Walking & Cycling Guide Beechdale, Bilborough & Strelley A NEW WORLD Beechdale, 1. A New World Bilborough & Strelley 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 (1), while Glaisdale Drive became one of the largest Bilborough St John BISF housing, Caincross Road St Martin’s Church Door industrial estates in the city, with 1951 Festival of Britain style, perhaps the most impressive designed by local architects This area continued some of the old Bilborough village can still be structure originally built by Broadhead & Royle. It features Garden City ideals of Aspley, but seen today, nestled around the Farrands the retail grocers (2). wonderful mosaics, which were here the outlook was altogether medieval church of St Martin. Built in 1955 Harvey Hadden actually early Christian symbols more like a 'New Town'. It was (3) quickly became the most Nearby, evidence of the pre- found in the ruins of Coventry. mainly built during late 1940s & important athletics ground in the industrial world of agriculture The original parish of St John early 50s, an era christened as a city. Nearby, the former bus depot survives at Strelley Village. It is migrated from Narrow Marsh after ‘New World', when innovation and was complete only a few years here where the city ends and it was bombed in 1941. Nearby optimism were needed to re-build before (4) and is a reminder of the the Green Belt begins: a ring the Catholic Church of St Hugh Britain in the years immediately city's ambitions for an expanding of countryside earmarked to features an impressive parabolic after the Second World War. bus network. Schools such as contain the city and conserve (strong curve) roof (8) designed Many of the schools and council Robert Shaw Primary (5) broke the countryside. Yet the treasure by John Rochford and Partners, houses were built with the latest with tradition and were built with trove of medieval and Georgian who were also responsible for technology in pre-fabrication and curved lines and flat roofs. The buildings which survive here the structurally adventurous St Bilborough received royalty and churches however are the most actually derived their wealth from Teresa’s in Aspley (9). Both were cabinet ministers who were keen modern, even the old Bilborough one of the earliest coalfields complete during the 1960s. to see the important changes St Martin (6) didn't escape the in Nottinghamshire, where the Yet that post-war optimism being made. The church of times. This was painted with seams rise close to the surface quickly faded as the cold war St John is most characteristic a mural by the artist Evelyn and shallow 'bell-pits' have developed; the 50s concrete of the post-war period, while Gibbs, founder of the acclaimed left pock marks on the land. bunker "RSG3" at Chalfont the nuclear bunker at Chalfont Midland Group. Bilborough St Drive was one of 13 regional Drive is a stark reminder of that John The Baptist (7) is perhaps government bunkers to be built fading optimism. A part of the the city's finest example of the in case of nuclear fall-out (10). 2. Pre-fabrication 3. Old Bilborough In the late 1940s pre-fabrication Accompanying these came a Situated off the beaten track is was necessary because 11,000 thousand houses manufactured the original Bilborough village, people were on the council's by the British Iron and Steel an important historic reminder waiting list while materials and Federation (12), which were of agricultural life before the labour were scarce. So much in all-steel houses with a concrete surrounding council houses were fact that prisoners of war were base. These were being let by built. A number of buildings are employed on-site for a time. late 1947, by which time the order listed, among the earliest being for "No Fines" houses was well St Martin's Cottages (17) and Among the first to be built were underway (13). These were poured dating from at least the eighteenth the aluminium bungalows on concrete houses made from a century. Forge Cottages (18) Bilborough St Martin the west side of Wigman Road special concrete containing no as its name suggests was (11). These houses could be fine aggregates (hence the name) the local blacksmith's from mass produced at a factory and manufactured by Wimpey, at circa 1800, while the rectory and then erected within a week. first on the upper part of Wigman (19) is a somewhat grander Road. In the far west of the estate building, built in 1842 to house around Cockington Road are the Rector of St Martin's. the Terran Newland houses (14), a prefabricated concrete panel The Church of St Martin (20) house made by a firm based dates from the late fourteenth century, and houses some at Hull. Today most of these St Martin's Cottages houses have been refaced with historic relics which are important in Nottinghamshire history. The brick, but the original proportions Surrounding the village there are (and some features) remain. Helwys memorial, dated from the 1590s, commemorates a further reminders of Bilborough's Tarran Newland housing Even some of the schools family which founded the Baptist agricultural past, such as Manor were ready made; Portland Church, while the Thomas Farm (21), and the Sheila Russell School (15) was built by the Barber plaque reminds us of Community Centre (22), which Bristol Aeroplane Company, the origins of one of the big coal both date from the nineteenth which specialised in aluminium mining dynasties. The church century. Spring Bank Cottages buildings. Strelley housing itself is similar to St Patrick's (23) also dates from that estate (16) meanwhile was built Nuthall with an impressive porch, time, while the site of Grange of brick in the early 50s and gravestones from the eighteenth Farm has much older origins, marks the point where materials century and Victorian fittings. possibly the middle ages (24). were no longer as scarce. Portland Primary, an aluminium school 4. Strelley & The Green Belt As the new housing estates of All Saints - one of the finest spread out from the city in the medieval churches in the 1920s and 30s, people became county (25). Strelley was one concerned about sprawl and the of the earliest coal fields in loss of farming land. In 1947 The Notts with the remains of old Town & Country Planning Act bell pits visible from the field designated areas of land known gate adjacent Broad Oak Farm as a 'green belt', which could not House (26) and south of the be built on and would limit the business park (27). Supposedly spread of British cities. Strelley a pilgrimage path, Monks Way village marks the point when the was more likely a packhorse Nottingham green belt begins route for distributing coal (28). and despite the M1 motorway From the late seventeenth (built during the 1960s) it is still century the estate was looked surrounded by agricultural fields. after by the Edge family. In the Yet the ancient buildings 1790s T. W. Edge built Strelley and monuments here were Hall (29), which features an also financed through coal excellent cantilever staircase. mining. From the fourteenth For the sake of improvement, he to the seventeenth century also demolished the old village the profits gained from mining towards the church, built the were managed by the Strelley present one (30) and landscaped family, who built the Church the grounds. This was a common practice known as 'emparking'. From top left to right: Bilborough St John interior; Bilborough St John mosaic, ancient sign representing man; aluminium bungalows, Wigman Rd*; All Saints Church, near the remains of the medieval Strelley village; Wimpey No Fines houses, Bracebridge Drive; the parabolic roof of St Teresa, Aspley; sign on the old forge, St Martin's Lane. The grounds of Strelley Hall The Kennels, a Georgian cottage emparked V E R N O N R O A D ury Ris ilb e E T N A L S L L Y A E N B U W T T H i A E lb L u L S r RO U y A R D Bramble Close O nt is & Lindum Lane H sce e NC6 D e O r C O Du NE n lv A W to e L L E r L ng E ton HI i l N K rn th Va C o a A le TO M m L S D riv S V e L E L R y E N a B O W N e NE R n LA O d E A e W K R d O D d XT e l p O v e e BR 6 i e f d L N e r d i n C n R n D e i N L d e e C e f v n i i g e r l a L d l D i r d N r r a e in U B R b v m T d d o d d H n d R i res n o A L C e B ld ill L w L ie ar W f H R d o C O d o y Rd Coleb a A a W H m D o a d b R s r R w o e BROXTOWE r d l r ld i n l d l e R Walking & Cycling Map h Roa r C l estleig ie W ll C d WHITEMOOR e D df t r a n t r o w in e f d e s l L s s n c n e a r a s i u f B C e t T r STRELLEY ESTATE d n a E C r e N d t Hilcot Drive c n Beechdale, Bilborough B A s R n o R e d L t e r a a a ASPLEY e E c y C t d e t l s a s 6 d l Y e W B o n o m s S e N a A O r 27 la H lo R e r n a n F T c C ck W e C ld X C D l e s N ls l W odfi O d e r E e o r n & Strelley 16 t R a d iv o C S w B o M r o a e E n it R inve t o U h p d D e e R O W d g r i F i s ul h A e H v wo S l n e M e le od b r D b Allenda Cr u u 25 29 W o le A m es r O v o enue A y o a r b D O R Am D l y r e R W o i a 23 A v M A STRELLEY VILLAGE d SPL A e e V D EY llen r E OA LA da s LEY R 21 NE le L W STREL Aven h IL ue a KI m OU NS S O 28 B N t R D 18 N S M i T e R s R E Key a n e E ET r e t T w 9 i n S ’ 22 o s E 30 o t e d in Stre R Ma e W d C v i r r e D s W c e I ry G n 26 u t Cycle / Pedestrian Path M 19 17 b A M s S A P e g D N L Pedestrians Only l n E i A b Y u R K 6 L O O 20 6