Lakeside Wonder

DH Lawrence Pavilion

Being a man of leisure brings huge compensations. I'm free to do what I like, when I like. I don't even have to plan very much. I get up in the morning, and wonder what I will do today. Just going with the flow is quite liberating after a life time of deadlines and clock-watching.

I began the day having coffee in West Bridgford with friends, and as we were leaving, a new exhibition was mentioned about midwifery which was being held at the DH Lawrence Pavilion in Highfields Park by the University of Nottingham. So I would head there as it was a new exhibition area for me, and definitely a subject matter that I hadn't considered before.

University of Nottingham with Highfields Park in
the foreground

Highfields Park and the University Park are often confused as they are next to each other. The University Park is where the University it situated and it overlooks Highfields Park.

The latter park has nothing to do with the University, and was bought by Sir Jesse Boot (founder of Boots the Chemist) in 1920, and later donated to the City of Nottingham who have responsibility for its upkeep. He stipulated that the area must be free for ever for the residents of Nottingham to roam in.

The City has been very fortunate over the years to have two outstanding benefactors in Sir Jesse Boot and Sir Harry Djanogly, who have contributed millions of pounds towards leisure, education, employment and the arts.

Mothers and Midwives

The DH Lawrence Pavilion pictured above, is the last piece I believe, in the creation of the Lakeside Arts Centre, situation around Highfields and University Parks. I found my exhibition in the Weston Gallery at the Pavilion, and it was called, "Mothers and Midwives".

Though a small gallery, I must say that it was a very interesting history of maternity in the East Midlands, with many fascinating documents on display from the University's archives. It was well put together, with two areas being of particular interest to me. One concerned the reasons why midwifery became a medical rather than a domestic event.

There is a talk next month given by the curator of the exhibition and called "Home to Hospital" - I may not have the courage to attend. The other interest was on the subject of male midwives. I had unthinkingly assumed that this was a fairly modern thing, but apparently it certainly goes back to the 17th Century. On returning home I read a number of Internet articles giving the views of would-be Mothers on this, and though the majority were in favour, others were quite strongly opposed to it. A good exhibition though.

Chinese Photographs

On leaving the Weston Gallery, I noticed that in the next gallery, The Wallner Gallery, there was a Chinese photographic display as part of celebrating the Chinese New Year.

2012 is the Year of the Dragon, which for some strange reason pleased me, and the University, along with various City and Borough Councils are celebrating this fact.

The photographic exhibition is described like this. "This stunning series of photographs are taken from a vast collection of images by the two documentary photographers Yuan-Hsiung Wang and Xue Qian. Both are concerned to capture the rapidly changing nature of the environment and the way of life and culture of some of the 56 different ethnic groups who live in China".

The photographs are a mixture of people and landscapes, and they are breathtaking. There is one shot of a brilliant red countryside, which is the result of the natural red soil turning even more red following rain. It is awesome, and I wanted it. This exhibition was an unexpected delight.

Trent Building, University of Nottingham, taken from
across the lake

Coming out of the DH Lawrence Pavilion, I decided that as it was beautiful and sunny to go and sit by the lake. The information board said that the walk around the lake was a distance of about 1.25 miles, so I decided that as this was a day for new adventures that I would make the walk.

By the end my feet were telling me that this was way longer than 1.25 miles, but over the last couple of years I've come to mistrust my appendages, so I believed the City Council. I think that Highfields Park has now replaced the Nottingham Arboretum as quite my favourite park in the City. The lake has a few islands, bridges and masses of wild life. The path around the lake is simply wonderful; in parts you could almost believe that you are in lonely woodland, which must be exacerbated when leaves are on the trees.

Up to 2001 there was a pleasure boat that took parties of people around the lake, and I believe that the Council are seeking funds to renovate the "Maid Marian", and to start the trips again. I do hope that they're successful. I know that I'm fairly easily pleased, but today has been another great day in this wonderful City. I've exercised, enjoyed the beauty of nature, and been challenged by art. Going with the flow was a good choice.

Here's a few more of my photographs around the lake in Highfields Park.

Reflections on Nottingham

River Trent, Nottingham

In a few days time I will have been living in Nottingham for two years. Family issues and other interests have meant that I haven't blogged for over a month, and my loyal reader has probably passed on to pastures new. However, I thought that I'd return to the blog with some reflections on Nottingham.

I moved here in January 2010 following early retirement from a job on the South Coast. After twenty years there, I needed to get away, and Nottingham was ideally placed to be nearer my children. I don't see me spending the rest of my life here, as I feel that there's perhaps one more move left in me. When and where that move will be is anyone's guess, and I'm certainly not in any hurry.

For those who don't know this area, technically I live in the Borough of Rushcliffe, in the County of Nottinghamshire, as the River Trent separates us from the City of Nottingham. The County Council is controlled by the Conservatives, who though having 20 seats more than the next largest party, have a small overall majority of 3. The City Council is quite different, in that out of 55 seats, 50 of them are Labour members, which means that they have total control. Being a political sceptic, the policy differences between the parties are not easy to detect. Long gone are the days of ideological battles over state ownership, welfare, health, employment and education. Previous Labour Government wooing of 'middle England' and 'big business', saw an end to all of that. Now it's not about ideology, but packaging and presentation. This is one of the reasons, where apart from doing one's duty with a cross at the ballot box, I have little interest in politics.

A month away from blogging has obviously not cured my tendency to meander towards a point. So here's my reflections on the last two years. I love Nottingham. There is so much of beauty and interest here. Where I live in West Bridgford is a few minutes away from Trent Bridge, which I have to go over every time I go into the City. From the bridge you can almost touch Nottinghamshire County Hall, Rushcliffe Civic Centre, Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, Nottingham Forest Football Ground, Notts County Football Ground, and the 'world renowned' Trent Bridge Inn, which was recently bought, and beautifully restored by Wetherspoons. I have spent many hours walking in both directions along the River Trent, and I never tire of doing so. Also close to the Trent Bridge is the entrance to the Nottingham canal, which makes its way through the City centre, a mile away. I have often walked along its path, which is made even more interesting by the boats and fishermen.

St Mary's Rest Garden

Being a country boy at heart, the open green spaces in the City have been a particular joy. The Embankment along the river, and the Memorial Gardens just off it are always a delight, particularly in the Spring and Summer.

My local park is Bridgford Park just behind our shopping street, and while not big, has been a solace in the early evening Summer sunshine. In the built up Victoria area I found St Mary's Rest Garden, next to the Victoria Park. I take a longish walk from home to get to it (it's obviously quicker by bus), but I have found it to be so peaceful, which some might find a bit strange given its location. And of course to top it all is my favourite green space of all, the Nottingham Arboretum, which I have mentioned many times in my blogs. In addition is the University Park where the main campus is of the University of Nottingham, and which is open to the public. And there is much more. I have often thought that there is more access to green spaces in many Cities than there is living in the country, because so much there is privately owned. So, I love Nottingham because of its waterways and green spaces, but there's more.

Nottingham High School

Being someone who loves beautiful and historic buildings, I have been in my element these last two years.  Among the favourites that I've visited have been Nottingham High School, Bromley House subscription library, the Arkwright and Newton buildings, Council House, and the beautiful buildings on the divide between King Street and Queen Street.

The Lace Market area is particularly rich in heritage, with St Mary's Church, the Galleries of Justice and the former lace making building owned by Thomas Adams, which backs on to Lace Market Square. There's many more that I have enjoyed looking at, and looking around. Of course, no mention of buildings would be complete without mentioning Nottingham Castle. I wonder if this building comes as a bit of a disappointment to some visitors, as the reality of the building is far from what visitors would expect a castle to look like. It may be now more a palace than a castle, but it's still a magnificent building, and a very fine museum.

On the arts side, I have made regular visits to Nottingham Contemporary, New Art Exchange and very recently the Djanogly Arts Centre at the University of Nottingham. There is also much to do with Theatre, Cinema and the live music scene. Nottingham undoubtedly has its problems, and no doubt that this blog comes over as a bit of a love-in, but this is how I genuinely feel about the City and the surrounding area. I hope that 2012 will be as enjoyable as 2010 and 2011.

And from the film Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves,

Sheriff of Nottingham: Wait a minute. Robin Hood steals money from my pocket, forcing me to hurt the public, and they love him for it?
[Scribe nods]
Sheriff of Nottingham: That's it then. Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, and call off Christmas.

Gates, Tunnels and Parks

"I don't know much about history, and I wouldn't give a nickle for all the history in the world. History is more or less bunk. It is a tradition. We want to live in the present, and the only history that is worth a tinker's damn is the history we make today". - Henry Ford.

You don't believe that do you? I'm sure that with David McCullough you will say that, "A nation that forgets its past can function no better than an individual with amnesia". If you happen to agree with Henry Ford, then there will be no point in reading on, because we're going to look at two pieces of Nottingham history.

Part of the old city wall

At the top of Maid Marian Way, near the Nottingham Playhouse stands the Holiday Inn Express. I have walked past it many times, and looked in through the side windows at three large notice boards that give something of the history of the area. To my regret however, I had never looked down. There on display you see the remains of the ancient Nottingham City walls. I tried to capture it in the picture above, but it had to be taken through a thick plate glass window. The wall is part of the boundary wall that ran from Chapel Bar to around the Castle. The pavement outside shows the direction of the original wall.

Chapel Bar around 1740

Chapel Bar today is a short street the other side of the Holiday Inn Express, and is a pedestrianised area full of restaurants and outside eating areas.

The old Chapel Bar was the west gate into the walled enclosure of Nottingham, and was built around 1154. The word 'bar' is a Scandinavian word for what we would call a gate, and according to some, it reflects the fact that Nottingham was an important Danish settlement. Until 1750 the street now called Chapel Bar was known as Bar Gate, and if the above mentioned Scandinavian connection is true, it means Gate Gate. Ah well, why not? There are plenty of people in Wales called Evan Evans.

There has been lots of discussion on the meaning of the word Chapel. Some think that the northern part of the tower was used as a Chapel, while others think it relates to the division of the town, where the Gate, Angel Row, St James' Street,  Friar Lane etc was called Chapel Ward. By about 1700, Chapel Bar was little more than a ruin, and I think that the line drawing above shows something of this. The old gateway was demolished in 1743, as it was in the way of the increasing amount of traffic entering Nottingham. Two years later, as the Thoroton Society history (1931) says, "in 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie had got as near to the town of Derby, the authorities wished very heartily that they had not pulled it down". To show how small ancient Nottingham was, it wasn't until 1729 that any house was built outside of these walls. I know that there's not much to see, but next time you're in the area, do go and have a look at the ruined walls.

View from Derby Road

A few yards away from Chapel Bar is the start of the Derby Road, the whole length of which from Nottingham to Derby, is officially called The Brian Clough Way.

Walk a few hundred metres up Derby Road, pass St Barnabas Roman Catholic Cathedral, and you come to the vehicle entrance for a block of flats. The picture opposite shows you the path, but the entrance gives you no clue as to what awaits you if you take the path under the block of flats.

What awaits you has been described as one of Nottingham's best kept secrets. It may seem unwelcoming, and a bit dark, but walk the few metres through the car park and you come to a set of steps. Go down the steps and marvel at the sight that greets you.

View of the two tunnels from The Park

This is the Duke of Newcastle's Tunnel, cut in two stages through the Nottingham sandstone. In between the two parts, there are steps that take you up to The Ropewalk. Believe me, these steps are steep. I'm feeling worn out just talking about them.

The tunnel was built for the Duke in 1855 (though it was started in the early 1840's, but abandoned due to lack of money) to allow horse drawn carriages to travel from Derby Road to the Park Estate which he also owned (He was also the owner of Nottingham Castle, which overlooked the park).

The Duke commissioned architect T.C. Hine to construct the tunnel and develop the park for residential use. The Duke wanted a maximum gradient of 1 in 14, however, it was actually built with a 1 in 12 gradient, which was too great for horse drawn carriages, "thus", said someone with commendable understatement "defeating the object of the construction". See, there's nothing new about cock-ups.

The tunnel is wonderful, and remains much the same now as it did in the Victorian period. At one end you enter from a very busy, noisy city centre road, and emerge the other end into a quiet, genteel, countryside environment with trees, bowling greens and birds singing. If you haven't already, do get to see this tunnel - it's magic.

Images of The Park Estate

Part of the Park Estate

As has already been mentioned, T.C. Hine was charged to design and build the tunnel and the Park Estate. He was also responsible for repairs to the Castle, and its conversion into a museum.

The park was originally a royal hunting ground for Nottingham Castle which overlooks it. It had deer, game, fishponds, rabbit warren and a falconry, providing food and sport for the castle residents.

The style of homes varies greatly, and this was no doubt due to building work taking place from the 1830's to the early 1900's. The appearance of the Park Estate was maintained by covenants restricting the density of the development, and required that houses be "set back from the road among trees, and no house was allowed to be erected which would interfere with the view of another house". No business was allowed in the Park, and it was even illegal for buildings or rooms to be used by any faith other than the Church of England. Owners had to maintain their property, which included painting exterior wood every four years and agreeing to twice-yearly inspections by Hine's office.

Map of Park Estate

By 1877 the Park covered an area of 254 acres and had a population of 1500 residents. And as Michael Payne says in his 'Victorian Nottingham', "By 1887 the original scheme was complete; some 650 houses stood in semi-rural splendour on an estate less than half a mile from the centre of town, and Nottingham's merchant aristocracy had a local Belgravia all of their own".

T.C. Hine retired as estate surveyor in 1890, having overseen the majority of the Park's development. In 1938, after almost 280 years, the 8th Duke of Newcastle sold the Nottingham Park Estate to Oxford University, and almost 50 years later, in 1986, the park came into the hands of Nottingham Park Estate Limited, run by a Board of Directors elected by the residents. It became a conservation area in 1969, and over 93 of its buildings and other features are listed.

Chesterton Humberts, a firm of local estate agents describe the Park as "a quiet, picturesque area within central Nottingham, with historic features maintained, preserving the tree lined streets and grand Victorian houses".

The Park has not been without its problems though, as can be seen by reading some back issues of the Park Residents Association newsletters. The main concern seems to have been the conversion of larger houses into flats which began in the early part of the 20th Century.

These became known as Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO's), and in 2009, the Department for Communities and Local Government opened a consultation period on HMO's and planning processes. The Nottingham Park Estate Residents' Association submitted their views in August of that year.

Now, I was involved with HMO's, planning and the views of local residents for many years, and to my shame, I approached the NPERA submission expecting it to be full of NIMBYism, but I was wrong. It was a well reasoned, well written, positive submission. Their concerns were those that I could identify with, as they were common to all areas.

Too many HMO's are poorly managed by the Landlords; property is often not looked after, and tenants behaviour is ignored. Too many HMO's in a small area tends to produce a ghetto, and is not conducive to developing a balanced community.

In early 2010, the Government said that it would be bringing in changes to the planning regulations, and giving more power and discretion to Local Authorities in how they managed HMO's.

In spite of the above, I'm sure that The Park is still a wonderful place to live, and it is certainly a wonderful place to visit. The round trip from the Castle, up Derby Road, through the Tunnel and the Estate, and up Lenton Road back up to the Castle is a joy to behold. And there's often an ice cream van waiting for you outside the Castle Gate.

By the early 1900's, you had 'arrived' if you had an address in The Park. Residents have included Sir Jesse Boot, founder of Boots The Chemist; artist and first woman to be elected to the Royal Academy, Dame Laura Knight; Director, Sir Jonathan Miller; Fighter Pilot awarded the VC, Albert Ball; Founder of the Raleigh Cycle Company, Sir Frank Bowden; fashion designer, Sir Paul Smith, and actor, Hugh Grant.

Mind you, if you want to live in The Park, it's not cheap. On sale today is a 3 bed terrace house for £329,000, or a 3 bed period residence for £429,000. If you turn your nose up at such cheap properties, then you may wish to look at one selling today for £1,420,000.

Winston Churchill said, "History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days".

Oh, I do hope that we have succeeded just a little bit on this journey through Gates, Tunnels and Parks.