Walking & Cycling Guide Aspley, Broxtowe & Cinderhill GARDEN CITY Aspley, Cinderhill & 1. Cinderhill Colliery Broxtowe Cinderhill pit (3) was an enormous industrial complex and one of In the rush to make these Nottinghamshire‘s first deep improvements little thought was pits, pioneering powerful given to preserving evidence of the winding engines, ventilation past, except for Thomas North's and lighting. When it closed in collieries and railway lines, many 1986 it employed just under of which were still producing coal 1000 people, produced around at that time. The decline in coal ½ million tons of coal per year, mining during the final decades of and had an underground link Cinderhill Colliery in 1985* the twentieth century has meant Aspley Hall Cottages to Hucknall colliery in order to being one of his earliest. It is that today there are no immediate reduce road traffic. The only signs of pit heads, coal stacks or well known that North died in This area is home to Nottingham’s visible reminder of this incredible debt in 1868 as Collieries such largest example of the Garden wagons. Yet if we look hard enough undertaking is the man-made hill we can see the scars and relics as Cinderhill required large City, an urban planning concept known as Stanton Tip (4), a slag investments: engines, timber that sought to bring together that remain a distinctive part of a heap of unwanted earth. Phoenix landscape marked by a complex yards, repair work, brick yards, aspects of town, country and Park was built on the colliery horses, ropes and drainage. industry. Built during the 1920s network of former collieries with site during the 90s and there is Cinderhill pit at the centre. But had he lived just another and 30s, these council houses a plaque in a small roundabout three years he would have seen marked the biggest advance of There is little left of Broxtowe commemorating the colliery. the fruits of his labour. At his living standards in Nottingham's Hall or Aspley Hall, homes of the Confusingly, Cinderhill pit is also funeral crowds lined the streets history; all were supplied with notable Helwys and Birkin families. known as Babbington, which to pay their respects and raise running water, flushing toilet, At Broxtowe Hall Close (1) there is a village of that name nearly funds for a memorial which still gas, gardens and electric fittings survives a perimeter wall, while the 5 miles west of here. This is all stands in a graveyard off Church - amenities which thousands cottages which served Aspley Hall down to the nineteenth century St in Basford (7). Many were had previously been deprived stand proud on Aspley Lane (2). mining entrepreneur Thomas thankful that he had provided of. The fresh air from these Visible remains of ancient Broxtowe North who sank Cinderhill employment and housing for hills must have appealed to the or Aspley, the Roman encampment colliery in 1841. When he died people who had previously council house tenants as they and Anglo Saxon meeting his portfolio of collieries, which struggled as Framework Knitters. left behind them not only the place are long gone, however included Newcastle (5), Broxtowe smokestacks of the city, but also it is possible to imagine their (6), Strelley and Babbington the slums of Narrow Marsh. ancient geographical importance were grouped together and from their elevated position. known collectively as 'The Babbington Estate' - Babbington 2. Colliery Lines & Relics 3. A Garden City If Babbington was one of then westward to Babbington. In Nottingham after the First Thomas North's earliest mines The NET tram from Phoenix World War there were still some then Cinderhill was certainly Park to Highbury Vale follows 30,000 pail closets (a steel bucket his largest, sitting at the centre the original colliery line (9) which for a toilet), serious overcrowding of a huge network of collieries. formerly connected with the and houses without water, gas One of these collieries was Nottingham to Mansfield line. or electricity. The situation was Broxtowe Wood and today the The Victorian bridges crossing urgent and the city embarked pathways still roughly mark the the line are still in use either side on a slum clearance and council route (8) of a railway line running of the Cinderhill tram stop. house building programme. southward from Cinderhill and Exbourne Road, Aspley At the rear of Aspley Library is Nottingham became known as a car free route (10) to Keverne one of the largest and fastest Close, the legacy of another builders in the country: nearly railway track from Cinderhill 17,500 council houses were through the medieval Quarry built in the 1920s and 30s, Holes Plantation (11) and then about quarter of which included to Melbourne Park where there Aspley, Bells Lane, Broxtowe, was a pit known as Newcastle Denewood Crescent and colliery, so called because the Stockhill. This huge undertaking Duke of Newcastle was formerly followed national guidelines for Denewood Crescent Christ Church, Cinderhill* a major landowner here. Also, "Garden Cities" which decreed note the Newcastle Arms pub that suburban housing should boundaries and build upon the (12) and miners' cottages (13) be based on the traditional fields of Bilborough, allowing nearby on Nuthall Road. North countryside cottage with proper Broxtowe (18), Bells Lane (19) also provided housing for his sanitation, parks, gardens, wide and Denewood Crescent (20) to workers along Cinderhill Road roads and plenty of space. be completed during the 30s. but sadly these cottages have These houses followed designs Stockhill Lane (16) was among all gone, but what does remain by T. C. Howitt, who sought the earliest Garden City council is the Grade II listed Christ to create "variation in a formal estates in Nottingham, complete Church, which was financed by setting", with housing planned during the 20s, while Aspley North in 1856 (14). Less than around radial routes and given (17) was begun towards the end Cinderhill Rd Bridge over former colliery line a stone's throw is Basford Hall differences with facing gables, of that decade. The success (15), North's former residence mansard or hipped roofs. of this meant that in 1932 the and later a Miners' Welfare. city was allowed to extend its 4. The 1920s & 30s Ring road under construction during 1933* Aspley Library roof lantern This was a period marked by These two decades were also new roads, branch libraries and a marked by the building of 6 new style all of its own. Road building branch libraries, which culminated and widening was necessary to in the art deco Aspley Library (24) accommodate not only rising car of 1937, with a stock of some ownership, but also new motor 10,000 books. Designed by and trolley buses, which were Gordon's successor, R.M. Finch, then replacing tramlines. Until the the library features a remarkable 1920s Nuthall Road at Cinderhill lantern and was described at had the appearance of an old its opening as "set in a garden country lane with miners' cottages at the gate of a Garden City". nestling beside it; The Nuthall Along Aspley Lane and Nuthall pub (21) and the Elms (22) still Road, the shops, pubs and preserve part of the original route. churches tell us more about the But the largest road scheme prevailing style of the Garden City was the ring road of Middleton movement which was imitating From top left, to right: Basford Miners' Boulevard, Western Boulevard the countryside; mock-Tudor Welfare; The Newcastle Arms Pub; and Valley Road (23). This was timber frames and medieval Christ Church Cinderhill; The Nuthall pub one of the last pieces of work by Gothic; the best examples (formally the Broxtowe Inn); St Margaret's City Engineer T Wallis Gordon being the Tudor Lodge (25), The Church, Aspley Lane; The Elms, Nuthall and was designed to follow Beacon pub (26), St Margaret's Road; Broxtowe Country Park. the example of Nottingham's Church (27) and the row of shops Victorian ring road (Castle on the junction of Broxtowe Boulevard - Gregory Boulevard). Lane and Strelley Road (28). C om 6 m N er C c N i a t l R S d n i t S s E u A L L d R H E l l D R e r U t E R n ’ a d S C C g H W w K G N I H a O I r A H G e O H 6 L D L B R U N L L R C d D T Y R E N S R R O I W D d V L A N R I E U l D B l A re M t n Bulwell a C S t A lb BULWELL a P d n R a 6 s de la d N g R uth s C o t d S o W N ane w L l A pshill He em nrietta St T H C C R N A r d r e LL a R b m O ti t a B Walking & Cycling Map A r L r D e o e o k R ly H n o a IG R L Ra d o a ym e H a y ed iv ly e NUTHALL r B i d b Driv U d o e D a Aspley, Cinderhill D R c u l r il A ic n Y e v O P D r V ri o R A v T e L L d E L A I n R d H o g H ve Y ROAD n U r ER HIGHBURY VALE & Broxtowe LE o C R ER r e K B D d IM t iv N K s r A N I D B L m ll L r r C a o R A rs o O e e k A v l D i K y r n A R N p D ol o O lo n a T D i H d I T r w G i r I v I H N e B G P H 4 U R a A Y k M V r L R e A L o L O D n E a Key A HEMPSHILL VALE A a n Ave r e D O d nia R S an t rit L B L I G S H arto h t n Cl ig R le E k a rthern Ct D L No PHOENIX PARK a O V N u I ri E Highbury sVale R Cycle / Pedestrian Path C to n N D O D r R Phoenix Park N Pedestrians Only 610 A6 Highbury Vale LD A 10 O 3 R RN Off Road Cycle Lane 9 O A River A Leen G re D On Road Cycle Lane Cinderhill en Not w tingh a am R y Bus & Cycle Lane d N C 21 Colliers Way N Sign Posted Cycle Route No 6 ttin NCN6 g G h r National Cycle Route a A een m 61 T t HORSENDALE 0 w S S Major Road Rd B ic rd a h K o N ½ MILE gn A rf a v R e ll e t Minor Road (recommended for cycling) R nu A a Mornington oa e W C d y ry