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.

Farndon, Friendship and Favourites

The Riverside pub and kitchen

What's one of your favourite words? A bit of a silly question really, because it all depends on the context. I like the word 'friend', as it speaks of common likes and dislikes, and enjoyment of another's company.

It's extremely pleasant when you can feel that you have made a new friend. Tony and I have been blogging for about the same length of time, and found that we have many views in common. He also lives around Nottingham, and after a few months of communication, we decided that it would be good to meet up.

What better way to do this than to meet for a pint and a sandwich at some country venue. For me, it turned out to be a more than pleasant few hours. We drove down the A46 out of Nottingham towards Newark, and stopped at the village of Farndon. I'm sure that there are more modern descriptions of the village, but I like the one given in John Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-1872.

"Farndon, a parish in Newark district, Notts; on the River Trent and the Fosse Way, near the Newark and Nottingham railway, 2 miles SW by W of Newark. It has a post office under Newark, Acres 1,710. Real property, £5,915. Pop. 692. Houses 152. Many of the inhabitants are stocking makers. The church is good, and there are chapels for Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists".

The Fosse Way

The A46 running past Farndon is also known as the historic Roman Road, The Fosse Way.

This is probably one of the most famous Roman Roads in the country, that linked Exeter in the South West to Lincoln. You may not share my fascination for this road, but to me it is remarkable for its extremely direct route. From Lincoln to Ilchester in Somerset, a distance of 182 miles, it is never more than 6 miles from a straight line. Having travelled through much of England, I can't help wishing that subsequent civil engineers had copied the brilliance of the Romans.

For the purists among you, and I know how much you love details, I quote the following. "The word Fosse is derived from the Latin fossa, meaning ditch. For the first few decades after the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43, the Fosse Way marked the western frontier of Roman rule in Iron Age Britain. It is possible that the road began as a defensive ditch that was later filled in and converted into a road, or possibly a defensive ditch ran alongside the road for at least some of its length". Interesting or what?

The River Trent

It's this road that Tony and I travelled on to the village of Farndon, and The Riverside pub and kitchen. The pub sits by the side of the River Trent, with the sugar beet factory in Newark seen in the distance.

The Riverside pub was formally known as the Britannia Inn, which was originally built in 1763, and was a favourite stopping place for the Trent barge operators.

It has undergone extensive and beautiful restoration, along with the name change. Any place that sells 'Old Speckled Hen' beer is OK by me, and we enjoyed the beer and sandwich in very comfortable surroundings. I really do sound like a reviewer, don't I, but I want you to get a feel for the place, and you can learn more here.

Landing Stage

Opposite the pub, until recent years, there used to be a ferry across the Trent from Farndon to Rolleston. It is now a landing jetty for pleasure craft, taking people up and down the Trent on trips.

I liked this newspaper story from August 1948 which said, "The title of Little Hero of Farndon was bestowed on 12-year old Ronnie Ward, after he rescued a child from the river by the Farndon Ferry on Thursday. Seeing the four year old boy in deep water, Ronnie swam out to him and pulled him to the landing stage from where he was carried back to his mother. Amazingly, Ronnie's parents knew nothing about the rescue until they heard the story from eye-witnesses, because their son was too modest to tell them". You really can't beat a good human interest story.

Mark Ainsworth 1963

Before we had our lunch, and in case it started to rain later, Tony and I went for a short walk along the banks of the Trent, and then a circular walk around the fishing lake.

The walk was flat, and all done in about 20 minutes. It started and finished by the Farndon Marina, which is a joy to behold, and far more picturesque than many other Marina's that I've seen.

To show how the Marina started, I can do no better than quote from the Marina website, history page. "It was a cold day in 1963 when Mark Ainsworth, a passionate sailor and a man with a vision, discovered the old gravel pits at Farndon, near Newark. Mr Ainsworth managed to purchase the 25 acre site which was owned by a local firm of architects in 1964. Thus began the creation of Farndon Marina". It's still a family run business today, and is very impressive to look at.

Farndon Marina

It was just as well that Tony and I went for a walk before lunch, because after it, it started to rain. We were out less than three hours, but in that time I experienced many of the things that I love: friendship, pubs, food, rivers, lakes and marina's. So much enjoyment in so little time. Life at times is very sweet.

"Life is full of surprises and serendipity. Being open to unexpected turns in the road is an important part of success. If you try to plan every step, you may miss those wonderful twists and turns. Just find your next adventure - do it well, enjoy it - and then, not now, think about what comes next". Condoleeza Rice