSRaK5_8RDc_6/s1600-h/DSC05128.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWLn3xDC6gJa0drJVYP_nLxmw3OwH86kf7O9ChM27Kx81fJKbgb0jg_mpjuM9pDGNv662tZ4Nu9uzt610cnKMgtllno1kD6SoYpxpDP2sUS6paoM-bQz0O4Cl33yXLA_WSRaK5_8RDc_6/s400/DSC05128.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445679254914453410" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMu5z0heDVcH4Zt44LRLsm1D5THldVlIRIXifkx1BkfA2UVzrR1mcHf6qe6HAquUliXutzDuxIREyjTtaTEgD8WCqYwdTlstoPY_rR4s8qqxc0jocyTqB-IeMhSqYbXQm690Ta-k7bOdZ/s1600-h/DSC05137.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMu5z0heDVcH4Zt44LRLsm1D5THldVlIRIXifkx1BkfA2UVzrR1mcHf6qe6HAquUliXutzDuxIREyjTtaTEgD8WCqYwdTlstoPY_rR4s8qqxc0jocyTqB-IeMhSqYbXQm690Ta-k7bOdZ/s400/DSC05137.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445853303637212114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWlyOokuoepkHK8f1txMsUEeCeqRkt9AenA3eGHwr2s3zLyvO4tph9EB8mV7fBn8fXHivTBQi0BXKRfBcrnMEzbTDxIWx8ruU2sQwToIpJ064abT-a3feSugGrvnuUJ8ihGIDrIpqix3b/s1600-h/DSC05136.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWlyOokuoepkHK8f1txMsUEeCeqRkt9AenA3eGHwr2s3zLyvO4tph9EB8mV7fBn8fXHivTBQi0BXKRfBcrnMEzbTDxIWx8ruU2sQwToIpJ064abT-a3feSugGrvnuUJ8ihGIDrIpqix3b/s400/DSC05136.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445679270115218690" border="0" /></a><br />London Wall high walk on the side of Fore Street.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPdr1pPjHt9H1xk_GBh3-19zZESlDTtP6WUgcVNsdZgFpi5L_qI4JRCo1lI9RGe-8LTNFCZc1DMzASUuomnGSRHFKGQ8Pjdw3UaE2ZUGSTQvzHQhQRmgZW9WWqE7HRqc07HpycoaxrFzd/s1600-h/DSC05140.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPdr1pPjHt9H1xk_GBh3-19zZESlDTtP6WUgcVNsdZgFpi5L_qI4JRCo1lI9RGe-8LTNFCZc1DMzASUuomnGSRHFKGQ8Pjdw3UaE2ZUGSTQvzHQhQRmgZW9WWqE7HRqc07HpycoaxrFzd/s400/DSC05140.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445853302271420754" border="0" /></a><br />I think this is a <a href="http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=239763&page=17">new build</a> which replaced the 1961-2 Austral House by Gunton & Gunton, which was an attractive modernist built with green curtain walling, serpetine marbling and yellow-tinted glazing above the street entrance.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTxx-8kLZ5SaXmTYM6DWZTP1bhHaH_OVd3K10zWeucMd8gVhbm-5-Ot8aCsoXINw4nkyNpH9hqlcpEJlpAyGcB6Yk0rTtpIJeRfOfFXWvb__aQ8S033iNbKYO_1HF5wpV_IjHXJyRxJ0o/s1600-h/DSC05143.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTxx-8kLZ5SaXmTYM6DWZTP1bhHaH_OVd3K10zWeucMd8gVhbm-5-Ot8aCsoXINw4nkyNpH9hqlcpEJlpAyGcB6Yk0rTtpIJeRfOfFXWvb__aQ8S033iNbKYO_1HF5wpV_IjHXJyRxJ0o/s400/DSC05143.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445680038622336050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTffhUfgHL-U2zI33KalNtu3CdBQQ3z1OFZPTS7mb_rJQMh0b09aCAXu9Y2FCcN0Zm1toJSJu4b1G24yfjhBF9cQsGMEtfHhQVgCIeZWAp07LO-ef34KVP61jdPkTYmMfRYWGC5CDIfEMr/s1600-h/DSC05148.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTffhUfgHL-U2zI33KalNtu3CdBQQ3z1OFZPTS7mb_rJQMh0b09aCAXu9Y2FCcN0Zm1toJSJu4b1G24yfjhBF9cQsGMEtfHhQVgCIeZWAp07LO-ef34KVP61jdPkTYmMfRYWGC5CDIfEMr/s400/DSC05148.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445853310225731122" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7qVoAmR1R_AVBEO-WPDYJls1kXUIZPUCW_ai1Lap7qlCOQBF-zwwJxcm2hKoN_Kzs4HbnIUXapGCrrsMBd6DrzNgkqk9PaXiJcDcmq8wyrT8EDUF1wGGbZ-wVAlC4PdpE-mSnM0ppF46/s1600-h/DSC05145.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7qVoAmR1R_AVBEO-WPDYJls1kXUIZPUCW_ai1Lap7qlCOQBF-zwwJxcm2hKoN_Kzs4HbnIUXapGCrrsMBd6DrzNgkqk9PaXiJcDcmq8wyrT8EDUF1wGGbZ-wVAlC4PdpE-mSnM0ppF46/s400/DSC05145.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445680043365768098" border="0" /></a><br />!!<br />Those ridiculous London prices - another world - run back to the Midlands! But hold on, is that a dehumidifier is the bottom left hand corner?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5tc-aMydjHGc3JVVocTecSpk5uoUOLFmqNEnisl4e9Ho48ScSF9LKDtkAFGCDTLH69uG_BcwrCqpw3dpZ5TdC884lMx-7Tq0bzo96FMUAe6z66UdQ_op39P3gNw5CBCZy0aLKzbJwawo/s1600-h/DSC05146.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5tc-aMydjHGc3JVVocTecSpk5uoUOLFmqNEnisl4e9Ho48ScSF9LKDtkAFGCDTLH69uG_BcwrCqpw3dpZ5TdC884lMx-7Tq0bzo96FMUAe6z66UdQ_op39P3gNw5CBCZy0aLKzbJwawo/s400/DSC05146.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445680045630547602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Q_6l8QuEW7KjEXI55Hn7c7Fsa7wIDflU3JmBD1uGTWYt4h2vveihIj9qEMc5e7o1dun0ciwfzvVuOSl9wPu2WrKXKVDyjWeyv-ep9RQWGeWDgi7vWZ-XqNEJVGOLKON5TZ5xIj6LqE6j/s1600-h/DSC05150.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Q_6l8QuEW7KjEXI55Hn7c7Fsa7wIDflU3JmBD1uGTWYt4h2vveihIj9qEMc5e7o1dun0ciwfzvVuOSl9wPu2WrKXKVDyjWeyv-ep9RQWGeWDgi7vWZ-XqNEJVGOLKON5TZ5xIj6LqE6j/s400/DSC05150.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445680053974501266" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuv9e1ioJ3e3qaq8ko0o4IyWLyIrm4FL2q9MGzBiYG7FMMaTPUalIcZ1ANJ9CSD6gTjfLk_K14TJ91mrWSr1WVryPN9i9A4o3HsOe1-4jiuFbhL1hwx-MTSyx_nDrSFzqlpL0OEZ217Za/s1600-h/Picture+23.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuv9e1ioJ3e3qaq8ko0o4IyWLyIrm4FL2q9MGzBiYG7FMMaTPUalIcZ1ANJ9CSD6gTjfLk_K14TJ91mrWSr1WVryPN9i9A4o3HsOe1-4jiuFbhL1hwx-MTSyx_nDrSFzqlpL0OEZ217Za/s400/Picture+23.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445876042009247650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodlKs8nXW8I-zjtY3gXO8xJEvcCtq_kNRUpaTAHTTOA63kPvX6Hu_QmzJvaYsZO6Za25htxXbP0V4szCzsxydBnWfrxs16hMQ84cXWBhsM1iGXDrRc2dtVv1Ub3VuNGTs90eDkFApl86d/s1600-h/DSC05169.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodlKs8nXW8I-zjtY3gXO8xJEvcCtq_kNRUpaTAHTTOA63kPvX6Hu_QmzJvaYsZO6Za25htxXbP0V4szCzsxydBnWfrxs16hMQ84cXWBhsM1iGXDrRc2dtVv1Ub3VuNGTs90eDkFApl86d/s400/DSC05169.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445680666410382498" border="0" /></a><br />I think this is the 1993-5 Pentagram signage?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneocuJCqR52DQDEoSyyAfmEmz3VIXCq9y9pYTnug3LknEJ9pix-KYuJNs9soaC47vfGRtCV4iK2Ukmpezimx0lygtuVOf92NptmmmkwEzqdmQaQ-LUpfbUfMQQH6wBILyY-2CjynTTG_N/s1600-h/DSC05175.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneocuJCqR52DQDEoSyyAfmEmz3VIXCq9y9pYTnug3LknEJ9pix-KYuJNs9soaC47vfGRtCV4iK2Ukmpezimx0lygtuVOf92NptmmmkwEzqdmQaQ-LUpfbUfMQQH6wBILyY-2CjynTTG_N/s400/DSC05175.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445680671737478722" border="0" /></a><br />"There is nothing quite like the Barbican Estate in all of British Architecture. It combines two favourite concepts of radical postwar planning: the traffic free housing precinct linked by elevated walkways, and the giant multi-functional 'megastructure', to use the jargon of the time...<br />(Pevsner, p. 281).<br /><br />"The name Barbican records a seperate outlying fortification, demolished in 1267 after the Barons' Wars..."<br />(Pevsner, p. 286).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVIrwIVUU_IUtQuCrauYf7NyF94PReLvxgoMs4vff2wfOHqihdGXYOyobJrsIH8geHBMid9tu8kKh5I-lopW4fN8wMZVMcupW-T4fpV6gLax6ZrQOoVrDjcRc7cu9qD8KW-x7YmpILJpg/s1600-h/Doom.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVIrwIVUU_IUtQuCrauYf7NyF94PReLvxgoMs4vff2wfOHqihdGXYOyobJrsIH8geHBMid9tu8kKh5I-lopW4fN8wMZVMcupW-T4fpV6gLax6ZrQOoVrDjcRc7cu9qD8KW-x7YmpILJpg/s400/Doom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445877392227488290" border="0" /></a><br />"The Barbican Hall is a pleasant space.... The Theatre is more innovative... complex access foyers to either side take the place of aisles"<br />(Pevsner, p. 285).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XhOS5Le9fuGhubKIlur33anOul3VoB1x5RSah9jYKJskz-4uZ8skeh3kVUK2Nf4WAQVWAcLE_edOvtE-Hu27oZAfGOzam0W11KDLsCrgjo6I_vsJbii3JE5h0i6pwWlULClxe-BdCC3b/s1600-h/DSC05176.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XhOS5Le9fuGhubKIlur33anOul3VoB1x5RSah9jYKJskz-4uZ8skeh3kVUK2Nf4WAQVWAcLE_edOvtE-Hu27oZAfGOzam0W11KDLsCrgjo6I_vsJbii3JE5h0i6pwWlULClxe-BdCC3b/s400/DSC05176.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445680677036037890" border="0" /></a><br />"Here, the combination of immensely high apartment blocks (at forty-three storeys they were the tallest in Europe) and enjoyable and usable open space really seemed to work." Inwood, p. 831.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7L8FxREo97xSapRcvHwcsxhn2Ei5kXC7mEIe_-MXgF6ONYYdSFEIyJuMUqeNFsZ4oqb82N7YxdzxRM9s8AcuC6wEK8dp_Aw1__fNbaip4OEgXFyUQLtaP2-AZNSqQDK02SoY7LF3yVw9Z/s1600-h/DSC05177.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7L8FxREo97xSapRcvHwcsxhn2Ei5kXC7mEIe_-MXgF6ONYYdSFEIyJuMUqeNFsZ4oqb82N7YxdzxRM9s8AcuC6wEK8dp_Aw1__fNbaip4OEgXFyUQLtaP2-AZNSqQDK02SoY7LF3yVw9Z/s400/DSC05177.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445680682862138018" border="0" /></a><br />The idea of precincts - as old as Cathedral precincts - was first worked out, in modern planning terms, in 1942, by Alker Trip.... In a small book, 'Town Planning and Road Traffic', Trip extended into the city the principle... of 'limited segragation' of the various classes of traffic.<br />(Edward Carter, 'The Future of London', p.158.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Wl5DMNmN4jRKukZhNLnLba9gdDf-Rgdnz5RI_39VQziEEASzOv5-jnR-4ZOyoBvL10teQG-3SWRhAVtYxp9sh7gpSywziibk2Y8n5FnZTbAbovZExVxkly7uyk-lMCxpbePvHPVy04Ox/s1600-h/DSC05182.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Wl5DMNmN4jRKukZhNLnLba9gdDf-Rgdnz5RI_39VQziEEASzOv5-jnR-4ZOyoBvL10teQG-3SWRhAVtYxp9sh7gpSywziibk2Y8n5FnZTbAbovZExVxkly7uyk-lMCxpbePvHPVy04Ox/s400/DSC05182.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445680684273905938" border="0" /></a><br />Such boldness was made possible by wasteland left north of Gresham street by the Blitz, which allowed one to walk for half a mile without passing a single struture, and by the City's readiness to finance the costly new housing and building for the arts, which did not falter in the quater century from conception to completion (1956 - 81). "<br />(Pevsner, p. 281).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpMeDAshDyw2lgSKO8uY6u0n-ToVZFn3HbJZFv5Z4z2btmtBFeVfD_3Id0-ZFcZ9veK3cy8KmWcfdNwPgE-Zy_ga76PgJ84IR_Lf4wmNd6QjpZMO6N36nfzoPXnlFWLEdiWHjlT2ufheK/s1600-h/DSC05178.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpMeDAshDyw2lgSKO8uY6u0n-ToVZFn3HbJZFv5Z4z2btmtBFeVfD_3Id0-ZFcZ9veK3cy8KmWcfdNwPgE-Zy_ga76PgJ84IR_Lf4wmNd6QjpZMO6N36nfzoPXnlFWLEdiWHjlT2ufheK/s400/DSC05178.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445681369564866578" border="0" /></a><br />"the present, more monumental system, depended on the raw mass of <span style="font-style: italic;">in situ</span> reinforced concrete.."<br />(Pevsner, p. 281).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrS43U4oMKd8fv-_626N-AMOEk22-fNEkt6tv5-P9LdaLzuMAHIW9KWwDmv0J7TOATZXID6ED5fwsoZrXQECJeacVhTabvHTK8ZZW7YNK11DpeMhyphenhyphenktDreGcczcQtB5gydxiqakoLkE8MP/s1600-h/DSC05186.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrS43U4oMKd8fv-_626N-AMOEk22-fNEkt6tv5-P9LdaLzuMAHIW9KWwDmv0J7TOATZXID6ED5fwsoZrXQECJeacVhTabvHTK8ZZW7YNK11DpeMhyphenhyphenktDreGcczcQtB5gydxiqakoLkE8MP/s400/DSC05186.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445681385464303378" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsysLinHI3jtD9UIFFJJZPKO1ZOwtTgHwynEyd3mLjwKJkdz-Rw1WVz53kcUYgRmFPMDviDnV7La-gYjKq8MmZhC06KV-c5jzx6uMzLibSzryqH_uLq86FQsIbH8GgQcAykZyiGXQLoTj4/s1600-h/DSC05185.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsysLinHI3jtD9UIFFJJZPKO1ZOwtTgHwynEyd3mLjwKJkdz-Rw1WVz53kcUYgRmFPMDviDnV7La-gYjKq8MmZhC06KV-c5jzx6uMzLibSzryqH_uLq86FQsIbH8GgQcAykZyiGXQLoTj4/s400/DSC05185.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445681382732208930" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="grey12">Fairly recent signage designed by Cartlidge Levene and Studio Myerscough.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoi9mLZ6e9I-_0_kiDDkm0MkHk5Dp1cT9cKebiAJ4CCeosk6F6zNAMo2ch8PbRVOCqAg4woJ843boiosEHi0jwbFAano9zS6lAT8ZnDz1FPitfeNGUOrsxGCmsZlJzGMmIZlzFLjofLYQ/s1600-h/DSC05187.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoi9mLZ6e9I-_0_kiDDkm0MkHk5Dp1cT9cKebiAJ4CCeosk6F6zNAMo2ch8PbRVOCqAg4woJ843boiosEHi0jwbFAano9zS6lAT8ZnDz1FPitfeNGUOrsxGCmsZlJzGMmIZlzFLjofLYQ/s400/DSC05187.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445682009234169362" border="0" /></a><br />"More rounded forms in the cascade spout..."<br />(Pevsner, p. 283).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxvamQDq5IjuFkr1fKRoG4j56H3jysYDjTA8ap20eAqdtqoFT4v-vL9uD6W9WDFoGrMA6Oz6hLu-eK4Ndmk197Fof7LDJUHTWpRdERTq4mD749WtjJ6k_B_Ms30lD8W3yYCOCyewnl8qv/s1600-h/DSC05192.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxvamQDq5IjuFkr1fKRoG4j56H3jysYDjTA8ap20eAqdtqoFT4v-vL9uD6W9WDFoGrMA6Oz6hLu-eK4Ndmk197Fof7LDJUHTWpRdERTq4mD749WtjJ6k_B_Ms30lD8W3yYCOCyewnl8qv/s400/DSC05192.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445682014019065346" border="0" /></a><br />"The local entertainment was provided by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the London Symphony Orchestra and the well healed residents were there because they wanted to be, not because there was no where else to put them."<br />(S. Inwood, <span style="font-style: italic;">A History of London</span>, p.832.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnf3wp81tbLA2OFl1nNzrsAhIQA4ur_gk369EcKL70yIZJkMcTBHEn7lh_PE7p0HuV-wjkYebvEWTZEyH4kvlqJ3F5cxqmXmm4PkVIzlwFY_Da2TcJGhov8DxZwHi6EZu3w2zULWEFcDm/s1600-h/DSC05199.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnf3wp81tbLA2OFl1nNzrsAhIQA4ur_gk369EcKL70yIZJkMcTBHEn7lh_PE7p0HuV-wjkYebvEWTZEyH4kvlqJ3F5cxqmXmm4PkVIzlwFY_Da2TcJGhov8DxZwHi6EZu3w2zULWEFcDm/s400/DSC05199.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445682019551174242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTQcqDfmyRuD7UnXEnbifvWFqxAGLZlqouNV0cdiZ_LYyGjtQDyHAqUwy5MK_4jhnktTMqXG-JGV4PtvRTHvQpuIGyAmGtAbwB7zvhabnTHvDRx_yW0q_ds2U7ujlB7Cwcp32MphUgEV7/s1600-h/DSC05200.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTQcqDfmyRuD7UnXEnbifvWFqxAGLZlqouNV0cdiZ_LYyGjtQDyHAqUwy5MK_4jhnktTMqXG-JGV4PtvRTHvQpuIGyAmGtAbwB7zvhabnTHvDRx_yW0q_ds2U7ujlB7Cwcp32MphUgEV7/s400/DSC05200.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445682024644983458" border="0" /></a><br />"It was an estate, in short, on which even architects and town planners would have been prepared to live". (S. Inwood, <span style="font-style: italic;">A History of London</span>, p.832)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivL3YNu0aYM5WytyAGtKgO9AIC8shNJAiiOoq6s98w4kbuDPS83hAw_qnnRC1ZsUdFrBQET04-_N8Izpi9-TLnBKFkeFIoIAc6eyQXc0RMfwm_c6sAmSk7MttncSnV-hFa1797afpcb-2v/s1600-h/DSC05204.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivL3YNu0aYM5WytyAGtKgO9AIC8shNJAiiOoq6s98w4kbuDPS83hAw_qnnRC1ZsUdFrBQET04-_N8Izpi9-TLnBKFkeFIoIAc6eyQXc0RMfwm_c6sAmSk7MttncSnV-hFa1797afpcb-2v/s400/DSC05204.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445682027566968434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxL2lJM6d0qI-NA44N55eE31EhjB6jwTj3M0MQLJeEPOyvjkNLa2EcIJFV60D8MVqeVD4GZFZru02U4J9I8qbXR-DW7IFd0LdV4n37qDQiyLvxfCJ38Y27YAp8p1N3hMsrVZHiKG5zvah/s1600-h/DSC05208.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxL2lJM6d0qI-NA44N55eE31EhjB6jwTj3M0MQLJeEPOyvjkNLa2EcIJFV60D8MVqeVD4GZFZru02U4J9I8qbXR-DW7IFd0LdV4n37qDQiyLvxfCJ38Y27YAp8p1N3hMsrVZHiKG5zvah/s400/DSC05208.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445682629453244034" border="0" /></a><br />"In the 28 acres of the [post war] plan, generous provision was made for the gardens and open spaces, in which remains of the city wall were displayed."<br />(Pevsner, p. 542).<br /><br />"...the Museum of London completes the [1960s] sequence of tower on the north side (of London Wall)"<br />(Pevsner, p. 544).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFU1Su_GT4XSQTexMRg-cyh-9hLOrxygyCauWwMhN45fNeBZK1BXagvsYtYhuwX_TbYL17v2SYdobrU107A3BHBZxtHqny6PAeYirhs8RsNbaLZABx4pS1UYZE8lALzFVHNKbTOOkzyhyj/s1600-h/DSC05217.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFU1Su_GT4XSQTexMRg-cyh-9hLOrxygyCauWwMhN45fNeBZK1BXagvsYtYhuwX_TbYL17v2SYdobrU107A3BHBZxtHqny6PAeYirhs8RsNbaLZABx4pS1UYZE8lALzFVHNKbTOOkzyhyj/s400/DSC05217.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445682636708721698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXCcHnGJUZw0wmckT3ukWJKxdQoQ-p3E3dGlF7-lp2HhwEar4NBvP_RZ1kIQp9sWw2IAjELaFgGt0xkG7SQOpyh3GR9Qj5JmB1fXiB220VMvO3NfT772LePsr4NQtUXnegrVMZey1t8ZL/s1600-h/DSC05211.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXCcHnGJUZw0wmckT3ukWJKxdQoQ-p3E3dGlF7-lp2HhwEar4NBvP_RZ1kIQp9sWw2IAjELaFgGt0xkG7SQOpyh3GR9Qj5JmB1fXiB220VMvO3NfT772LePsr4NQtUXnegrVMZey1t8ZL/s400/DSC05211.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445682640315884930" border="0" /></a><br />"The roundabout by London Wall is closed off on the west side by Fitzroy Robinson Partnership's tall, boldly patterned and stagey development (No. 200 Clifford Chance) , proposed in 1983 and built in modified form in 1991-2. Two stepped blocks at right angles, the north one rising taller behind. An atrium floor joins the blocks with glazing stepped down ziggurat-wise from on high... The scheme erased a warren of small courts and side streets."<br />(Pevsner, p. 415).<br /><br />This does perhaps resemble an old corner of the historic London wall, but I find the effect physically and mentally choking - especially when I have been at street level on the busy roundabout.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRd54JGLRdGfEKuqeT_jSAZxQQoM78N6uZFaicOd28cZKK_DyVPctn5S-yCz1vaqXAq50RkYCPf0Mk3Uax6IlW1ANf1L8bBSo6Qq5sa3T0ihpK9h_abtaz5tZ-pVSAijzFg8vVJyGdl9gX/s1600-h/DSC05216.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRd54JGLRdGfEKuqeT_jSAZxQQoM78N6uZFaicOd28cZKK_DyVPctn5S-yCz1vaqXAq50RkYCPf0Mk3Uax6IlW1ANf1L8bBSo6Qq5sa3T0ihpK9h_abtaz5tZ-pVSAijzFg8vVJyGdl9gX/s400/DSC05216.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445853296643960978" border="0" /></a><br />"Part of the [Alban Gate] development is the low residential west block, with playful, rather over articulated fronts of pleasent orange-red brick patterned with stone dressing. The struts decending diagonally where the walkway continues west teasingly suggest a giant drawbridge, as if the flats were a barbican to the main ' keep' behind."<br />(Pevsner, p. 544).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1G0ngS4lmLRQC9WXY8Ube-yywcHxO4eQhrr5FSb7Tmixk_eOxLLU35yiDkAgljgbCg2jDC5JEuQLzJKtoOzMhRW6FijXi3Wg3RWDjyXfRgpQCOwNyUF2OKzJUgtGjyypCrRFIHY21hBOM/s1600-h/DSC05219.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1G0ngS4lmLRQC9WXY8Ube-yywcHxO4eQhrr5FSb7Tmixk_eOxLLU35yiDkAgljgbCg2jDC5JEuQLzJKtoOzMhRW6FijXi3Wg3RWDjyXfRgpQCOwNyUF2OKzJUgtGjyypCrRFIHY21hBOM/s400/DSC05219.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445682651454924274" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEIzPlUdC-QBwttvxmboh8BunK4p8vW1WEiI3jan01H1syRfPqQf3IXifxV6RmrceNEzcXfnu4-V6WWkiHMsHp4TaRo0j0cnCSMzV6rc9CdSNmAowBZ6blNgvYc40bpYv3Fp-wvBeiQ96/s1600-h/DSC05221.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEIzPlUdC-QBwttvxmboh8BunK4p8vW1WEiI3jan01H1syRfPqQf3IXifxV6RmrceNEzcXfnu4-V6WWkiHMsHp4TaRo0j0cnCSMzV6rc9CdSNmAowBZ6blNgvYc40bpYv3Fp-wvBeiQ96/s400/DSC05221.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445682652036787138" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFq59Jk0MRZJe75Qq7bDsRoSwzgrhWTNoc8BlvtkI043kenLxW9sX9NUIRiA4ni3HHCBAXMtWOoWSQwe7AqBr4SB-rxKC0iw4naGOvU0Onxln5EMNuXmPkhpUcD7I4z5uaDLsRWZF3z0s/s1600-h/DSC05223.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFq59Jk0MRZJe75Qq7bDsRoSwzgrhWTNoc8BlvtkI043kenLxW9sX9NUIRiA4ni3HHCBAXMtWOoWSQwe7AqBr4SB-rxKC0iw4naGOvU0Onxln5EMNuXmPkhpUcD7I4z5uaDLsRWZF3z0s/s400/DSC05223.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445683117608332706" border="0" /></a><br />No real ale. Tut.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhKGBmtcisvKikqCbm8FaXHrVhvaSx2aI1y186a2rw6D5dMIAvokcKlHJBXUoua4DDSK4u5f33GU87Drwucg1G-d7W_ISGrKbvrWt7Zp606urTONXShqTx7_anO9vlOHgWxTZA0MtGC2Q/s1600-h/DSC05227.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhKGBmtcisvKikqCbm8FaXHrVhvaSx2aI1y186a2rw6D5dMIAvokcKlHJBXUoua4DDSK4u5f33GU87Drwucg1G-d7W_ISGrKbvrWt7Zp606urTONXShqTx7_anO9vlOHgWxTZA0MtGC2Q/s400/DSC05227.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445683120653879298" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK25LGyaL3CqCD7dAMgefbc-LcLxuEIF20T66xMne2aYc3ay6p1NSJVXT8S6Eb-z9CaDE7WFF-4pTErcWxdkp06PX8-mtjL4eNRb1syzmBN0gc0rVVvxcsGq6jCTXJj-HWJco5E-uhJ9vy/s1600-h/DSC05229.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK25LGyaL3CqCD7dAMgefbc-LcLxuEIF20T66xMne2aYc3ay6p1NSJVXT8S6Eb-z9CaDE7WFF-4pTErcWxdkp06PX8-mtjL4eNRb1syzmBN0gc0rVVvxcsGq6jCTXJj-HWJco5E-uhJ9vy/s400/DSC05229.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445683127995090722" border="0" /></a><br />"The commercial part of the Barbican development, along London Wall, was less well received."<br />(S. Inwood A <span style="font-style: italic;">History of London</span>, p. 832)<br /><br />The second tower on London Wall is St Alphaege House, by Maurice Sanders Associates, 1960-2, very similar to Moor House, but with stilts around a recessed lower floor.<br />(Pevsner, p. 543).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocbH1hoVDapHuUZxiUXBMx48z2etBZVARkxYV70gR4UtlqX7HVe5KhwAT9tASavh0DAOCppEeJfJ9YZOg_6HZgoeLdkbznddpkUhoPO7Q-kADAFuQFxc1Tk-OIQAFDFjGmCuCkzf8-ggp/s1600-h/DSC05230.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocbH1hoVDapHuUZxiUXBMx48z2etBZVARkxYV70gR4UtlqX7HVe5KhwAT9tASavh0DAOCppEeJfJ9YZOg_6HZgoeLdkbznddpkUhoPO7Q-kADAFuQFxc1Tk-OIQAFDFjGmCuCkzf8-ggp/s400/DSC05230.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445683131885956578" border="0" /></a><br />"Now for the cuckoo in the nest: the enormous Alban Gate, two continguous towers by Terry Farrel Partnership (engineer Ove Arup & Partners) built for the MEP in 1988 - 92. The inspiration for its setbacks and broken profiles, no less than for the striped pink and grey stone cladding, is the Postmodern interpretation of the American interway skyscraper by Michael Graves (the architect also insists that it also derives from the idea for a giant gatehouse). The concept was to replace one tower block (Lee House, by Bernard Gold & Parters, 1961 -2) and to extend its envelope south west, bridging the cross roads of Wood Street and London Wall. The awkward juncture between the two alignments is the weakest feature. The best is the selectively dramatic structure: huge segmental arches bridge London Wall, their tympana filled in by glazed-in pedestrian suspended on raking steel rods."<br />(Pevsner, p. 544).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQmxc2Ubf1emdNXfLWGBgunJeXVuLKsquOoWirLT_t845F3BeXe6y4uNe46iRKLzYPr-G2y9GPXtA7LEbgfqB1AL3MAY_-wgxIvzy5lUdsuUK6VJ44Kys1DB7vRYRqaxR_qdWcmMz_ekM/s1600-h/DSC05233.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQmxc2Ubf1emdNXfLWGBgunJeXVuLKsquOoWirLT_t845F3BeXe6y4uNe46iRKLzYPr-G2y9GPXtA7LEbgfqB1AL3MAY_-wgxIvzy5lUdsuUK6VJ44Kys1DB7vRYRqaxR_qdWcmMz_ekM/s400/DSC05233.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445683131060898866" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fPh0uY6EbNOvdFtDt2mMh99egusvtDFgNcQSAIEMV7esK0FUHkf4Z8cQf0xxzsBMEGdr0i9B2Xg2YDKKdrvFvobkQzLaIZo2JLq8i5uq9EW6OfEvCwuDS7DxfRZgczTeQ9XSIWIFGq7z/s1600-h/DSC05235.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fPh0uY6EbNOvdFtDt2mMh99egusvtDFgNcQSAIEMV7esK0FUHkf4Z8cQf0xxzsBMEGdr0i9B2Xg2YDKKdrvFvobkQzLaIZo2JLq8i5uq9EW6OfEvCwuDS7DxfRZgczTeQ9XSIWIFGq7z/s400/DSC05235.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445683562114331106" border="0" /></a><br />"So much for the unquestioning confidence of the 50s and 60s. Since then London Wall's planning and architecture have fallen mightily from favour. The anticipated rebirth of pedestrian life high up never happened, and the kiosks and upper entrances are mostly disused."<br />(Pevsner, p. 542).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjV_boW7M45U1vxO4zaU50oncDkWxtNqfjSb5RMMfAmrFcBKpBswV0yQMDNkNpeKk1i6GaqPRerRpb2_BsBR7rVYPtukvn2JAXG6DBfZUcNoLoTmjQ8q48i50IBOkuGIbi5az5E_OKS2Od/s1600-h/DSC05237.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjV_boW7M45U1vxO4zaU50oncDkWxtNqfjSb5RMMfAmrFcBKpBswV0yQMDNkNpeKk1i6GaqPRerRpb2_BsBR7rVYPtukvn2JAXG6DBfZUcNoLoTmjQ8q48i50IBOkuGIbi5az5E_OKS2Od/s400/DSC05237.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445683574659399186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2qezgpMDLrF_MLD2wLrnUq9BKv7vb0ltiKeO0-BsrXjVhAeccoDzDktt0KcQbFgjH5mqIcwRKe6FWwLUXRrztj3QNqmSYnUS-PmlKPInio62JV6MfIY7ws53TxZF376erzqfp6CA5hj7/s1600-h/DSC05242.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2qezgpMDLrF_MLD2wLrnUq9BKv7vb0ltiKeO0-BsrXjVhAeccoDzDktt0KcQbFgjH5mqIcwRKe6FWwLUXRrztj3QNqmSYnUS-PmlKPInio62JV6MfIY7ws53TxZF376erzqfp6CA5hj7/s400/DSC05242.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445683575637554738" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKJbcJ4wfluDr3csOosqvP00M0HxR2g4vdNVHWVxXGeG-8uo3MzV8b4ib_RDDCKSjlfkiDhPEFAMO7xWa-uRbMSTqCUt2wvmI8grpJnqiDlyOqtuAFykHb1IghAxBNUED1-f4R7_T4T93/s1600-h/DSC05244.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKJbcJ4wfluDr3csOosqvP00M0HxR2g4vdNVHWVxXGeG-8uo3MzV8b4ib_RDDCKSjlfkiDhPEFAMO7xWa-uRbMSTqCUt2wvmI8grpJnqiDlyOqtuAFykHb1IghAxBNUED1-f4R7_T4T93/s400/DSC05244.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445683580335589826" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJ3ShL11C_oPJ0z5XgOsGwHKh6lrcF24AjyZlX49Xl3JJpDWbV-TBsudc1t_6jf7SnIxnKR2mGPN9AdmrYSdDo2iGqjQUWSdTAx5YF4VP3TqU5xa1QJwadvuS0LhudKn4bUlBQ2yaWXZJ/s1600-h/DSC05245.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJ3ShL11C_oPJ0z5XgOsGwHKh6lrcF24AjyZlX49Xl3JJpDWbV-TBsudc1t_6jf7SnIxnKR2mGPN9AdmrYSdDo2iGqjQUWSdTAx5YF4VP3TqU5xa1QJwadvuS0LhudKn4bUlBQ2yaWXZJ/s400/DSC05245.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445683587390318114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqz3ImMjd6h6cInOXKLn_IP6MSfOLMVVs6MoCQjO2VpFHo382NMLpQFDyroZYzFb-s2rwjFnQWzPnrModleYtAvgjtS_qBNxtC33SwFlhn6MYRpN0E36wWQi02m2LUIZBAuxiQVz14oute/s1600-h/Picture+25.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqz3ImMjd6h6cInOXKLn_IP6MSfOLMVVs6MoCQjO2VpFHo382NMLpQFDyroZYzFb-s2rwjFnQWzPnrModleYtAvgjtS_qBNxtC33SwFlhn6MYRpN0E36wWQi02m2LUIZBAuxiQVz14oute/s400/Picture+25.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445876045606720050" border="0" /></a>Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-38430759580022559672010-01-02T14:53:00.000-08:002010-01-04T08:33:06.682-08:00The Margins of Medieval Art: Wiggenhall, Norfolk<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_bA_H2Uq4Dsz-GlKAA5cQgI9rRzqiGEM5wZAnlomWlyAWJHLk-X74OHCo_UEicM6SHO2R5-h1mLd23WAFIxdw8AkaA_aDAfuVhKcBCDTxbWAPzV2CwXkez36RH93m9UJaLRK_n1ZRE9e/s1600-h/1::Wiggenhall+Penis.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_bA_H2Uq4Dsz-GlKAA5cQgI9rRzqiGEM5wZAnlomWlyAWJHLk-X74OHCo_UEicM6SHO2R5-h1mLd23WAFIxdw8AkaA_aDAfuVhKcBCDTxbWAPzV2CwXkez36RH93m9UJaLRK_n1ZRE9e/s400/1::Wiggenhall+Penis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422281142452998594" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Garogoyle, St Mary the Virgin, Wiggenhall</span><br /><br />Medieval marginalia is an academic term for all the lude <a href="http://www.stratis.demon.co.uk/gargoyles/gg-th09ukEly4.htm#top" target="_blank">gargoyles</a>, masturbating <a href="http://www.sheelanagig.org/" target="_blank">sheila-na-gigs</a> and the <a href="http://libraries.slu.edu/archives/digcoll/mssexhibit07/images/luttrell01.jpg" target="_blank">everyday scenes</a> depicted on the margins of medieval buildings, manuscripts and furniture. It is not a popular subject for serious minded medievalists, but there are many pioneers in the subject who every so often change the way we look at the past. One of those was <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2002/may/16/guardianobituaries.arts" target="_blank">Michael Camille</a>. [1]<br /><br />Camille revealed that marginalia wasn't simply 'unconscious scribbling', which had hitherto been thought, but rather a critical commentary on religious orthodoxy, social conventions, national politics and regional problems. Sometimes marginalia wasn't critical at all, but an 'aide memoire', by using rude puns to learn the lengthy psalms. Or marginalia could help the religious tone, reminding people what sin actually looked like. One of the most famous subjects of Camille's analysis was the <a href="http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/luttrell/luttrell_broadband.htm" target="_blank">Luttrell Psalter</a>, which has some of the finest works of mid-late medieval <a href="http://www.wagscreen.co.uk/assets/images/Cherrytree02.jpg" target="blank">marginalia</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbJuPhv0FFX7nAhBpoOgPO5JpLl3udZApC81JBj3Dp4xNa6z_u9P4J7vJS6rvDGrV6nAX1UaDTM7jZhusrBx1454lnzBkfu49mvOL3X66pFt6dYx1GtVfwSsdoNXcNpzy3VO11lFLaPrA/s1600-h/Picture+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbJuPhv0FFX7nAhBpoOgPO5JpLl3udZApC81JBj3Dp4xNa6z_u9P4J7vJS6rvDGrV6nAX1UaDTM7jZhusrBx1454lnzBkfu49mvOL3X66pFt6dYx1GtVfwSsdoNXcNpzy3VO11lFLaPrA/s400/Picture+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422486446639184242" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hybrid beasts from ancient Greece used for memorising text: The Menticorn and Cockatrice depicting the fear of lying tongues mentioned in the above Psalm 109, in The Howard Psalter - a medieval Wiggenhall book.</span><br /><br />Historically, this was a new development and which presented the Middle Ages as something which could be culturally complex, humorous and really quite odd - almost totally foreign. So I wanted to find out what medieval life was like on the margins and how this was depicted culturally; in a book, building and on the furniture. I looked through various medieval manuscript directories to find a medieval book which had some marginalia and where the provenance was known.[2] I then flicked through numerous Pevsner guides to see if the original location of these manuscripts had something physically which matched the book roughly in date and aesthetics. This was a tall order as there is so much which is unknown and lost about the past - take the relative lack of medieval church relics in London compared to Norwich as an example. But I eventually found that the best location for this was the village of Wiggenhall, north west Norfolk - five miles south of Lynn on the Great Ouse. Here was a group of mid-late medieval churches (c13 - c16), with late c15 early c16 wood carvings, an early c14 manuscript and a set of early c14 documents.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3_Ft2KUGj6uICiy-b8qx0EVXXeyJ3n436sCe0rSqpbkZeEYa0p9foNBMv8TVYVUTria0NwZkM52f1DGPYQIM2Lqs4DNNBxbcwc_gIRQQikZei5BQmi7fj_QTRK-qhUAO-fcEO8FSFvn2/s1600-h/3::landscapes2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3_Ft2KUGj6uICiy-b8qx0EVXXeyJ3n436sCe0rSqpbkZeEYa0p9foNBMv8TVYVUTria0NwZkM52f1DGPYQIM2Lqs4DNNBxbcwc_gIRQQikZei5BQmi7fj_QTRK-qhUAO-fcEO8FSFvn2/s400/3::landscapes2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422283714618587410" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Looking south along the Great Ouse from the tower of Wiggenhall St Germans - notice how the river is higher than the fields.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfVqfZsTPUtEEEHkFeThlOqKW5Ywg566ixx-ZRkxl2rP7hQxuAotreZuk3lFhgdUlPZGeHJ2Z-WG3HiIpYWe2yHeT68mmYyxmUx28A_p7EuGUVfugQFfD1_l22ZoxypCqg-XqXYQqGyH0/s1600-h/3::landscapes.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfVqfZsTPUtEEEHkFeThlOqKW5Ywg566ixx-ZRkxl2rP7hQxuAotreZuk3lFhgdUlPZGeHJ2Z-WG3HiIpYWe2yHeT68mmYyxmUx28A_p7EuGUVfugQFfD1_l22ZoxypCqg-XqXYQqGyH0/s400/3::landscapes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422283708456968018" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The small township of Wiggenhall St Germans</span><br /><br />This is still today a very unique and marginal village, partly due to its location in the flat marshlands of the wash; an endless horizontal horizon where an overbearing sky meets a grid of black peat, green growth, drains, roads and more drains and more roads. In his novel <span style="font-style: italic;">Waterland</span>, Graham Swift wrote a number of observations about the region:<br /><br />"Every fenman suffers now and then that the land he walks over is not there"[3]<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1B6FerWTcbsda3z3U2c7AEeD-dzn37mdhjYVscEiplxBIL51Y7MzcPba2421mlGoQuxq2iucTcIoBFuei1SSm7yhyO8G5OEW7OZpLKnW45pJB4DxJnLgYX1xNsm5zQqiHzJ3gXfslORg/s1600-h/4::landscapes1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1B6FerWTcbsda3z3U2c7AEeD-dzn37mdhjYVscEiplxBIL51Y7MzcPba2421mlGoQuxq2iucTcIoBFuei1SSm7yhyO8G5OEW7OZpLKnW45pJB4DxJnLgYX1xNsm5zQqiHzJ3gXfslORg/s400/4::landscapes1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422286922729639010" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Maintenance work on a drainage sluice, Wiggenhall</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouH5-TpLUvj-j5ypnBiyKjV4p8tVkU_mg4pCn37YaLycJYlA2CK8D0ZWPfJVdBYT7KIizlCSi2PaM99FxD8iC_BNamJBKJWrww9KxNNTNuwWot4KqQy0CXcKYJl3XQv-RDQuH_xb-8bBt/s1600-h/4::landscapes3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouH5-TpLUvj-j5ypnBiyKjV4p8tVkU_mg4pCn37YaLycJYlA2CK8D0ZWPfJVdBYT7KIizlCSi2PaM99FxD8iC_BNamJBKJWrww9KxNNTNuwWot4KqQy0CXcKYJl3XQv-RDQuH_xb-8bBt/s400/4::landscapes3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422286933670770786" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wiggenhall St Germans and the River Great Ouse from the North</span><br /><br />For a complete history of the area there is none better than H. C. Darby's work, [4] as Darby carefully charted (and with good prose) how the region grew in the late Middle Ages after the land had been reclaimed from the sea. This process was accentuated in the seventeenth acentury when the region was drained and enclosed by the Dutchman <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Vermuyden" target="_blank">Cornelius Vermuyden</a>. This created an agricultural powerhouse for the monarchy and aristocracy but with a major environmental drawback: the flat fens were in constant danger. Firstly from freshwater flooding, which meant fresh water coming from the Midlands had to be pumped out to sea, which sinks the landscape to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holme,_Cambridgeshire" target="_blank">below sea level</a>. This is dangerously exacerbated by the second problem: the constant threat of salt water flooding. On television, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MeadesShrine#p/c/95BEA2EE4A9D6543/1/9naig_71Ql4" target="_blank">Jonathan Meades</a> presented a contemporary vision of the location's clear relationship with the Netherlands: a modern depopulated and highly industrial agriculture sinking ever deeper and perhaps one day into the sea. But despite also being a byword for all that is backward and incestuous, this region is almost unique in the sheer <a href="http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/norfolkindex.htm" target="_blank">number</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bombadil/1355559849/" target="_blank">scale</a> and <a href="http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/wiggenhallstgermans/images/dscf1778.jpg" target="_blank">detail</a> of its mid-late medieval architecture:<div><br /><div><span style="font-style: italic; ">"The hundreds of churches are trying hard or not so hard to keep going. Churchyards grow crops of nettles unmatched in their profusion. Struggling vicars rush in their second hard cars from one of their churches to the other to arrive in time for the next service. Their congregations are small and scattered and often live away from when the church was built, long before the black death or an improving c18 squire had removed the original village. There is plenty of change and disturbing change under the grandiose, ever-changing and yet eternal East Anglian sky."</span> [Pevsner]<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXprwK7J7EvdH2tCRJIatS5M2hkplId5-M2Y23ZqusFqVkbK_QkWgkvNdcqf-clTMhceCg_ykMkohtHlEa8giv3nruJGHdP682BbXMIAo4IVIme1N4KYCio-NXeY3OZqAUf8tk0JvL74Yz/s1600-h/dscf1759.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXprwK7J7EvdH2tCRJIatS5M2hkplId5-M2Y23ZqusFqVkbK_QkWgkvNdcqf-clTMhceCg_ykMkohtHlEa8giv3nruJGHdP682BbXMIAo4IVIme1N4KYCio-NXeY3OZqAUf8tk0JvL74Yz/s400/dscf1759.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422821133408766690" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wiggenhall St Germans</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsjP3kPvGHFFzlcmW9PlRW8JmNfzvr_MZY7_JLZvOjaAUZ4aBApaXb5OL77icezmh8X-RlwrfDqz51igvbZsPjbyyj-iPAOkqGf-ON3MWXjU23XmHA8SsBOPMCKhjY4GxYD4yoy1jzmWy/s1600-h/dscf1754.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsjP3kPvGHFFzlcmW9PlRW8JmNfzvr_MZY7_JLZvOjaAUZ4aBApaXb5OL77icezmh8X-RlwrfDqz51igvbZsPjbyyj-iPAOkqGf-ON3MWXjU23XmHA8SsBOPMCKhjY4GxYD4yoy1jzmWy/s400/dscf1754.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422821123254842578" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wiggenhall St Peter<br /></span><i><br /></i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKxgu9yDHQV_jG8W50UdhYM1oR60T25f8No5xJqO91VzWGhJBeRpgP_HTebkzVAP1-S9iS_MWTb8XNROupcg0qBuLmKnGeb4_DoOsHgaNMeAlOhXSCHuFTJS2X4oLCqRaKcPqMTT6tEX9/s1600-h/5::churches3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKxgu9yDHQV_jG8W50UdhYM1oR60T25f8No5xJqO91VzWGhJBeRpgP_HTebkzVAP1-S9iS_MWTb8XNROupcg0qBuLmKnGeb4_DoOsHgaNMeAlOhXSCHuFTJS2X4oLCqRaKcPqMTT6tEX9/s400/5::churches3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422289354981728098" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wiggenhall St Mary the Virgin</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84Zlj-msESK2kAlnIJc2_QL4QAMxmu_S-vbNIFBPq0unXKDE0veq8LwkpUpRwLwyGTrU6qxTd9jRbEb-R1AUp3HMGKH7fP7YUsAK9SzlpqF2XkSKpjtUNwDHOT02xXh1z3RgFxClJ2elZ/s1600-h/5::churches2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84Zlj-msESK2kAlnIJc2_QL4QAMxmu_S-vbNIFBPq0unXKDE0veq8LwkpUpRwLwyGTrU6qxTd9jRbEb-R1AUp3HMGKH7fP7YUsAK9SzlpqF2XkSKpjtUNwDHOT02xXh1z3RgFxClJ2elZ/s400/5::churches2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422289350559881906" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen</span><br /><br />Wiggenhall is unique in that it is a village with <b>four</b> large medieval churches; St Germans, St Mary the Virgin, St Mary Magdalen, and the ruin of St Peter. Medieval churches are a good barometer of town's wealth at that time; Norwich had about 30, London had nearly 100, while Nottingham had only 3 and Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester had even less. So for a village to have four medieval churches is quite something. Another barometer of wealth are tax records, which reveal that the Hundred of Freebridge Marshland was the most wealthy region in Norfolk, partly because this is a landscape which contains some of the most fertile soil in England.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAF5jwvcTBhnTbGbaYuAWzwzFFSWxzwyrKwnU7_J-idK-ZWmJIfMvPcNBHontuQG8JYh4oTRDCZBk7zPYZP8mVkObpZMF7Nbv9rIDyP8sgo3ST79NkG8cpKO8cHOgbVdq2JFTHdLzZqZe/s1600-h/6::wealthy+map.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAF5jwvcTBhnTbGbaYuAWzwzFFSWxzwyrKwnU7_J-idK-ZWmJIfMvPcNBHontuQG8JYh4oTRDCZBk7zPYZP8mVkObpZMF7Nbv9rIDyP8sgo3ST79NkG8cpKO8cHOgbVdq2JFTHdLzZqZe/s400/6::wealthy+map.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422291257157038290" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A map of late medieval wealth in Norfolk , from H. C. Darby 'The Medieval Fenland'</span><br /><br />According to Pevsner, the medieval benches of <a href="http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/wiggenhallstmary/wiggenhallstmary.htm" target="blank">Wiggenhall St Mary</a> and <a href="http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/wiggenhallstgermans/wiggenhallstgermans.htm" target="blank">St Germans</a> are the best in Norfolk.[5] Benches from this period are very rare, as most people in the Middle Ages would have experienced going to church while standing or sitting on a stoney cold (though straw strewn) floor. The weakest went to the wall. These benches are sometimes complete with central depictions of saints, though this is contrasted with the crude marginal carvings of beasts and medieval sinners.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkktzD9cM-wqAlR8xyXX2tCWm2pQrobsyE7UVdMXMLePA31POXu0yKAnxKfVFt-aBUjkG2LtTqCYsogjUWlbQp6Z59Bk6WRU1iqZUoIsTKPb29XSDTgOXH06hlwXfdXgBMuwBxppP7Sfi/s1600-h/7::benches.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkktzD9cM-wqAlR8xyXX2tCWm2pQrobsyE7UVdMXMLePA31POXu0yKAnxKfVFt-aBUjkG2LtTqCYsogjUWlbQp6Z59Bk6WRU1iqZUoIsTKPb29XSDTgOXH06hlwXfdXgBMuwBxppP7Sfi/s400/7::benches.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422293534820883970" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bench ends from the front showing various creatures from the Greek Bestiary</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJh5nUYoWP-rRBpJ_Qmf_SpRkP14Hc3WqdsN2K77jmwmZMxuosw5MtaoGiv-RMcXNcx77FaBxCeDYZ7na08GDbcroG8eDOAf0iRFjz96wSwbuBHERkt3Xjla8Ifh7PrFdRHQ5HsU05Z4DQ/s1600-h/8::Sinner.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJh5nUYoWP-rRBpJ_Qmf_SpRkP14Hc3WqdsN2K77jmwmZMxuosw5MtaoGiv-RMcXNcx77FaBxCeDYZ7na08GDbcroG8eDOAf0iRFjz96wSwbuBHERkt3Xjla8Ifh7PrFdRHQ5HsU05Z4DQ/s400/8::Sinner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422293538008884866" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bench ends from the back - you can just see a sinner in the mouth of hell</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSzDHQmvMdDDYjfeWRrirWn8996gmbAsId9oVNnOTE6EvHpuo82YFvb9yfj3SUjbYtBnROp3OqVzZueOgpVWXs6xSNpWFJv5c7TCLBPKoPADb2vLYGS58K5n72bfSziV91OZOhUpn7dfU/s1600-h/9::dragon+and+ibis.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSzDHQmvMdDDYjfeWRrirWn8996gmbAsId9oVNnOTE6EvHpuo82YFvb9yfj3SUjbYtBnROp3OqVzZueOgpVWXs6xSNpWFJv5c7TCLBPKoPADb2vLYGS58K5n72bfSziV91OZOhUpn7dfU/s400/9::dragon+and+ibis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422293543072398114" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ibis and Dragon</span><br /><br />Many of these mythical beasts were taken from the <a href="http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/what.hti" target="blank">bestiary</a> - a series of ancient animal tales which originated in ancient Greece, but were often appropriated by the medieval church to interpret Christian stories which may have had a relevance to certain parishes. Take the above image of the Ibis, a creature which appears three times in the Wiggenhall churches. This was a creature that was given a mythical story about how it lived close to the water's edge and fed on dead creatures and eels because it was afraid to enter the water.[6] In the late Middle Ages Wiggenhall was frequently flooded by changes in the course of the Great Ouse.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyqqeraWoB_9Y59lsWlejtrALjmG3dGSi-fn0XsYcTL0FwbGhc3_fpThMRICWb2VqxqDcVF0Uu1MkIaEQLvsHja9dOlzkupyR8tRuTXTBfGJCXeB4ryFUhpgnpuLVvT7c_hPOTig2-yXv/s1600-h/11::map2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyqqeraWoB_9Y59lsWlejtrALjmG3dGSi-fn0XsYcTL0FwbGhc3_fpThMRICWb2VqxqDcVF0Uu1MkIaEQLvsHja9dOlzkupyR8tRuTXTBfGJCXeB4ryFUhpgnpuLVvT7c_hPOTig2-yXv/s400/11::map2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422297088245279138" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Old course flowed past Wisbeach - new 14th Century course flowed past Wiggenhall and Lynn. From H. C. Darby 'The Medieval Fenland'</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dRoslqZVZRW5nju2wpFm52nSvrbo7S7H1xHN4t5orhR9wikleNm7-8wePkhIf7n9aZCzFeOxYyBlm8wEjEO2IQuAyTj4C7Tr7ksDqX6tDA4riXw7HSDkSz3uxbyJ-RIW1ECJh86UYukV/s1600-h/10::Images+of+changing+river.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dRoslqZVZRW5nju2wpFm52nSvrbo7S7H1xHN4t5orhR9wikleNm7-8wePkhIf7n9aZCzFeOxYyBlm8wEjEO2IQuAyTj4C7Tr7ksDqX6tDA4riXw7HSDkSz3uxbyJ-RIW1ECJh86UYukV/s400/10::Images+of+changing+river.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422297081414753842" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">That diversion from Wisbech to Lynn in more detail</span><br /><br />In the Norfolk archives are a series of fourteenth century records for the draining and embanking of the Great Ouse at Wiggenhall.[7] This was a place which like the Ibis lived dangerously close to the water's edge, with frequent floods and a constant need to embank and create new drains to control the flow of water. Beasts in the Middle Ages were often used to personify weather and landscape.[8]<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAst0fFvk0yh6P_aOGA0hP66E3BATvWfbhDmRyNTLZJGwVs5ecJ0M8D2TqUrItvCZuiLPv44EUOszZACinmOoYI6vqlbUfWEGDOeMoRhJfMFH0xlXJMBK2X25P6WszXyYQPeise4LhDNe6/s1600-h/12::Image+of+St+Germans+Buttress.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAst0fFvk0yh6P_aOGA0hP66E3BATvWfbhDmRyNTLZJGwVs5ecJ0M8D2TqUrItvCZuiLPv44EUOszZACinmOoYI6vqlbUfWEGDOeMoRhJfMFH0xlXJMBK2X25P6WszXyYQPeise4LhDNe6/s400/12::Image+of+St+Germans+Buttress.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422297090799181474" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">St Germans butresses: supporting a church built on reclaimed land</span><br /><br />In the Howard Psalter - a manuscript which was made for use in the church of St Germans in Wiggenhall - there is a more 'everyday' graphic interpretation of life in the late medieval marshlands.[9] This was religious book commissioned by Lord Howard (a descendant of the infamously powerful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_of_Norfolk" target="_blank">Dukes of Norfolk</a>) - for the religious well-being of his church, which as Lord of the Manor, he was expected to maintain.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yiFbwUC1Q99aHBPyYq7ntp6ZWP7yzyhyphenhyphenbVq734784kJgfl8oqCUugJJjqPs63y3DdnCzVjJJ9N1L9-aMa2PT-qPOlKSQuivh340NPxqW-limA5BYJnLDso95ulwCQBrbiBJPQYO23Cnl/s1600-h/13::manuscript.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 273px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yiFbwUC1Q99aHBPyYq7ntp6ZWP7yzyhyphenhyphenbVq734784kJgfl8oqCUugJJjqPs63y3DdnCzVjJJ9N1L9-aMa2PT-qPOlKSQuivh340NPxqW-limA5BYJnLDso95ulwCQBrbiBJPQYO23Cnl/s400/13::manuscript.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422298982374634274" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Howard Psalter f.14</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhz2AxOdr1oSeRVQLrOcp_pB7006Ca8Us8WvGd1SHna1bUum2QKmOZ4q0c9yMlVuZw8uDtV6pMKKIwULuWGflUN3wZJsgKGQlujcr7GfJ_emVbNtRMsePAJkOp3EQF6Z5mpHvTY5O3y_n/s1600-h/14::manuscript2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhz2AxOdr1oSeRVQLrOcp_pB7006Ca8Us8WvGd1SHna1bUum2QKmOZ4q0c9yMlVuZw8uDtV6pMKKIwULuWGflUN3wZJsgKGQlujcr7GfJ_emVbNtRMsePAJkOp3EQF6Z5mpHvTY5O3y_n/s400/14::manuscript2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422298989266244802" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Howard Psalter f.14 (detail)</span><br /><br />The above image shows a fowling scene, which was a major industry in medieval Norfolk and an important part of the local diet. Thomas of Ely wrote in the twelfth century:<br /><br />"At mid winter, or when the brids moult their quills, I have seen them caught by the hundred, and even by the three hundreds, more or less. Sometimes they are taken in nets and snares as well as by the bird-lime."[10]<br /><br />The fowling scene in the Howard Psalter shows the use of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdlime" target="blank">birdlime</a> which lured the birds in to sticky pole using an owl as a decoy. This is mentioned in the thirteenth century English poem, 'The Owl and the Nightingale':<br /><br />"In woodlands where the boughs grow thick<br />To help hunters lure, then snatch,<br />The little birds they like to catch" Lines 1625-1628 [11]<br /><br />Why a local bird hunting scene? Birds have a long association with thoughts and memories because it was believed that birds like memories, needed to be hunted down and stored in a cage or a coup.[11] The Middle Ages was a highly mnemonic culture. The Bullfinch and the Jay illustrated on the right of the page are 'notable and ear deceiving mimics',[12] who like the medieval reader learned their psalms through imitating songs and the chattering of others. It is interesting that the very locality of the reader was also seen as an important aide memoire.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25qwFyydHT3gicXLPKQ9FHhUV_0rnN5sC0wu2vvqx1GMSQASi-0wl3YEoJX3hEztasy8p-C3OmSlyvZZZz0vsSppxWo4p6apQzmGuznAkW83YZ581qp4S6-IE-fdKFEybxF22fzLWECX_/s1600-h/Picture+3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25qwFyydHT3gicXLPKQ9FHhUV_0rnN5sC0wu2vvqx1GMSQASi-0wl3YEoJX3hEztasy8p-C3OmSlyvZZZz0vsSppxWo4p6apQzmGuznAkW83YZ581qp4S6-IE-fdKFEybxF22fzLWECX_/s400/Picture+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422489773193693138" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Howard Psalter f.40 v (detail)</span><br /><br />Another important local connection is the dipiction of an ape with an <a href="http://www.nigelkayaks.com/mediac/400_0/media/d$2007$20013.JPG" target="blank">eel spear</a> on folio 40 v. There are a number of different eel speers in the Wisbech museum with a similar design. Eels were another important part of the local diet and the area is synonymous with the creature, Ely taking its name from the Old Anglian language meaning 'Eel district'.[13] In the English vernacular 'apes and owls' was a common analagy for the absurd and is featured in medieval literature such as Chaucer's <span style="font-style: italic;">The Nun's Priest's Tale</span>:[14]</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.librarius.com/canttran/nunprst/nunprst297-343.htm" target="blank">"For visions are but fantasies and japes.<br />Men dream, why, every day, of owls and apes"</a><br /><br />--<br /><br />[1] M. Camille, <span style="font-style: italic;">Image on the Edge: The Margins of Medieval Art</span> (London, 1992).<br />[2] L. F. Sandler, <span style="font-style: italic;">Gothic Manuscripts. A Survey of Manuscripts illuminated in the British Isles 1285 - 1385 vol. II</span> (Oxford, 1986).<br />[3] G. Swift, <span style="font-style: italic;">Waterland</span> (1983).<br />[4] H. C. Darby, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Medieval Fenland</span> (Cambridge, 1940). See also, H. C. Darby <span style="font-style: italic;">Draining of the Fens </span>(Cambridge 1969).<br />[5] N. Pevsner, <span style="font-style: italic;">North West Norfolk</span> (London, 1962).<br />[6] M. W. Tisdall, <span style="font-style: italic;">Gods Beasts: Identify and understand animals in church carving</span> (Plymouth, 1988), p. 148.<br />[7] Owen, A. E. B., <span style="font-style: italic;">The Records of a Commission of Sewers for Wiggenhall 1319 - 1324</span> (Norwich, 1981).<br />[8] W. Cahn, 'Medieval Landscape and the Encyclopaedic Tradition', i<span style="font-style: italic;">n Contexts: Styles and Values in Medieval Art and Literature</span> (Yale, 1991), p. 13.<br />[8] <a href="http://blpc.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=6458&CollID=20&NStart=83" target="blank">The Howard Psalter</a> British Library MS Arundel 83 I (c.1310)<br />[9] Thomas of Ely, 'Liber Eliensis, p. 232, cited in Darby <span style="font-style: italic;">The Medieval Fenland</span>, p. 36.<br />[10] B. Radice, (ed.), <span style="font-style: italic;">The Owl and the Nightingale / Cleannes / St Erkenwald</span> (London, 1988), p. 238.<br />[11] M. J. Carruthers, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Book of Memory: A Study of Memory in Medieval Culture </span>(Cambridge, 1992), p. 246,<br />[12] R. Jellis, <span style="font-style: italic;">Bird Sounds and their Meaning</span> (London, 1977), p. 179.<br />[13] <a href="http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/%7Eaezins//kepn.php" target="blank">The English Place-Name Society</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">A Key to English Place-Names</span> (Nottingham, 2009).<br />[14] C. L . Shaver, <a href="http://www.jstor.org/pss/2911428" target="blank">'Chaucer's "owls and apes"'</a>, in <span style="font-style: italic;">Modern Language Notes</span> (Oxford, 1943, p. 105 - 107.</div></div>Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-3056970886777128882009-10-17T16:23:00.000-07:002010-08-18T01:50:15.375-07:00I know this city!The following is a series of extracts from <a href="http://www.bsjohnson.info/">BS Johnson's</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">The Unfortunates</span>, an experimental novel which for the most part was set in Nottingham - a city Johnson had visited on a number of occasions in the late 50s and early 60s. The following photographs are also from the same period and I have carefully matched some of his psychogeographic descriptions to what I believe are the exact locations. Well almost - there were no photos of the City Ground from this period which were suitable and so the following photo of Meadow Lane was more apt. Especially given the current <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/sep/30/notts-county-nathan-willett-peter-trembling">fiasco</a>. Why have I done this? Why I have ruined your imagination? Well, look away now if you don't want to see of course, but these descriptions, feelings, ramblings, observations, associations or whatever, are quite acute - that is all. Many thanks to Emily Kawasaki & James Forster for drawing my attention to this book some years ago - though I took my time getting round to it as per usual. Also thanks to Emily Wilczek for lending me the damn thing last summer. The photos are from <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/">here</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiTDjf0Y-aiOf4SWH7-xWw7qdxiMkjqVwLK3uSRpWTI9I8x9AmNzYjhwgrwgkev2duLOTkO5JkYr7ii0z_G_BLedsGCXwQxA9HoK0h9TQ42xqUz4J21ukt25XXWq1nZZA_CyIyuLF1O2d/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiTDjf0Y-aiOf4SWH7-xWw7qdxiMkjqVwLK3uSRpWTI9I8x9AmNzYjhwgrwgkev2duLOTkO5JkYr7ii0z_G_BLedsGCXwQxA9HoK0h9TQ42xqUz4J21ukt25XXWq1nZZA_CyIyuLF1O2d/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393723468654148098" border="0" /></a><br />Covered courtyard, taxis, take a taxi, always take a taxi in a strange city, but no, I know this city! The mind circles, at random, does not remember, from one moment to another, other things interpose themselves, the mind's The station exit on a bridge, yes, of course, and the blackened gantries rise like steel gibbets above the Midland red wall opposite. I should turn right, right, towards the city centre, yes, ah, and that pub! On one visit here I came from this station sullen with depression, savage at myself for some reason I found it hard to define, isolate: and went into that pub, the nearer, on the corner, green glass, leaded panes, ordinary, for relief, which was a green shield Worthington, as I remember, if I remember.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSZk5wV26qE4etHHkz-4Rn5xxVf_BmP060v_gUoRydYHUwtFVNsf6MyIZnicZ00ruRqPX5D6PfPHy__3r6dEkqzXGuHAW9VbJvQ4_YXj2tBYbUmteHbW97XQ5kYqWXFHt0R2MafiA-BBd/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSZk5wV26qE4etHHkz-4Rn5xxVf_BmP060v_gUoRydYHUwtFVNsf6MyIZnicZ00ruRqPX5D6PfPHy__3r6dEkqzXGuHAW9VbJvQ4_YXj2tBYbUmteHbW97XQ5kYqWXFHt0R2MafiA-BBd/s400/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393728551595485522" border="0" /></a><br />Southwell, the Chapter House, the delicate, convoluted carving on the capitals, foliage is it, yes, leaves, the book The Leaves of Southwell, now I think of it, though I did not know of it at the time, but June did, she knew the cathedral was important for at least this, that was perhaps the main reason why we visited it, when was it, fairly late in our friendship, for I had begun to take a great deal of interest in architecture, at the same time they moved to Lincoln, but how could it be, for they had the car, we went by car, their little blue Austin, which I had picked up for them, yes how the mind arranges itself, tried to sort things in orders, is perturbed if things are not sorted, are not in the right order, nags away. Southwell, said to June it was a useful place to bring children, to show them differences, for the nave was Norman, the choir EE, and the Chapter House, octagonal, best of all was Dec. The carving I was marvelously impressed with, appropriately, from a technical point of view the depth under the leaves, at such angles, but did not see the point of representing natural things thus, why, it is all tied up with truth, with things being what they are, and so on and so forth.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmH8etGIDKMubbN6Hw4Hhgc3k_SsZibBGSTSpB1eCdfRCklCl74GLyOelYI2v1dXh8YFYbiQ6VhkClG14lRTFYSp3JId7R_LX4UI6UwE450pP517OuCyDksIF24_J9wnvit6Ryk2HppVp/s1600-h/Picture+4.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmH8etGIDKMubbN6Hw4Hhgc3k_SsZibBGSTSpB1eCdfRCklCl74GLyOelYI2v1dXh8YFYbiQ6VhkClG14lRTFYSp3JId7R_LX4UI6UwE450pP517OuCyDksIF24_J9wnvit6Ryk2HppVp/s400/Picture+4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393723899509000418" border="0" /></a><br />After we were well away from the village, they were guiding me on a ride, a journey. Tony took over, drove well enough, all he needed was experience, he passed his test not so very long after this. The mining villages around this city, I had not seen them before this first journey in their car. The fields around, just fields, no slagheaps that I remember, and suddenly the great wheels at the pithead on the skyline round the bend, classically, as if not industrial, not black country visual clichés. We had a drink somewhere, near a new bridge here, on the way back, it was dark by then, though summer, and in the car park there was some incident, I think someone was backing into Tony's path, and he kept going, they both kept going, and I was supposed to be the one looking out for a learner, but I could not reach the brake as it was the other side of Tony, farther from me, and all I could do was to push the horn button, to touch the horn ring, did it have one, that model, and the other man stopped in time.<br /><br /><!--EndFragment--><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUPEH4zPjOIkpzouQrT4RLEiDgiALS8Do7xCCG1J09RyjnmfA7ND2xG5ibcdGrR_Iew-hXtxphEzPKKOsvhkJ-OOso_v8KPeAwXUz12ujeG64m4I8FGUjBqSyGrVTgKwFXG2_jdHL9mrk/s1600-h/Picture+5.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUPEH4zPjOIkpzouQrT4RLEiDgiALS8Do7xCCG1J09RyjnmfA7ND2xG5ibcdGrR_Iew-hXtxphEzPKKOsvhkJ-OOso_v8KPeAwXUz12ujeG64m4I8FGUjBqSyGrVTgKwFXG2_jdHL9mrk/s400/Picture+5.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393726648987282482" border="0" /></a><br />When shall I see a ground all of one piece, a new ground, all the English grounds I've seen are so piecemeal, are never designed as a whole, except for Wembley, and in most ways that's an even worse disaster than this one, which seems to have four sides developed at random, at different times, yet there has been, is an enormous amount of money in football, thousands of pounds a game, hundreds of thousands a season, the number of people who go, and the players who don't get it, were very badly treated until recently, still are in some respects, it must have been the directors, the owners, who just siphoned off all the money but for what they had to leave to keep the things running, and even though they have to give their players something nearer their due, now, they still don't have to spend money on these buildings, they see, the swine, still have corrugated iron sheds and charge extra for that, let the men on the terraces, their chief supporters , the sixpences of the masses, stand out in all weathers, and they do, the stupid bastards! Yet these buildings show them up for what they are, the directors and the profiteers of the clubs, there is yet honesty in this: the buildings proclaim that they are cheapjacks, charlatans, who might as it pack their bags overnight and leave, because in the buildings they would be leaving behind them the very minimum that could be left, which would, which does, corrode, disintegrate, rot to pieces every few years. So this ground, the usual mess of badly-shutted concrete badly finished, the scruffy collection of huts which are the turnstiles, fletton-backed stand beyond them, the unpleasantness of this brick in such circumstances, ah, why waste anything of me with these things that disgust me, where's the Press entrance, let's get on with the bloody job.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBZ0kDPuSycX-TjsUHlIp7sHKBOcv7bVnG94YTB2UdaMoP8ztdq5B4C2Mlb5-xUZSQ-Y-YiVLIeqbKOyNp_xavkjbiuhPSMd2o_0YiPuYw03rM4WLcXLj6jFDzkQFr7aBzKJuBjhFl6IC/s1600-h/Picture+6.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBZ0kDPuSycX-TjsUHlIp7sHKBOcv7bVnG94YTB2UdaMoP8ztdq5B4C2Mlb5-xUZSQ-Y-YiVLIeqbKOyNp_xavkjbiuhPSMd2o_0YiPuYw03rM4WLcXLj6jFDzkQFr7aBzKJuBjhFl6IC/s400/Picture+6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393727355127405122" border="0" /></a><br />Yates's is friendly, the first impression going in, the first time I have felt that kind of warmth since I came to this city this morning, an alien city, though I know it, really, I keep telling myself, friendly here, a relief, a great relief! Nearly full, push my way through, here it was I spoke to that Russian seamen so long ago, without Tony then, where was Tony, what was I doing on my own? Now there was a group there discussing football, they must be going later on, yes, what time is it, the to one, yes time for a good drink and then lunch, noticed a restaurant underneath as I came in, nearby, looked okay, shall go there, perhaps when I have finished here, what shall I have now, a wide range indeed, in Yates's, imported beverages of all descriptions, Commonwealth ports and sherries, Australian White and Red, very cheap, remarkably good value, no doubt, but I'll have Marsala, I think for no other reasons, but that I need something thick and sweat and comforting, I need comforting, why do I need comforting?<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AYLtsFRW7Ttb6FNMOqwpXqdKI37t943hNaU1YAng1DtyCOM1pzTaS7IksRR11UVUhqqcH-d_aFeQEFBVDJpCxIRdGqjDWJ9DXjJ_dmqN5K2dBotZ8JWa6_jpymdztOFotqR9b2FFPWmI/s1600-h/Picture+7.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AYLtsFRW7Ttb6FNMOqwpXqdKI37t943hNaU1YAng1DtyCOM1pzTaS7IksRR11UVUhqqcH-d_aFeQEFBVDJpCxIRdGqjDWJ9DXjJ_dmqN5K2dBotZ8JWa6_jpymdztOFotqR9b2FFPWmI/s400/Picture+7.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393727356223171586" border="0" /></a><br />This pub, then, what signs of venerableness does it bear, to be seen, claiming to be one of the oldest in England? Black beams, low ceilings, but preserved in various ways, varnish, worm repellent, that detract from the seeing of age, prevent me from venerating it. Which leaves me with only association. This room, yes I recognise instantly as being one where Tony and June and Wendy and I sat, yes, but why should that seem remarkable, as it was only a few years ago, the memory is not that bad, I am overdramatizing this, his death, this place, these occasions. But this is still a place for students where the four of us sat then years ago, was it, something like that, rexine seats, life goes on, ha, bring Fortinbras and cart the corpses off. Cast iron garden tables, look original, not found, the old built-in kicked cupboard, brass fittings, most this looks Victorian, older in one sense than the eighteenth and earlier, the rooms cared from the friable sandstone, that is now to me a cliché, everything is reducible to a cliché, the action of carbonic acid on limestone. I'll have another sherry, I used to drink beer then but do not now, so much there’s another change, it's meaningless, though, it all is, this wallowing in recollection, stupid even, as well, I mean, where does it all lead, there we were students then, there these still are, students now, and so?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6R-JZcNaDLCRWNY-Bjb0alO6_CAiywsQTp_cFDwZ2WB_IDwQSs5h-k5MTuK72VKQk6f7ry0Rn4AOnyYQfPbFksRDwUZ_ksFoN4nB9DbdRLBpC2sz16UrZvihGUBL-aIw9AqGDx4mzo4G/s1600-h/Picture+8.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6R-JZcNaDLCRWNY-Bjb0alO6_CAiywsQTp_cFDwZ2WB_IDwQSs5h-k5MTuK72VKQk6f7ry0Rn4AOnyYQfPbFksRDwUZ_ksFoN4nB9DbdRLBpC2sz16UrZvihGUBL-aIw9AqGDx4mzo4G/s400/Picture+8.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393727363582736562" border="0" /></a><br />Cast parapet, pierced rondel design, the canal oiling its way under, under, and the great letters on the end wall of a warehouse BRITISH WATERWAYS, weathered, flaking, the midland red brick sound, it appears, the red strong enough to come through that amount of blackening, of discoloration, and the buses, I remember, great green and cream buses, and yes, they have trolleybuses in this city, too, the disfiguring lines overhead, quaint even, now, how long is it since they were running in London, remember them taking down the supports, masts would they be called, poles, the relief of the clearing of the air, literally, in certain streets, King Street Hammersmith, for one place, which seemed so much less oppressive once the overhead lines had gone.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wmSeSue-8_ptpVww_xsHri4idCY-fIu_nHYgJj7lsS7hHp2YPGws5W1_rUvVvKsgCPB9k-HnUP9ajvqJczF9EkYZleZD9zqT43otgLRH_tcWpC68RwkEMX2Jd6cyDSZnbKqri0QrBQ1u/s1600-h/Picture+9.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wmSeSue-8_ptpVww_xsHri4idCY-fIu_nHYgJj7lsS7hHp2YPGws5W1_rUvVvKsgCPB9k-HnUP9ajvqJczF9EkYZleZD9zqT43otgLRH_tcWpC68RwkEMX2Jd6cyDSZnbKqri0QrBQ1u/s400/Picture+9.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393728105846126514" border="0" /></a><br />This visit it must have been we made the journey to Newstead Abbey, yes, we went by bus, they did not have their car at that time, no, and walking the mile or more up the long rhododendron-lined drive, towards the house, the Abbey, that Byron so loved, and sold, the house buttered up against the single standing west front Abbey, so arrogantly intimate with it, EE, though late, I thought, as I remember, transitional. June went and sat beside the upper lake, pregnant, taking a book, having been here several times before. Tony and I paid to walk round the dead house, not lived in, saw Byron's skull cap, or did we, had it previously been re-interred, a dueling sword, yes, his bedroom, so ordinary now, like a film set, uncomfortable, un-lived in, obviously. The dead things the dead leave behind them as well as the living things. But in the gardens, grounds, the poem to Boatswain cut on a monument was still living, and inside the house, of course the relevant part of that tree, dead now but curiously alive, that Byron cut his and Augusta's names into that two-trunked sapling springing from the same roots.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRM4L5b13Q0Oi6E44NjVxoKMDZHO_bWA5uSIt9MGTtqdOoMGSHkMRBOq9exKZDEZNZBn6h_u8Z_bf20W2vl2q-oSOKtx-fmUsCuf_fPuNZHAf0c9KY-3366tfD7FG7j2AdHrvCM2VKqH4u/s1600-h/Picture+10.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRM4L5b13Q0Oi6E44NjVxoKMDZHO_bWA5uSIt9MGTtqdOoMGSHkMRBOq9exKZDEZNZBn6h_u8Z_bf20W2vl2q-oSOKtx-fmUsCuf_fPuNZHAf0c9KY-3366tfD7FG7j2AdHrvCM2VKqH4u/s400/Picture+10.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393727369609555714" border="0" /></a><br />The Castle too, a round of visits obviously, on either the Saturday, or more probably the Sunday. Wendy, her hair windblown across her face, the view across this city, the museum, the posters and displays commemorating labour troubles, this was some sort of centre for nineteenth-century resistance against the exploiters. Pubs in the evening, particularly two very good ones, students, locals, good drinking. Talking again, always, Tony was hardly interested in drinking, but only in the talk which accompanied it, only in the company he could hold converse with.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-aby-U2LKplsBdPWqWI1OM-yihH-SBG9Qvfs1UUHow99M7aEYQZnEjwd0QzYwojYrMBnYNE2twEelJeHB-H4w1359Dr7U7Ud_8wxVbH1Vxg6NbyD1aqctyIFPjMZh1EuwoQzvsixQFdM/s1600-h/Picture+13.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-aby-U2LKplsBdPWqWI1OM-yihH-SBG9Qvfs1UUHow99M7aEYQZnEjwd0QzYwojYrMBnYNE2twEelJeHB-H4w1359Dr7U7Ud_8wxVbH1Vxg6NbyD1aqctyIFPjMZh1EuwoQzvsixQFdM/s400/Picture+13.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393728096186644962" border="0" /></a><br />Their new flat. Either Sunday or the Saturday afternoon we went to see the new flat they were about to take on or hoping to take on. It was in a superior area of the city, the Estate or something like that, great houses built during the boom in the lace industry, whenever that was, nineteenth century some time, late probably, large red brick mansions, no two alike but somehow all alike, set square into the steep sides of a series of small valleys, green spaces between, wide private roads, No Thoroughfare, gates at all entrances. We all four went there. It must have been for Sunday tea, yes, tea with the old woman who was to be their landlady, very welcome she made us , we two strangers as well. Tea in the drawing room, looking out through French windows on to a lawn, sloping to the floor of one of the small valleys, and, yes, there was a dog, she loved dogs, Wendy, and this was a spirited dog, perhaps it was still young, would rush about indefinitely with her, making those rushes and last-second deviations, which some dogs are given to, I have noticed, perhaps with them it is a form of organised sport, with its own rules, etiquette. I joined in, as I remember, joined in with her, to participate, rather than with the dog, to show that I was spirited, gamey, too, would not be left out, would make her share everything of hers as I made her share everything of mine. That was the way I wanted it. That was the way I went out to get it. And where I went wrong.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbnbg1pdcVqLr0gybUN-B4DelhctrQvL4ipyOlsBH0bubnGk-WTOgU0180TiaBymNrqJEKiigtmoJ19alK1Puf9OXH_dEDKaMe-l6AbK2rb3Tbpyyo0JniyBIAc63Cb55GUOAnPU6H18rh/s1600-h/Picture+12.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbnbg1pdcVqLr0gybUN-B4DelhctrQvL4ipyOlsBH0bubnGk-WTOgU0180TiaBymNrqJEKiigtmoJ19alK1Puf9OXH_dEDKaMe-l6AbK2rb3Tbpyyo0JniyBIAc63Cb55GUOAnPU6H18rh/s400/Picture+12.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393727381553091394" border="0" /></a><br />At dinner, in Hall, top table on the same occasion, discussing with Tony Barker and Tony the interesting man who worked in the kitchens there, a refuge, who had written and published at his own expense a treatise on the ills of the world, and his own proposed cures, and had given copies to both of them. Sometimes Tony's enthusiasms were too extreme, I thought, too indiscriminate, in this case, for instance, as I remember. The new Hall of Residence, neo-gothic, architecturally sterile, aping the Oxbridge dead.Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-4000978578243079902009-10-09T02:38:00.001-07:002009-10-28T10:58:44.164-07:00Myths of War: The War Memorial, Victoria Embankment<span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkDWZwxNZrEqF8KFid5GW0kKY-kpjZlrjtEbGn2g2v9eST4-QRcbWYLjl-XAVCDoQp8cB_W0I-iw9eROEt26tiu5fCmaOQLiF03IkJZHSdxEHhHON1zsHHk3Z2zuoCL5SccV2B4PRBaOT/s400/DSC04493.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390534263599527122" border="0" /><br />Fig 1. Triumphant War Memorial. Portland stone with intricate iron detailing.<br /></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Between Wilford and Trent Bridge, the riverside was embanked and landscaped as a place of Edwardian recreation. The <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM006796.jpg">suspension bridge</a>, the <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM006604.jpg">playing fields</a> and the <a href="http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?action=zoomWindow&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM006684&prevUrl=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">embankment</a> were all created in an effort to improve local amenities for <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM006712.jpg">recreation</a> during the industrial revolution. This was funded by the city and local liberal philanthropist Jesse Boot, who contributed to public works such as the <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM007194.jpg">war memorial</a> and <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM007190.jpg">gardens</a>. The memorial is undoubtedly well designed, built and maintained, but does this structure perhaps looks a little like a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumphal_arch">triumphant arch</a>?<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--> Of course it does, Pevsner says so but that's all he says.[i]<!--[endif]--></span></span> This may be a moot point, but it is worth remembering how the seeds of the Second World War were sown during the aftermath of the Great War. At The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 France and Britain acted victoriously and with vendetta by severely punishing Germany with reparations.<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[ii]<!--[endif]--></span></span> In so doing this left Europe's biggest country with a fragile interwar economy and created a breading ground for extremists. The guilt of war laid on Germany at Versailles was a frequent theme is Hitler's mad mouth foaming speeches. Belligerence breeds belligerence. While much is done to remember the ‘</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Glorious Dead’</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">,<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[iii]<!--[endif]--></span></span> perhaps more could be achieved by remembering Versailles with equal <s>Daily Mail pomp</s> publicity? Nonetheless, this is still an attractive structure which relates well to the riverside and garden location, and we are lucky Boot had the good taste not to commission a <a href="http://manchesterhistory.net/manchester/statues/cenotaph.jpg">corpse</a>, a Portland stone <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artillery_Memorial">artillery gun</a> or a <a href="http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/frampton/28c.html">lion trampling a snake</a>.<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[iv]<!--[endif]--></span></span> Nottingham’s nationalist hoodwinking is thankfully a little more subdued and this could be attributed to the patron and city architect. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" spt="75" preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:formulas> <v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"> <o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_13" spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=":Hinterland Photos:JPEG:Embankment2.jpg" style="'width:400pt;height:301pt;"> <v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/christophermatthews/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image001.jpg" title="Embankment2.jpg"> <v:textbox style="'mso-rotate-with-shape:t'/"> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL36IS0sP_i739cna-bSgeHsF0v5oEso3tALtWIsMJw2zu5bc9qAawv6naTCfMVMA6nlEhV3euRpLuSVvK8RNISfS5Y6vkdfuKB3MOoa0rsD9QkEvcgldf0eV1wSljP-ZFcEtVNFHrdgcP/s400/DSC04429.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390534116840267218" border="0" /><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Fig 2. Boots’ modernist gate house, Beeston.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">The <a href="http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/BUboot.htm">Jesse Boot</a> story is a real rags to riches tale of a local druggist who built a pharmacy empire from a small Victorian terrace shop on Goose Gate. Like Woolworths, Boots soon discovered that the largest potential market was to be found in the rising incomes of the working class - the populist taste of the proletariat which is now universal law. Also known as <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM013066.jpg">drugs</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM002505.jpg">fags</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM009810.jpg">bikes</a>, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM006376.jpg">booze</a></span> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">and a bit of <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM013852.jpg">fashion</a>. Before his death Boot sold his business to the American United Drugs Company, who were more aware of this market and dedicated their new site at Beeston to Detroit style production lines and industry friendly <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/french-disko/sets/72157613254579359/">modernism</a>. A marked change from Jesse's paternalist liberal <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM010303.jpg">taste</a>. It is perhaps a shame that the architecture of the Boots estate is restricted from public gaze and as of 2008 the company allegedly no longer pays any tax in the UK. According to the Guardian, under new owner <a href="http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Pessina-exports-Boots-slams-parking-levy-door/article-1336158-detail/article.html">Stefano Pessina</a> (one of the 500 richest people in the world), the Boots headquarters are now based <s>on a Pirate ship</s> in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/09/tax-gap-boots-chemists">Zug</a>, Switzerland.<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[v]<!--[endif]--></span></span> For Jesse Boot however, his company was always based in Nottingham and he gave liberally to his home city. Alongside this memorial and the adjacent gardens, his gifts were numerous, including <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM005074.jpg">Highfields Park</a> for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Front_of_Trent_Building,_Nottingham_University.JPG">University of Nottingham</a> and the rebuilding of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hall,_Nottingham">Albert Hall</a> in 1909. But the style of those gifts is telling. According to Eric Hobsbawn, the industrialists of England were always very different to those on the continent, primarily because their society had never undergone social upheaval and so they often complied to social hierarchy with the aim of entering the society of gentleman.<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[vi]</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 28.3pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">“It was Lloyd George who made provincial towns into ‘cities of dreadful knights’. The absorption of the sons of grocers and cotton-spinners into the aristocracy was a <i style="">consequence</i> of the loss of impetus in British business, not its cause…”<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[vii]</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Boot achieved his elevation with flying colours; he was knighted in 1909, created a baronet in 1917 and finally became <a href="http://www.traceyfosterphotography.co.uk/gallery/Photos/Jesse_Boot.jpg">Lord Trent</a> in 1929. In light of this it is not surprising that his favored architectural style was classical<span style=""> </span>- the architecture of hierarchy and tradition, with little respect for the then current social rebellion of continental modernism.<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="">viii</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="">]<!--[endif]--></span></span> Boot’s chosen architect was T. Wallis Gordon, the city architect who was also <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cecil_Howitt">T.C. Howitt’s</a> boss and both had similar civic gestures to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Lutyens">Luytens</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Harris">Vincent Harris.</a> For Howitt and Gordon, interwar Nottingham was being recast as a European city, but in the classical tradition, Howitt of course had been on his own 'Grand Tour' during his formative years as an architect.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[ix]<!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoo7_gkt6vtQ53OKzk2bBSc86gwhNaUXTwjOotA0lZIXal00gb4SU_MHah8VX-DdRvhZyHunhYBxpDGqe9XusAe-LwcXk_v0fVDTF9QpCG4Ih_48RLpCWOQ3Di-p3oBa63r6Ucz7ZniQDI/s1600-h/DSC04490.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoo7_gkt6vtQ53OKzk2bBSc86gwhNaUXTwjOotA0lZIXal00gb4SU_MHah8VX-DdRvhZyHunhYBxpDGqe9XusAe-LwcXk_v0fVDTF9QpCG4Ih_48RLpCWOQ3Di-p3oBa63r6Ucz7ZniQDI/s400/DSC04490.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390536327355660242" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Fig 3. T. Wallis Gordon's triumphal arch</span><span style="font-size:100%;">.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">This triumphant Portland Stone arch complies with the Liberal Prime Minister Lloyd George’s view of the war as a costly victory over a war hungry Germany, rather than an unprecedented waste of life created by a long-term Victorian nationalist <a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/7124.html">myth</a>, imperialism, industrial ignorance and the short-term conflicts of a European aristocracy. Like Lloyd George’s commissioned <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenotaph">Cenotaph</a>, it may speak of ‘death, duty well done and remembrance’,<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[x]<!--[endif]--></span></span> but promises nothing in creating a brave new world.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 28.3pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">“</span>It's a devise for making the unacceptable tolerable. A big euphemism. Certainly in the marshal life death is close at hand, or rather, the dead are - which is different. The way they got to be dead - the cause of the greatest physical mutation - is forgotten. The dead are the dead. The literally vital precondition of being dead, the fact of being alive, is forgotten. The indignity of having life extinguished is forgotten. Death is forgotten. The enormity of its belligerent causes ignored. The dead get an arcadia to sleep in. They get a bit of respect when really it's too late. If only they could have lived in such peace.<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">”<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="">xi</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="">]</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <div style="font-family:arial;"><!--[if !supportEndnotes]--> <hr style="height: 3px;font-size:78%;" align="left" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="" id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><sup><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[i]<!--[endif]--></span></span></sup><sup><span lang="EN-US"> </span></sup></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Pevsner, <i style="">Nottinghamshire</i>, p. 374<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><sup><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[ii]<!--[endif]--></span></span></sup><sup><span lang="EN-US"> </span></sup></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">S. Marks, ‘1918 and After: The Postwar Era’, in, G. Martel, (ed.), <i style="">The Origins of the Second World War Reconsidered</i> (London, 1999), pp. 13 – 37.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[iii]<!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> Allan Greenberg is polemic in his praise for the Cenotaph. See, A. Greenberg, <i style="">The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians</i>, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Mar., 1989), pp. 5 - 23.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[iv]<!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> Nicolas Penny is more critical than Greenberg but still fails to see the wider historical context. See, N. Penny, ‘English Sculpture and the First World War’, in, <i style="">Oxford Art Journal</i>, Vol. 4, No. 2, Sculpture (Nov., 1981), pp. 36 - 42.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><sup><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[v]<!--[endif]--></span></span></sup><sup><span lang="EN-US"> </span></sup></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">The Guardian, 9<sup>th</sup> February 2009, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/09/tax-gap-boots-chemists"><i style="">From the High Street to a Tax Haven</i></a>. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[vi]<!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> E. Hobsbawn, <i style="">Industry and Empire</i>, (London, 1999), p. 161.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><sup><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[vii]<!--[endif]--></span></span></sup></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> E. Hobsbawn, <i style="">Industry and Empire</i>, p. 163.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[viii]<!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> N. Pevsner, <i style="">An Outline of European Architecture</i> (London, 1972), pp. 404 – 435.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[ix]<!--[endif]--></span></span></span> E. R. Scoffham, <span style="font-style: italic;">A Vision of the City: The Architecture of T.C. Howitt</span> (Nottingham, 1992).<br /></p><p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="">[x]<!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> A. Greenberg, ‘Lutyens's Cenotaph’, <i style="">The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians</i>, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Mar., 1989), pp. 5-23.</span><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> </div> <!--EndFragment--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="">[xi]<!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Jonathan Meades, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MeadesShrine#p/c/3FF7D57086766B9D/1/TZs_GRHR61s">Brick and Mortars Part2/3 2mins</a></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4LwVHQtSOo&feature=related">. </a>Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-70298692903136126322009-08-21T09:36:00.001-07:002009-08-24T03:06:38.650-07:00CLASP: Nottingham modernism as heritage?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdq2f72SexVjDcozPWrQPh16RShRrt9GsutLyqn2Zus0W3dyVDJcFoJ4_XXkPWXFwkMWUHWeF1KR6nYCbn1k60lMki6O3sXsXZRl6sUTzG0xeTnaro_dP9fflYi6OmZ6sCTgbeOc0POBFQ/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdq2f72SexVjDcozPWrQPh16RShRrt9GsutLyqn2Zus0W3dyVDJcFoJ4_XXkPWXFwkMWUHWeF1KR6nYCbn1k60lMki6O3sXsXZRl6sUTzG0xeTnaro_dP9fflYi6OmZ6sCTgbeOc0POBFQ/s400/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372457625582245666" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The award winning Nottinghamshire CLASP infants school in Milan, 1960.</span><br /><br />On further investigation into CLASP, it turns out that Nottinghamshire County Council have recently undertaken a (unpublished, although available on request) report into the historical significance of CLASP (K. Jugins, <span style="font-style: italic;">Post-War Schools</span>, 2008?). It is only a historical introduction but the contents and academic references are useful nonetheless. It is also interesting that such buildings are now considered important as 'heritage' and there are perhaps some parallels here with the English Heritage/Park Hill <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/may/02/architecture-brutalism-park-hill" target="_blank">debacle</a> in Sheffield - although it is hoped that this won't be a similar balls up. Unfortunately the report does lack a definitive glossary of all CLASP buildings in the county and understandably this would be a huge undertaking on both time and resources. It is estimated that there were at least 50 such buildings going up in the county between 1957-1970 (<a href="http://tiny.cc/c0AMY" target="_blank">M. Dudek <span style="font-style: italic;">Architecture of Schools: </span><span style="font-style: italic;">The New Learning, </span>London, 2006, p. 79</a>). The effort to document, accurately classify and criticise is perhaps worth a mind numbing PhD thesis or even an entire academic career spent in social isolation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_XnPO0rucer8j8CWwbmiyko9rAl5WHCKfESrBsDYg6rcvOujtacn1bXdWii_JC-Z56Gzbiq_yLsf3dJjF-hkdemBzLjT4wZ99uPnlOG94iYo39BLNV4u92QCX5XnaBaFZ_AsPXwEa_ny/s1600-h/eames_house1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_XnPO0rucer8j8CWwbmiyko9rAl5WHCKfESrBsDYg6rcvOujtacn1bXdWii_JC-Z56Gzbiq_yLsf3dJjF-hkdemBzLjT4wZ99uPnlOG94iYo39BLNV4u92QCX5XnaBaFZ_AsPXwEa_ny/s400/eames_house1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372459470866465346" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Charles and Ray Eames: Similar prefabraicted consumer modernism - more<span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;" ><b><b><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> individually stylish but less easily reproducible</span></span></span></b></b></span> than CLASP</span><br /><br />So what the bloody hell am I doing meddling in such things? I'll give four half baked reasons: Well, firstly I admit that until recently I was ignorant of their significance despite the fact that most of my educational and recreational life has been lived in these community buildings; <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM003805.jpg" target="_blank">nursery</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_derby/DRBY006043.jpg" target="_blank">infants</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM015920.jpg" target="_blank">juniors</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCW000397.jpg" target="_blank">secondary</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM005881.jpg" target="_blank">college</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCC001323.jpg" target="_blank">fire station</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_derbyshire/DCHQ003486.jpg" target="_blank">leisure centre</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCC002421.jpg" target="_blank">library</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCW001853.jpg" target="_blank">clinic</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgl_nottinghamshire/NCCC000371.jpg" target="_blank">miners welfare</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCC002968.jpg" target="_blank">social services</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCN000285.jpg" target="_blank">council offices</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCN000636.jpg" target="blank">old people's home</a> and <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCS000719.jpg" target="blank">community centres</a>. Nearly everything from a failing a 5 metre <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCC003269.jpg" target="blank">swimming</a> badge to learning how to smoke at the <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_derbyshire/DCCD000156.jpg" target="blank">youth club</a>. In the sleave notes to <span style="font-style:italic;">Donkeys 92-97</span>, Tindersticks dedicated 'For Those' to the CLASP <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCC001520.jpg" target="blank">Gedling Miners Welfare</a>.<br /><br /><object width="320" height="25"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oazPb37IoJA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oazPb37IoJA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="25"></embed></object><br /><br />One of the principle features of CLASP schools is that they were built as community centres; <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCW001432.jpg" target="_blank">alongside leisure centres</a> and close to the town centre. Some of the architects were even imagining that this could bring about the end of compulsory education - people would just pop in when they needed a bit of education. Secondly, I think that some of these CLASP structures, when 'In skillful hands... can produce buildings of considerable architectural distinction' (C. Ward, <span style="font-style: italic;">British School Buildings,</span> 1976, p.x). I can't pretend that they are all beautiful either, but for the most part they work well and are true to their social context. They are definatley not aspirational lifestyle living <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Spencer" target="_blank">bollocks</a> either - they have a function for a local community. There were also a number of mistakes - from small faults such as leaky roofs and noise to more troubling problems of fire hazard and asbestos. Thirdly, it is still open to debate as to which post-war CLASP buildings will be saved or bulldozed and the report specified that this would depend largely on critical acclaim (such as Pevsner) and their current rate of use within the community. So some half-wit with a blog might just have an influence! Or maybe not. Finally, I work as a lowly in-house graphic designer at a technical college and so you could say that this is a small attempt to redress the social stigma of pubic sector design.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIILbUHxt7l0brevSCd_bu_DB9P82YckhyphenhyphendENOOGLjtGHKyiKNOkQBEo5G64MMP-c9WReoCQwVBqfamWwgKyLBWAKU48ASK1FBBhEcMagpNW9s0xiuYGJK18jp0xQabdj3E5Rd3hRs0EAo/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIILbUHxt7l0brevSCd_bu_DB9P82YckhyphenhyphendENOOGLjtGHKyiKNOkQBEo5G64MMP-c9WReoCQwVBqfamWwgKyLBWAKU48ASK1FBBhEcMagpNW9s0xiuYGJK18jp0xQabdj3E5Rd3hRs0EAo/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372457630314343666" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The CLASP frame, Toot Hill Comprehensive, Bingham, Notts.</span><br /><br />Before I retrace my school years and then undergo some CLASP psychogeography further afield (although I’m slightly concerned by the prospect of wondering around school buildings with a camera) it is perhaps a good idea to give some definition as to what it is I'm banging on about. The story goes like this: in 1944 the age at which children had to go to school was raised to 15, which not only defined the contemporary split between primary and secondary education but was also designed to tackle the problem of a lack of skilled labour. This meant that there was a glut of state schools which was made worse by the post war baby boom. The problem was particularly urgent in Hertfordshire where the county architects soon discovered that the best way to tackle this was through conveyor belt prefabrication, because reinforced concrete was 'literally sinking' both schools and budgets (K. Perkins, <span style="font-style: italic;">Post-War Schools</span>, p.8). In the late 1950s Gibson, Lacy and Swain became county architects at Nottinghamshire, where there was a similar shortage of schools. This was made more complex by the affects of mining subsidence, which would physically shake buildings - often resulting in cracked brickwork and smashed windows. In order to solve this problem Gibson and co modified their prefabricated steel frames with loaded springs. In short, many of Nottinghamshire's buildings are built like Zebedee from the Magic Roundabout. Fantastic. To some easily excited designers, this was preparation for future generations who would travel to the moon:<br /><br />"The task and responsibility of the new men will be to build in sufficient quantity and therefore at an industrial rate, schools first, but not just school buildings but schools for real children, and children who later will travel to the moon..."<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Jean Prouve, ‘Prefabrication’,, in V, Huber & J. Steinegger (eds), 'Structures and Elements', (London, 1971), sited in <a href="http://tiny.cc/c0AMY" target="_blank">M. Dudek, <span style="font-style: italic;">Architecture of Schools: The New Learning Environments, </span>London, 2006, p. 79</a>).</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtWlpNX9U18v1Y9Lm27x2vNw-hbZ3ttspveGzeigQn0zgng5XfQiQijEAU70H0Y7z_hvyTwX2bSkKUHPmBQQYyW3EO2KpN1D0eIi8vZnlWUJUvsSMEj3bv-0Jmsn2bzGKhNDO39uMPuhX/s1600-h/Picture+3.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtWlpNX9U18v1Y9Lm27x2vNw-hbZ3ttspveGzeigQn0zgng5XfQiQijEAU70H0Y7z_hvyTwX2bSkKUHPmBQQYyW3EO2KpN1D0eIi8vZnlWUJUvsSMEj3bv-0Jmsn2bzGKhNDO39uMPuhX/s400/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372456561508768962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Local Authority building consortia</span><br /><br />This prefabricated system (with or without the springs) was called CLASP, which not only denoted a type of structure, but also a way of co-operatively pooling resources among local authorities. In the 1960s the results were award wining and the design was repeated over many parts of the country, with some local authorities developing their own building systems from the CLASP template. In terms of fabric they were built with either <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCC000776.jpg" target="_blank">concrete panels</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCE002077.jpg" target="_blank">red tiles</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCC001401.jpg" target="_blank">brick</a>, <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCE001246.jpg" target="_blank">timber</a> or as a <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCS002343.jpg" target="_blank">mixture</a>. The choice of cladding was often related to the pre-existing local <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1071017" target="_blank">vernacular</a>, such as the folk weaved tile hanging, which could ‘move like the scales of a fish when the building itself moved’ (Seaborne & Lowe<span style="font-style: italic;"> The English School: Its Architecture and Organisation Vol II, </span><span>1</span><span>977</span>, p. 163). There are also five different types of CLASP builds, as the design developed between the 1950s and the late 1980s; from <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCS002387.jpg" target="_blank">modernist </a> to more <a href="https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottinghamshire/NCCW000694.jpg" target="_blank"> traditional tastes</a>. Today, CLASP is now going under the name of <a href="http://www.scapebuild.co.uk/" target="_blank">SCAPE</a> and there appears to be a variety of different structures still using the steel frame system; <a href="http://www.scapebuild.co.uk/downloads/Intro_Apr_2006.pdf" target="_blank">curved roof, pitched, flat etc</a>. They look like well thought out technological structures (certainly better than <a href="http://badbritisharchitecture.blogspot.com/2009/07/woodland-community-primary-school-by.html" target="_blank">this</a>) but so far I am struggling to find the aesthetic sensibilities that were present in the late 50s to the early 80s. Also, many <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/912491" target="_blank">new</a> (and recently some of the <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/341232" target="_blank">old</a>) schools are fenced off from local communities in fear of you know what. Have the links with Eames and the brave new world been sadly lost to the IKEA & Daily Mail generation? I hope I'm wrong, but I have a sneaky feeling that design based on a social ethos, no matter how humble, has been on the back foot for the past thirty years.Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-60547134109540868882009-08-13T08:54:00.000-07:002009-08-21T11:14:42.779-07:00A County Divided: County Hall Nottinghamshire<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">N. B. Following article is an ongoing research project on CLASP design. Comments and references welcome. Sorry for the footnote links not working correctly.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgmOdwLErSXpzthIlT3WODbJAv5kE2J4fbPq6K8Zp5y_VE5qzEMi9u2TGK7gURMPLlmmJpJ4krfEYnW4h9qVmeQ-zY6DQShOMheAtQFBZSP06CRZQ69LZTinZwaY6itE8gYM53ip19x6H/s1600-h/County1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgmOdwLErSXpzthIlT3WODbJAv5kE2J4fbPq6K8Zp5y_VE5qzEMi9u2TGK7gURMPLlmmJpJ4krfEYnW4h9qVmeQ-zY6DQShOMheAtQFBZSP06CRZQ69LZTinZwaY6itE8gYM53ip19x6H/s400/County1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372475628231034050" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWTupgFKohDYILkF8RYp3WsJzpJoMHu1vlq_NBmMSo5egEGsfwBs2qtVUDEq1b8QDsEsj8m9H4ywduAIJGzPuTZzE9efTNYmPRqojbOtlrn9hKhTLbgHpqgDKHW_8iu_ilWvpNCbudJpy/s1600-h/County1.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span">Fig 1. Two County Halls bonding ‘awkwardly’. While the modernist half relates to the riverbank, the neo Georgian predecessor seems more in-tune with the South.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;" ><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Politically Nottinghamshire is a divided county and this is in someway reflected in the architecture of County Hall. The Trent generally marks the severing point between those more inclined to vote Labour or Tory; in general terms, north and west are the more collectivist coal fields and in the south and east are a conservative cluster of agricultural villages. Elections are historically decided in the West Midlands, although the East Midlands and particularly Nottinghamshire is also a region where polling day has been closely fought. More interestingly it is also a home to moderates - those on either side of the political divide who have sympathies with their counterparts. Historically, the economics of consumer manufacturing in Nottingham was of course very different from the heavy industries of the North, or the small industrial specialties of London.</span></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_edn1" name="_ednref" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[i]</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><br />For free market fundamentalists or militant socialists, Nottingham has an unfavorable reputation. The Tory Ken Clarke's pro Europe views have landed him unfavorable headlines in the right wing press. While the local miners' history of strike-breaking has often overshadowed their will to support non militant action and negotiation.</span></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_edn2" name="_ednref" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[ii]</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> Although the reputation of moderates doesn't always illicit such antagonistic responses; A J Mundella and the lace and hosiery workers were pioneers of arbitration and class conciliation.</span></span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_edn3" name="_ednref" title="" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[iii]</span></span></a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2fnpbjGKj-Ig_OlS4h1GVYHDsWgQpeHRuEoQ7iM217BnR_8K_xCj1tN-fEP7YBMfbetTkR8dkqAINhgZUdGlyQeiGH_N6DUfpHAtQr2K1JjmRx0LmZdGQZEvjDJe_rwoVz4AXo2bkjBR/s1600-h/County7.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2fnpbjGKj-Ig_OlS4h1GVYHDsWgQpeHRuEoQ7iM217BnR_8K_xCj1tN-fEP7YBMfbetTkR8dkqAINhgZUdGlyQeiGH_N6DUfpHAtQr2K1JjmRx0LmZdGQZEvjDJe_rwoVz4AXo2bkjBR/s400/County7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372476101482243730" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Fig 2. County Hall part I by E Vincent Harris: Civic conservatism and difficult to photograph.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">County Hall also comes in two parts and it is worth remembering at this point how Labour became a stronger party in the new Nottinghamshire coalfields after the nationalisation of mines reduced the influence of the neighboring aristocracy in the post war period.</span></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_edn4" name="_ednref" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[iv]</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> The first part of the Hall is the grand, incomplete and piecemeal 1930s NeoGeorgian grandeur by Emanuel Vincent Harris, who was famous for his inter-war civic gestures; Sheffield City Hall, Leeds Civic Hall, Bristol County Hall and Manchester Central Library. The second part of Nottingham County Hall is the modest and functional prefabricated steel and concrete post-war modernism. Elaine Harwood rightly states that these two buildings ‘bond awkwardly',</span></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_edn5" name="_ednref" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[v]</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> while the architectural historian Nicholas Pevsner is in no doubt about his own preference, describing the Georgian half as "dead as mutton", while he praises the 1960s extension.</span></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_edn6" name="_ednref" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[vi]</span></span></span></a><s><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></s><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7d0Rd0rN6TUqo1YxG8eJN7bO9iZvFQjWpIfBGW_edD2g1GoOS8dN2gie1bpKjm0TOa7wfpR68Y66xRSyOXPt30GTB9XEJoXpI0oCBUk5RDMAbPe2EA3Xlnhw6yM5qvOu64rAM5rSSPfka/s1600-h/County3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7d0Rd0rN6TUqo1YxG8eJN7bO9iZvFQjWpIfBGW_edD2g1GoOS8dN2gie1bpKjm0TOa7wfpR68Y66xRSyOXPt30GTB9XEJoXpI0oCBUk5RDMAbPe2EA3Xlnhw6yM5qvOu64rAM5rSSPfka/s400/County3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372475638375751634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Fig 3. County Hall part I by E Vincent Harris: Statue of </span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><s><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">homoerotic</span></span></s></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> miners.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-C54p_tI3AiIx9QAvFFKcCp4GhPinYyFzHH4gsymiFFEYwAsSwRioSnvsjJq7TG16yYwSYFmXyQ7mkkXWCRnTt70mFGAqz4F_ry8iOGirRqoGHml12BrG2_1ge7GpHA-K2D1NekW75_Z/s1600-h/County2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-C54p_tI3AiIx9QAvFFKcCp4GhPinYyFzHH4gsymiFFEYwAsSwRioSnvsjJq7TG16yYwSYFmXyQ7mkkXWCRnTt70mFGAqz4F_ry8iOGirRqoGHml12BrG2_1ge7GpHA-K2D1NekW75_Z/s400/County2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372475634383086002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Fig 4. County Hall part I by E Vincent Harris: The entrance, built with Portland Stone and Winchester brick, which gives it an appearance more often associated with the south of England</span></span></span></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">. </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JF_Ov_Fci4jflYbiD74Lnmj9hFAlG622cdV7ZEXWpbVG6Pr5PunOPnvSMqlSTT1apMx3eggXqSw45PGzV0Rulh46bOVtgFHRM71Gxxt_T4UkSKxm94-vR1IPOXDR-jQsHkrBYmJ_H87m/s1600-h/County5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JF_Ov_Fci4jflYbiD74Lnmj9hFAlG622cdV7ZEXWpbVG6Pr5PunOPnvSMqlSTT1apMx3eggXqSw45PGzV0Rulh46bOVtgFHRM71Gxxt_T4UkSKxm94-vR1IPOXDR-jQsHkrBYmJ_H87m/s400/County5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372475650921038210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Fig 5. County Hall part II by CLASP: Overhead walkways – built for the camera.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">The modernist half was designed by The Consortium of Local Authorities Special Programme (CLASP) and County Architects, this particular CLASP design predates the widely acclaimed York University Building. To some, post war British state school building was among the best in Europe - the most famous example being Hunstanton Comprehensive in Norfolk. Nottinghamshire CLASP buildings won RIBA awards, and were noted for schools such as New Ollerton and Sutton in Ashfield, which were spring loaded in order to withstand mining subsidence and to function as community centers. These designs were later adopted in other mining areas and countries prone to earthquakes.</span></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_edn7" name="_ednref" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[vii]</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> Considered by critics as a non-idealistic consumer modernism (how very </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Nottingham</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">),</span></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_edn8" name="_ednref" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[viii]</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> these CLASP designs won the Gold Medal at the Milan Triennale in 1960.</span></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_edn9" name="_ednref" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[ix]</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> Similar to the prefabs of Charles and Ray Eames, although less individually stylish, they were more easily reproducible - almost straight off the conveyor belt. Is this what Caruso St John are referring to with Nottingham Contemporary’s concrete panels? Maybe not but the fact that production line modernism is built in Nottingham is significant. It must be said that aesthetics of these schools are somewhat modest and over the years they have been poorly subsidised in comparison to their private rivals (Nottingham High or Loughborough Endowed) but they have always been socially and educationally more vital to local communities.</span></span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_edn10" name="_ednref" title=""><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[x]</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span><s><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></s></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;" ><b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vKwQ7mM7AJWCfXR0wzANOwQg7WopM8EFek5MwObeXd-EZToqL9RYGKiefzjETm_GybVvs19OMmRmn75eD09quIwz4Hy_s6LHn1Nun0dNpGfo9VIEE0tn03itaEf6lxqlMEYSVJ9QLoNT/s1600-h/County4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vKwQ7mM7AJWCfXR0wzANOwQg7WopM8EFek5MwObeXd-EZToqL9RYGKiefzjETm_GybVvs19OMmRmn75eD09quIwz4Hy_s6LHn1Nun0dNpGfo9VIEE0tn03itaEf6lxqlMEYSVJ9QLoNT/s400/County4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372475640840735202" border="0" /></a></b></span></b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Fig 6. County Hall part II by CLASP: Prefabricated concrete and steel frame, which was replicated throughout Nottinghamshire’s public sector buildings; such as fire stations, schools and offices.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><!--StartFragment--></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSixNZRNeddsXhCHQZ3ubnVRqV_Z8Qi66mN2z-fTAodagEVt0duPCOO_lyy7jnf06Q0yxEe8JstRBYDOaKXv849ZUTNeokfdjauJqz-VLSJiwnGDi9kG3VxBQjUSaNcsVDBrSokbBcDNBp/s1600-h/County6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSixNZRNeddsXhCHQZ3ubnVRqV_Z8Qi66mN2z-fTAodagEVt0duPCOO_lyy7jnf06Q0yxEe8JstRBYDOaKXv849ZUTNeokfdjauJqz-VLSJiwnGDi9kG3VxBQjUSaNcsVDBrSokbBcDNBp/s400/County6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372482112667905810" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Fig 7. County Hall part II by CLASP: Similar to Alva Alto’s Scandinavian modernism. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><hr align="left" width="33%" style="font-size:78%;"> <div id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_ednref" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[i]</span></span></span></span></a></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> P. Hall, ‘England circa 1900’, in H. C. Darby, (ed.), </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">A New Historical Geography of England After 1600</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> (Cambridge, 1976), pp. 374 – 446. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> </div> <div id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_ednref" name="_edn2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[ii]</span></span></span></span></a></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> Andrew Taylor, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">The NUM and British Politics 1969 – 1995</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> (London, 2005) p.191.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> </div> <div id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_ednref" name="_edn3" title=""><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[iii]</span></span></span></a></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> W. H. G. Armytage, 'A. J. Mundella as Vice-President of the Council, and the Schools Question, 1880-1885'</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">, in </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">The English Historical Review</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">, Vol. 63, No. 246 (London, 1948), pp. 52-82.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> </div> <div id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_ednref" name="_edn4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[iv]</span></span></span></span></a></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> Robert J. Waller., <span style="font-style: italic;">The Dukeries Transformed : The Social and Political Development of a Twentieth Century Coalfield</span> (Oxford, 1983).</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> </div> <div id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_ednref" name="_edn5" title=""><sup><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[v]</span></span></span></sup></a></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> E. Harwood, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Nottingham</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">, (London, 2008), p. 161</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> </div> <div id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_ednref" name="_edn6" title=""><sup><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[vi]</span></span></span></sup></a><sup><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></sup></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Nottinghamshire</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">, (London, 1979), p. 248.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> </div> <div id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_ednref" name="_edn7" title=""><sup><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[vii]</span></span></span></sup></a><sup><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></sup></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">A. Blanc, M. McEvoy and R. Plank, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Architecture and Construction in Steel</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> (London, 1993), p.170</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> </div> <div id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_ednref" name="_edn8" title=""><sup><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[viii]</span></span></span></sup></a></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> N. Whitely, </span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><i><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Rayner Banham:</span></span></span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Historian of the Immediate Future</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">, (London, 2003) p. 152.</span></span></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> </div> <div id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_ednref" name="_edn9" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[ix]</span></span></span></span></a></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> The Independent, 11</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> January 2002, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Henry Swain</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">, </span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/henry-swain-729659.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/henry-swain-729659.html</a></span></span></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3071529652891922019#_ednref" name="_edn10" title=""><sup><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">[x]</span></span></span></sup></a></span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> Pevsner, </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Nottinghamshire</span></span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">, p. 75.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> </div> <!--EndFragment--> </b></span><p></p><div style=""><div style="" id="edn"> </div> </div> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-7188578561362372012009-07-20T08:21:00.000-07:002009-07-20T08:41:23.731-07:00Six English Towns, by Alec Clifton Taylor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBO3tHkqpNMmqxZEicUSVUAWgf5voEYMheQf8QgodpUTE7lVl1rjxIi5kNk6_ceLpfg0UMzbt7W6yjCnQZLD0m3ku2y3aNo5pOR1AKa1Wqjj6YQWj0ua9gLQ0H06KhrrkFOvWVHcF2H1Pp/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBO3tHkqpNMmqxZEicUSVUAWgf5voEYMheQf8QgodpUTE7lVl1rjxIi5kNk6_ceLpfg0UMzbt7W6yjCnQZLD0m3ku2y3aNo5pOR1AKa1Wqjj6YQWj0ua9gLQ0H06KhrrkFOvWVHcF2H1Pp/s400/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360567583570375122" /></a><br /><br />"Sir Alec is civil, prodigiously knowledgeable, an excellent social as well as architectural historian; and he talks well and clearly — if anyone doesn’t know what vermicular rustication is they will find out. He has the good manners to explain himself as he goes along. His programmes have no resort to gimmickry — no artily self-conscious photography, no awful electronic music."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.clivejames.com/jonathan-meads/john-romer">Jonathan Meades </a><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qGx9z7KNiME&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qGx9z7KNiME&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3071529652891922019.post-1514238332950809862009-06-20T15:43:00.000-07:002009-08-21T09:36:03.865-07:00CromfordIn memory of Penny Gallon<br /><br />1. Arkwright's Mill<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qJ6_5Dr_6mEr9XbtMd-gIsvCtzDmJD8nrCq6NkhaIXPvUBUe7oLWtSUCgx_FfGxASbkXvh6mZedIL271IfUwIJjd1VoiEvzOlw1dM8mGoIS3rh8NHDx73DY683ZwYUCwt4Cy6u-oXw25/s1600-h/DSC04278.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qJ6_5Dr_6mEr9XbtMd-gIsvCtzDmJD8nrCq6NkhaIXPvUBUe7oLWtSUCgx_FfGxASbkXvh6mZedIL271IfUwIJjd1VoiEvzOlw1dM8mGoIS3rh8NHDx73DY683ZwYUCwt4Cy6u-oXw25/s400/DSC04278.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349550405948401826" border="0" /></a><br />"It was at Cromford that Richard Arkwright started the first successful cotton spinning mill worked by water power...The buildings of c.1790 along the road have no windows along the lower floors and suggest a defence against industrial spies and rioters...It looks rather grim now and must always have been foreboding. Bray tells us that 200 would have been employed, 'chiefly children, they work by turns night and day'."*<br /><br />*N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, 'Buildings of England: Derbyshire', (2002), p. 157-8.<br /><br /><br />2. Carboniferous Limestone<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IbgGFLwikxwADv2JuNHcVcGqvxuE4Snb1Qu46HgnlggEqG40eWQvTllEC8yJ4yvxpuyXagJuVQ2PqM7Bs-0k4KxJLxYTNr1mTb-uupUqsNIMEZwLi5fTMXm2Yq1pFwfJ2WTYRrg3WeKK/s1600-h/DSC04279.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IbgGFLwikxwADv2JuNHcVcGqvxuE4Snb1Qu46HgnlggEqG40eWQvTllEC8yJ4yvxpuyXagJuVQ2PqM7Bs-0k4KxJLxYTNr1mTb-uupUqsNIMEZwLi5fTMXm2Yq1pFwfJ2WTYRrg3WeKK/s400/DSC04279.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349550564846732274" border="0" /></a><br />"South of the millstone grit area of the Dark Peak is the carboniferous limestone of the White Peak, or the Derbyshire Dales, as it is known...Limestone has fissures and is slightly soluble in water, therefore the rivers have been able to carve deep narrow valleys, which has resulted in some of the most spectacular riverside scenery."*<br /><br />*E. Burkinshaw, 'Historic Walks in Derbyshire', (2003), p. 14.<br /><br /><br />3. Cromford Mill Shops<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_haFq44K1h9gJOTvRbJqFn_YoUOv3TVeupsWBhJ0jKacNq5RXpbgzwjrLFNMSSTFm9sOzr5gFgR1P51EAdhbQNrf0Kctm4v57rbfB-NPW_T10YNx7F-0T8Exv-oUEeWVbcA91Y9Bfz2LY/s1600-h/DSC04281.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_haFq44K1h9gJOTvRbJqFn_YoUOv3TVeupsWBhJ0jKacNq5RXpbgzwjrLFNMSSTFm9sOzr5gFgR1P51EAdhbQNrf0Kctm4v57rbfB-NPW_T10YNx7F-0T8Exv-oUEeWVbcA91Y9Bfz2LY/s400/DSC04281.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349550822888137154" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"Cromford's relatively poor communications led to the end of textile production in Cromford around 1840. The building was used for a variety of industries including brewing, cheese warehousing and finally in the early twentieth century for the production of colour pigments, paints and dyes... In 1999 it opened as a working textile museum and shopping village"*<br /><br />*E. Burkinshaw, 'Historic Walks in Derbyshire', (2003), p. 184.<br /><br /><br />4. Gardens<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind0z-wr_qYRP04uS759vBsr9eqfRuxteDzI2rekY1KpXmi0KYWvcyaICS69d29aU6iPla7pijmknyGYEJB-5zv8tM6wNFaxRi0ByR-GTq6kBL1fsDhgAtpkfWcCYtkIuylkuYxxgkyKJL/s1600-h/DSC04283.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind0z-wr_qYRP04uS759vBsr9eqfRuxteDzI2rekY1KpXmi0KYWvcyaICS69d29aU6iPla7pijmknyGYEJB-5zv8tM6wNFaxRi0ByR-GTq6kBL1fsDhgAtpkfWcCYtkIuylkuYxxgkyKJL/s400/DSC04283.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349550909182127826" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Will I grow tomatoes like me grandparents? Will I walk a pig through Kimberley?<br /><br />"the first custom built industrial community, which became a model for others throughout the world..."*<br /><br />*E. Burkinshaw, 'Historic Walks in Derbyshire', (2003), p. 182.<br /><br /><br />5. Bookshop<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmyTRVF3UZL5wS2_5Q3xYz5T_7Y5cv_ctD9odHBHFb97genantF2x9jIIfrWGrKYtayzY_6VIc2QaBLp7lIsC_W1Qa4qD09bq_y5VKjvjd0xfOwSqn8z5KvKw8w2MoFS5TnfSYQ6X4bs-/s1600-h/DSC04287.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmyTRVF3UZL5wS2_5Q3xYz5T_7Y5cv_ctD9odHBHFb97genantF2x9jIIfrWGrKYtayzY_6VIc2QaBLp7lIsC_W1Qa4qD09bq_y5VKjvjd0xfOwSqn8z5KvKw8w2MoFS5TnfSYQ6X4bs-/s400/DSC04287.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349551074079562066" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"Between the two mils, the dramatic break through the limestone rocks, which is called Scarthin Nick. Behind this, away from the river, to the s, Cromford Village, the settlement created by Arkwright around his mill."*<br /><br />*N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, 'Buildings of England: Derbyshire', (2002), p. 158.<br /><br /><br />6. Gate<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wh6PSl3aODWVyGHXAdOFaaO1ql2n5pAygKdSpw9O1Opjhywkv5gNrvf2jBEaRnPSUPgiEUIqrhn-ATOT6nBuNsZy1ATVlENlaRh9kYm169OUPSnA39NPhGrORtIvRJXy2RKGJGMyRJC2/s1600-h/DSC04288.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wh6PSl3aODWVyGHXAdOFaaO1ql2n5pAygKdSpw9O1Opjhywkv5gNrvf2jBEaRnPSUPgiEUIqrhn-ATOT6nBuNsZy1ATVlENlaRh9kYm169OUPSnA39NPhGrORtIvRJXy2RKGJGMyRJC2/s400/DSC04288.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349551301830726722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />7. Framework Knitting Workshops<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlSngU_0tSmaKmfKVm5YwzT_ZcCOy7peXFpp9hD-chTnPt40fqgcjLY8cYL_4-ej5Ca-A0AOPgjjnm2or0OC7Z463Ss-SDd_XWNG6j7M075NCMBnC4nzpO8hcqDIe6wiLsD79XDdTXino/s1600-h/DSC04290.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlSngU_0tSmaKmfKVm5YwzT_ZcCOy7peXFpp9hD-chTnPt40fqgcjLY8cYL_4-ej5Ca-A0AOPgjjnm2or0OC7Z463Ss-SDd_XWNG6j7M075NCMBnC4nzpO8hcqDIe6wiLsD79XDdTXino/s400/DSC04290.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349551455580815586" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Similar to what you might find in Nottingham and Leicester, except they're made out of Limestone instead of brick.<br /><br />"SE of the marketplace is North Street, a complete street of housing built in 1771-6 by Arkwright for his employees. Two three story terraces with mullioned windows, originally larger in the attics, which were intended as framework knitting rooms"*<br /><br />*N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, 'Buildings of England: Derbyshire', (2002), p. 158.<br /><br /><br />9. Modernism<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEP4yGg_Ovoc1GdtWnj1KsiJE55CX87rqJzDM3vY8jFI6YVI8jBE7IB6Gw0Aqd8RsvwzIVH8t_c9V3gywyOOQd_LTTwE4qAjyJ9VXczePatd93Pw1NlTERC3UbGW3tYRvJkho2Qxg8SSK/s1600-h/DSC04291.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEP4yGg_Ovoc1GdtWnj1KsiJE55CX87rqJzDM3vY8jFI6YVI8jBE7IB6Gw0Aqd8RsvwzIVH8t_c9V3gywyOOQd_LTTwE4qAjyJ9VXczePatd93Pw1NlTERC3UbGW3tYRvJkho2Qxg8SSK/s400/DSC04291.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349551926599522642" border="0" /></a><br /><br />1970s modernist houses? Local limestone? Perhaps. Clean lines, designed on a grid and modest.<br /><br /><br />10. Quarry<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9F7tDJehdh4DfH1rq2sWd8WzlhdRi6DoJkE_DqfIppfY7o6ZetIw-9Atacc1u1carQiWh2Y9acuTBxprnoit5M5juE4swUsbSXCah8FWe2DhZXh3rVHYDgPv-Z58zugMgJJDYPRxsob5/s1600-h/DSC04296.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9F7tDJehdh4DfH1rq2sWd8WzlhdRi6DoJkE_DqfIppfY7o6ZetIw-9Atacc1u1carQiWh2Y9acuTBxprnoit5M5juE4swUsbSXCah8FWe2DhZXh3rVHYDgPv-Z58zugMgJJDYPRxsob5/s400/DSC04296.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349551926602334626" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"Mineral extraction, particularly of lead had been important to the White Peak for centuries... The Cromford Sough, which ran from a Wirksworth lead mine by the river Derwent, was later used by Richard Arkwright to power his mill at Cromford."*<br /><br />"Following the collapse of the lead mining industry in the nineteenth century... Limestone quarrying followed , which did provide employment but [nearby] Wirksworth became badly affected by the resultant dust, dirt and noise..."**<br /><br />*E. Burkinshaw, 'Historic Walks in Derbyshire', (2003), p. 24.<br />**Burkinshaw, p. 165.<br /><br /><br />11. Sheep<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAMeNr9xs1P_batlYcjjw9v6FospQ1UwrROMQKEL6V-Dr_KzwCkbJAsxyQ0cz1G1iY361zROxbjDXIhlUPZM0SGCQAoyXNAS6oLRhMRwbuT8MNuu1aB4WC4Xl5T0zdpqXi-UMYfQi7pp9/s1600-h/DSC04297.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAMeNr9xs1P_batlYcjjw9v6FospQ1UwrROMQKEL6V-Dr_KzwCkbJAsxyQ0cz1G1iY361zROxbjDXIhlUPZM0SGCQAoyXNAS6oLRhMRwbuT8MNuu1aB4WC4Xl5T0zdpqXi-UMYfQi7pp9/s400/DSC04297.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349551930406001426" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Never attempt to read a map while walking through a sheep pasture, because you will be certain to tread in shit.<br /><br /><br />12. Arkwirght's Mansion<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmuSoRb8-Uj2AMav337fAxx8_YNJ0ncmBR5wg7Zuoe6L2MqnXb6UcM-bCb0dGQb2praEHAmPMwBC1Diaa_cL00GamfN8_lkFR4_w3TRURFCzyy9pbNoA8IiHTG8kXOHHnnl7UBIUOxgysw/s1600-h/DSC04298.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmuSoRb8-Uj2AMav337fAxx8_YNJ0ncmBR5wg7Zuoe6L2MqnXb6UcM-bCb0dGQb2praEHAmPMwBC1Diaa_cL00GamfN8_lkFR4_w3TRURFCzyy9pbNoA8IiHTG8kXOHHnnl7UBIUOxgysw/s400/DSC04298.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349551934870802002" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Willersley Castle was built as Sir Richard Arkwright's residence in 1789-90 by William Thomas of London. Arkwright died before he could move in. It is an ambitious seven bay stone structure of two and a half storeys, with lower side wings fronting the sheer face of the cliff across the sloping lawn and across the river. The house is entirely classical in construction but is romanticised by battlements and by semicircular turrets at the angles of the wings. Torrington in 1790 called it 'an effort in inconvenient ill taste'..." *<br /><br />*N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, 'Buildings of England: Derbyshire', (2002), p. 159-60.<br /><br /><br />13. High Peak Railway<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ln3UJp3RK9KO-0CxT3Q2TLNeAGXKms4_5FfosgHxp2Lfi_X9RGPPcZyM4zBPBBl10bdGuOC3S8NMf74bzvtqpE898W-jGmetw0VvaA0SqDGX3sXwKz2-EPfX1hPD0vaa7xV0NxgjMq83/s1600-h/DSC04303.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ln3UJp3RK9KO-0CxT3Q2TLNeAGXKms4_5FfosgHxp2Lfi_X9RGPPcZyM4zBPBBl10bdGuOC3S8NMf74bzvtqpE898W-jGmetw0VvaA0SqDGX3sXwKz2-EPfX1hPD0vaa7xV0NxgjMq83/s400/DSC04303.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349551936175667026" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"The construction of the Cromford and High Peak Railway was considered an engineering masterpiece, which later attracted railway enthusiasts from all over he world...steam powered beam engines to haul wagons up the steep inclines...horses replaced by locomotives in 1832 but it was still an arduous 16 hour journey to compete the 33 miles, including the steepest gradient of any British railway, the 1 in 14 Hopton Incline."*<br /><br />*E. Burkinshaw, 'Historic Walks in Derbyshire', (2003), p. 183-4.<br /><br /><br />14. Catch Pit<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01ix8PQQ7CNP_7uxz7_0qkhgP978t6VArjmGGeHcJ0YKhPZwvQWw3UPWPi_HdGkasr2Ds88ovKjWavv_9UAY42gkevn23ZwLnMdkjA711LT1adpaM0Ak0gy7PeNo0mzo0lyAP9iPRJNIT/s1600-h/DSC04311.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01ix8PQQ7CNP_7uxz7_0qkhgP978t6VArjmGGeHcJ0YKhPZwvQWw3UPWPi_HdGkasr2Ds88ovKjWavv_9UAY42gkevn23ZwLnMdkjA711LT1adpaM0Ak0gy7PeNo0mzo0lyAP9iPRJNIT/s400/DSC04311.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349552885638845266" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"Associated with the railway at the bottom of sheep pasture incline is a railway repair workshops, the bottom pulley wheel pit of the incline, and the water tank used by locomotives. Further up, a catch pit to catch [runaway] railway trucks, and on the main road the Loco and Agent's Houses, an early nineteenth century pair."*<br /><br />*N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, 'Buildings of England: Derbyshire', (2002), p. 160.<br /><br /><br />15. Pump House<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRGLqFjh7ZBz4P7WYWkQJn6Pu7Lw_Yu2f-nDRw6CfLTYfMdluMCV-kJ07PTXIGCz5qeByOGHVoaw8vSGxJNuATaz8yhZ50qt6RH3E34UpAOxD73j2hVmnAvVs2dfUvGtl7cbVyfFW3Qtp/s1600-h/DSC04314.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRGLqFjh7ZBz4P7WYWkQJn6Pu7Lw_Yu2f-nDRw6CfLTYfMdluMCV-kJ07PTXIGCz5qeByOGHVoaw8vSGxJNuATaz8yhZ50qt6RH3E34UpAOxD73j2hVmnAvVs2dfUvGtl7cbVyfFW3Qtp/s400/DSC04314.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349552885142583090" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"At High Peak Junction... is a group of buildings belonging to the transhipment point between the High Peak Railway and the canal. There are two major architectural monuments: ... the pump houe to pump water from the river [Derwent], to the canal, a tall, narrow, rock faced stone structure with pediments voussoird arched windows and a tall elegant chimney with cast iron capping ..." *<br /><br />*N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, 'Buildings of England: Derbyshire', (2002), p. 160.<br /><br /><br />16. Cromford Viaduct<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mPgs5JsfmUEuE0ssouTkzGPBD03JZe0LLaYeOoPZyhkd6Ofq-zkgoePxTPFvCeI_kpo4KNKSTXuuGAuhqroBaH584FV6zuNqxny21cYMsURxXkTJQy5HidWb6dvZZ4LxCyjS0efTxgSV/s1600-h/DSC04318.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mPgs5JsfmUEuE0ssouTkzGPBD03JZe0LLaYeOoPZyhkd6Ofq-zkgoePxTPFvCeI_kpo4KNKSTXuuGAuhqroBaH584FV6zuNqxny21cYMsURxXkTJQy5HidWb6dvZZ4LxCyjS0efTxgSV/s400/DSC04318.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349552890861042386" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"...[and] the Canal Aquaduct over the Derwent , 1792 by Jessop, ashlar, a beautiful single span bridge with wide elliptical arch, rebuilt at the engineer's own expense after the first one collapsed." *<br /><br />*N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, 'Buildings of England: Derbyshire', (2002), p. 160.<br /><br /><br />17. Cromford Canal<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHEedNPlFOTOOocKik72v7Uw_MFib7gK0icRdQvb8pPUhklRqvSMrMMrpfpUpPCy3yGijwpyDdlTTdB8tG2htTbG2R9Io8LJT6QZzpfhOcqzaowJljKOgNc-aVgFIvWmcEO8U5HlQQyQq/s1600-h/DSC04319.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHEedNPlFOTOOocKik72v7Uw_MFib7gK0icRdQvb8pPUhklRqvSMrMMrpfpUpPCy3yGijwpyDdlTTdB8tG2htTbG2R9Io8LJT6QZzpfhOcqzaowJljKOgNc-aVgFIvWmcEO8U5HlQQyQq/s400/DSC04319.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349552892224523618" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"It was the success of the new factory system that stimulated the demand for more efficient communications, which lead Arkwright and others to promote construction of the Cromford Canal, which was completed in 1794. The engineer was William Jessop in partnership with Benjamin Outram and the total cost of the project was £80,000. The canal provided a vital artery into the national canal network and was the first part of a link from the Midlands to the North West...latterly carrying mainly coal and limestone."*<br /><br />*N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, 'Buildings of England: Derbyshire', (2002), p. 158.<br /><br /><br />18. Cromford Wharf<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pH7QZshy-fDLN7yA8iH_QZHWy9E_Gaz7tGGQEpwLkekkAKMhxC2gdfDoLkVVTdI50CiEmYwfc0TaNNbSJJuME7h03GNd3cYxgsXqbzZVf4DlPOG9fw2TKFIESrafSJVlM4sCV_xi3hSP/s1600-h/DSC04326.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pH7QZshy-fDLN7yA8iH_QZHWy9E_Gaz7tGGQEpwLkekkAKMhxC2gdfDoLkVVTdI50CiEmYwfc0TaNNbSJJuME7h03GNd3cYxgsXqbzZVf4DlPOG9fw2TKFIESrafSJVlM4sCV_xi3hSP/s400/DSC04326.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349552896378621746" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"The water [for the mill] was supplied partly by the Bonsall Stream and and partly by and adit for draining mines called the Cromford Mear Sough...The same stream is the chief source of the Cromford Canal... Just past the mill is it's Derbyshire terminus at Cromford Wharf. One of the two warehouses still has a overhead canopy." *<br /><br />*N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, 'Buildings of England: Derbyshire', (2002), p. 158.Chris Matthewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18008406047046216793noreply@blogger.com1