Bulwell
Encyclopedia
Bulwell is an English market town
approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northwest of Nottingham
city centre, on the northern edge of the city. The United Kingdom Census 2001
showed there were almost 30,000 people living in the Bulwell area, accounting for over 10% of the population of the city of Nottingham.
. With the river being significantly narrower, shallower and slower-moving in Bulwell than in other potential locations along its length and the threat of highwaymen a very real danger on existing cross-country routes, a toll bridge
was constructed in this outpost, allowing for a quicker and safer passage from north to south for travellers but providing an obstacle to less legitimate travellers.
The bridge created a rare direct road to Nottingham from the North West and therefore introduced regular traffic from across the country to the area for the first time.
The tolls
levied for crossing the new bridge required the building of a gatehouse for those collecting the levies and providing protection for people using the route: the creation of the toll house thereby inadvertently founding the new settlement. The almost captive market
of the travelling parties provided endless potential for trade, and the abundance of natural resources
made it easy to erect a dwelling. As the volume of traffic using the road increased, so did the size and population of Bulwell.
Bulwell is mentioned in the Domesday Book
, which was compiled in 1086. [2] Recorded in the book as "Buleuuelle" and classified as a village, Bulwell had by this time become established as a small trading post for all kinds of goods and services. It had expanded to cater both for those living and working in the surrounding area and those travelling further afield, and this in itself encouraged many others to settle in the wider area.
Local people, particularly the poorer of the new settlers, often offered space in their homes to travellers requiring overnight stops. Paying a relatively small price, travellers would share a home-cooked meal with their hosts and sleep in their rooms - a much safer and infinitely more sociable arrangement than continuing onto Nottingham. The river provided local entrepreneurs with the facilities to make beer
, a fact which it appears was exploited freely, and which perhaps led more 'guests' to become overnighters inadvertently and require accommodation!.
Never slow to evolve, by around 1200 Bulwell had grown to provide all the facilities to accommodate animals and their masters alike in droves, becoming something of a one-stop 'service station' on what was fast becoming a relatively major road. Trade in this still relatively small and compact stopping post thrived, with a steady stream of newcomers attempting to exploit the opportunities Bulwell had to offer. Whilst the increase in trade was good for the local economy, the new-found abundance of salesmen and tradesmen split the town in two.
The owners of the 'official', original businesses, having in some cases incurred large expense to build and maintain premises, complained bitterly about an ever-growing number of roaming salesmen undercutting their prices and taking their trade. Since they were also paying rates to the local landowner, they considered their right to monopolise custom inalienable. In response to the complaints, a local law was enacted (circa 1320 AD) forbidding anyone without 'fixed... and at least part-covered premises' from selling goods or services close to the original businesses.
However, the statute was badly worded: to circumnavigate the laws, the salesmen simply fixed posts into the ground, creating market stalls similar in design to their modern counterparts. The stalls were covered for use and left uncovered in situ when not in use, thus both abiding by the law and designating a permanent venue for their sales. The people using these facilities fought hard against the power of the richer businessmen and successfully defended the right of the marketeers to operate alongside them. The location of the Market Place
remains virtually unchanged to this day and still houses a bustling market on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
At some point during this time the magnesium limestone on which Bulwell sits began to be quarried. The strong easily crafted durable rock, a dull yellow-orange magnesium limestone (not to be confused with the Bunter sandstone famously underlying Nottingham Castle), provided a perfect building material which was also easy to quarry
. Many houses, schools, churches and - particularly - garden walls built using Bulwell Stone still stand to this day, extending for miles around Bulwell in all directions.
An early example can be found in sections of the wall surrounding Wollaton Hall, which was built using Bulwell stone in the late 16th century. The sheer quantities used there - and elsewhere in the city - suggest some kind of professional mining operation must already have been in operation by this time.
Coal
is also found in abundance close to Bulwell. Running as part of much larger seams criss-crossing the region, the coal lies underneath the layers of sandstone and is in places only a few feet beneath the surface. Coalmines
in the area around Bulwell were therefore among the first in the county to operate on a commercial basis, with large-scale mining from around 1500 onward.
Many fortunes were made at the time from the extraction of coal, including that of Sir Francis Willoughby
. Willoughby paid for the building of the extravagant Wollaton Hall (mentioned above) with money obtained through coal-mining. One of the world's first railway lines, completed in 1604 and leading between nearby Strelley and Wollaton
, was built by Willoughby's heir to aid transportation of the tons of coal being produced from 'his' mines.
The church on the hill overlooking Bulwell (built 1849-1850) is on the site of the original Bulwell church, which dates back to at least the 13th century. Towering over most of North-East Nottingham, Bulwell Saint Mary the Virgin and All Souls
(Known simply as St Mary's) can be seen from many miles away, and its bells
still ring out across the area each weekend.
", a stunning building that survives to this day, along with many of the other houses built at this time. The building is now used as a private home but retains many of the original features. 1852 brought the act of Parliament
allowing for the extension of the gas pipeline from Basford and the South. This allowed for street lighting, commercial and domestic use, and effectively revolutionised life in the town. The earliest supply of water was not to arrive until 1877, with the many local springs, wells and the river providing for the needs of both business and domestic use until this time. Before 1877, water-borne diseases were rife and the river water highly polluted by both industry and sewage, leading to very high rates of infant mortality across the region. The percentage of children dying before reaching their fifth birthday decreased by over 75% in Bulwell between 1870 and 1890 - a situation that led to dreadful overcrowding and even more demand for already overstretched services like housing. Health care again suffered as a result of the insanitary living conditions, but the population continued to grow apace.
1843 brought bad weather that did irreparable damage to Bulwell Saint Mary's church. The church we have today was built in its place between 1849 and 1851; the architect was Henry Isaac Stevens
.
In 1885 the new church of St. John the Divine
on Quarry Road was consecrated.
built in 1770 by landowner John Newton. It was set in its own large grounds to the North of Bulwell town centre, and was known as Pye Wipe Hall when first built; a name which stuck with local folk until the time of its demolition.
After passing through the hands of Newton's ancestors for a time, Bulwell Hall was sold at auction in 1864, along with over 1000 acres (4 km²) of land, to a man named Samuel Thomas Cooper.
Bulwell Hall was later employed variously as a sanatorium
, an 'approved school for boys' and an Italian Prisoner of War
camp, before its eventual demolition in 1958.
Cooper was a philanthropist
, and in 1866 he paid £3000 for another school to be built for the local children. Then named the National school, it provided education
for up to 518 children at a time; a remarkable feat considering the size of the building. Remaining in use as the "old building" of St. Mary the Virgin and All Souls C of E primary school, it is now listed, and houses many fewer pupils than at the time of its creation. (See picture here.)
After Cooper's death, his widow, Annie Cooper, donated £600 to Bulwell Saint Mary's church to provide for a better organ
. Still in use (although now operating electrically powered bellows), the organ houses a plaque commemorating Mrs Cooper's donation, "in memory of (her) husband".
Some sources claim that this man was the same S.T. Cooper who later went on to enclose Bulwell Bogs as his own private ground. (See below.) It is known that Cooper died in 1871, aged 39, and also that the protest over the Bogs took place in 1872, but this does not show conclusively whether the protest taking place after his death was not down to his actions whilst still alive. There is no other "S.T. Cooper" recorded as being Lord of the Manor of Bulwell, leading many to believe the man to be the same.
Bulwell then remained a town in its own right until a boundary change in the 1890s made it a part of the City of Nottingham. The beautiful Old Town Hall, rendered useless by the change and built in the 18th century, is now a retail outlet for fireplaces and more recently the top floor which houses the buildings old dance floor(which was unused and discarded for years) has had extensive refurbishment from what was a rundown space last being used as a factory for clothing garments, now being converted back to a place for its primary purpose to be a place for dancing.This is in the form of a dance school housing over 250 local children and adults alike. the buildings tired "old town hall" signage has now gone and a reproduction in its place, vibrant and proudly displaying "old town hall home of Take 5 theatre school of dancing" in the same style and colours of the buildings predecessor this is just one of the signs of the hard work and dedication of those that attend the school and their efforts to bring this landmark building of bulwell back to life.
Snape Wood and Sellers Wood were originally part of a swathe of woodland that bordered the landfill
site to the north-west of Bulwell, stretching down to the farmland that became Hempshill Vale estate to the south-west.
Both woods were protected under Royal Warrant
s stretching back to the 14th century, but drastic shortage of housing in Bulwell in the 1960s and 1970s, as in Nottingham as a whole, led to the protection being removed and new housing estates being built.
A token remnant of Snape Wood was left behind in the middle of the new estate, amounting to little more than a small fenced-in copse with three pathways leading through it. Owned by the local authority, Nottingham City Council
, the site was designated a Local Nature Reserve
, but years of neglect have left the site rubbish-strewn and in need of a structured management plan. Despite constant fly-tipping
and a lack of proactive conservation, this site surprisingly supports a wide variety of wildlife, from rare wildflowers to mammals such as grey squirrels
, hedgehog
s and urban foxes, as well as up to 20 different species of bird. In February 2009, plans to set up a community group to take ownership for the maintenance and conservation of the site on behalf of the local authority were moved forward.
A larger proportion of Sellers Wood remains, with the land also designated as a Local Nature Reserve, actively managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
on behalf of the local authority, Nottingham City Council. Sellers Wood was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest
by English Nature
in 1981, being cited as "a fine example of broad-leaved semi-natural woodland...of regional importance".
Bulwell no longer has a working quarry, landfill site, coalmine or brewery
to employ its residents. Designated industrial areas
such as those found on Greasley Street and Commercial Road were constructed early in the latter half of the 20th Century, followed in the 1980s and '90s by smaller developments of offices and light industrial units such as those on Pottery Way (off Sellers Wood Drive).
The larger developments for industry built in Sellers Wood in the 1980s (off Blenheim Lane/Camberley Road/Dabell Avenue) were further added to during the 1990s. Many other industrial buildings have sprung up in the surrounding area since then and the larger area looks set to grow outwards once more in the near future. The extended industrial estate includes warehousing and distribution for national food retailers, large printing factories, office blocks of all sizes and numerous small- to medium-sized units offering a variety of goods and services.
A large Cash and Carry
wholesalers recently joined the supermarket, petrol station and small row of fast-food outlets between this industrial estate and the rest of Bulwell. This utilises yet another piece of the land that was used for landfill until the 1960s/1970s; leaving only two large fields now without some kind of development.
Just next to the supermarket is a very steep hill which still marks out the edges of the long-abandoned quarry.
and Broxtowe
districts, 'Greater' Bulwell stretches across an area of around 3.5 square miles (though many would argue that Bulwell's 'catchment' should still include the Bestwood, Bestwood Park, Heathfield and Leen Valley estates, as it did in the past, increasing the size to around 5 square miles.)
The Greater Bulwell area, as designated by the City Council, includes Top Valley, Heron Ridge, Crabtree Farm, Bulwell Hall, Snape Wood, Sellers Wood, Highbury Vale, Hempshill Vale, Bulwell Forest, Bulwell Central, Moorbridge and the area adopting the title 'Bulwell Village', and also a significant amount of Rise Park.
Although the addresses for the Bestwood estates were also originally suffixed 'Bulwell', ward and local area boundaries have been changed to instead link the entire 'Greater Bestwood' area with Basford and Sherwood. The old "seven fields" between Bulwell and Bestwood have now been largely developed, but the historic links between the areas remains constant. The newer estates now covering the fields have just added to the list of 'Satellites' affiliated with Bulwell.
. The Bog
area beside the Leen, known for over 900 years as "Bulwell Bogs", has long been set aside as a place where children can play, paddle and fish.
After an attempt by the Lord of the Manor
to enclose the land around the Bogs, in 1872, the people of Bulwell staged a peaceful protest, massing in their hundreds to protect the 'common' land. Described as "...impeccably well behaved and peaceable to a man; indeed rather joyous of spirit!" in the official records, the people of Bulwell marched a short distance before enjoying lunch by the river. After this, the crowd is said to have "...dispersed quietly and as directed with no further disturbance", later winning the fight to designate the land for the "pleasure and leisure of the people of Bulwell".
The whole Bogs area was set to be demolished in 2002, to make way for a large road-bridge and a transport interchange, from where buses, trams, taxis and trains could all be caught. Fierce public opposition from local people resulted in a campaign being launched to prevent the work; the City Council eventually scrapped the plans.
With help from local community groups and residents, the facilities at Bulwell Bogs were instead upgraded in 2003 to produce a bigger play-park, a safer paddling pool and a cleaner feel, and won a Green Flag Award
in 2004 for the work done to regenerate the area.
As well as the Bogs, there is an area about a mile upstream, near the present-day Moorbridge, which historically attracted children from miles around to play. This led to the nickname "Bulwell-on-Sea" being applied by other Nottingham residents. The building of the outdoor Lido pool nearby further strengthened the connection, with families historically travelling from across the city to spend a day by the water in Bulwell. Unfortunately, despite fierce opposition by local residents, the Lido was demolished in 2006, with the land being sold off to private housing developers.
tram system: Bulwell
, Bulwell Forest and Moor Bridge. These provide access to Nottingham and Hucknall
.
Next to Bulwell tram Station is the railway station, where trains on the Robin Hood Line
link Nottingham to Worksop
.
There is also a large bus station and a taxi rank, with two taxi firms based in Bulwell.
The North Nottingham region has the lowest level of students progressing to higher education in the UK, and the 2006-7 league tables for secondary education showed Nottingham's schools to be second-worst achieving in the country.
More recent results show that drastic improvements have been made in some of Bulwell's schools over the past few years; unfortunately in the same time some have also stagnated or even become worse.
One Bulwell school, Hempshill Hall Primary, was served by long standing headteacher
Marcia Puckey, who was Britain's longest-serving school Head when she retired in summer 2005, and was awarded the OBE
, in recognition of her ‘services to education’ in the Queen's New Year's Honours List 2006.
Bulwell's flagship school, The Bulwell Academy
, was officially opened in September 2009 and move into the new building in August 2010.
, a swimming pool
, many churches, and several fast food restaurants
. There are also many chip shops
, two golf course
s, a youth club
, a police station
and an Tudor-style shopping arcade
are hidden off the Market Place.
Bulwell has a strong sense of community. Many families are descended from generations of Bulwellians, and there is still a distinct and unique family feel to the place that belies its size and proximity to the larger Nottingham conurbation
. Bulwell is a friendly place with a lot of community-based initiatives focusing on improving the area, with volunteers playing a key role in their survival. The Bulwell Credit Union
, Bulwell Vision and the active Brownies, Girl Guides, Rainbows
and Cubs
packs, the Bulwell and Basford Rotary Club and Bulwell Community Toy Library are just a few of the projects thriving thanks to the help of the local people.
There is a site for traveller
s of Irish
heritage in Bulwell that exists as one of only a few 'permanent' sites in the country catering for both roaming and static populations. A lot of work has been done by the nearby schools to ensure the integration of traveller children, work which has won praise from Police, community leaders, and travellers' rights groups nationwide.
There are a number of pubs in Bulwell, one of which (The Scots' Grey, now closed) was featured in a television programme entitled "The Ten Hardest Pubs in Britain". Housing a successful boxing
club, it has provided many champion boxers, such as Dominic Wilmot in 2008 and Aaron Brenton in 2009 and taught many hundreds of boys and trained amateur boxers at all levels for generations. However, the pub's reputation for toughness comes as much from fights held outside the ring as in it, and stretches back many years. Fights were regularly held in the nearby Market Place after closing time on Saturday night, with scores being settled as well as money made or lost on the outcomes. Spectators formed a ring around the bare knuckle pugilists, who would fight to the knock out. Betting, challenging (i.e. money offered to any man who can knock down the "hero"), and "purses" offered by crowds were regular sidelines to the fights, which continued until as recently as the 1990s. Ironically, the pub was closed down recently because it was seen to be too "rough" to control adequately!
Despite the closure, the pub's football team (The Scots' Grey F.C.) continue to play, enjoying a great deal of success in the local Sunday League. Winning all three senior trophies in Nottinghamshire
for two years running, after being the first team ever to accomplish this feat, coached by Steve "Ozzy" Osborne, the club are hoping to make history by becoming the first team ever to do the 'treble treble': winning all three trophies for three years running.
, was killed here in the line of duty. PC Walker was dragged to his death as he attempted to arrest the driver of a stolen taxi; local resident David Parfitt was later sentenced to 13 years for his manslaughter
.
A memorial stone marking the spot where PC Walker died was badly vandalised in January 2006, with a hammer being used to deface and damage the engravings.
Another officer was badly injured in a remarkably similar incident on 10 October 2006. The special constable
required extensive reconstructive surgery after being dragged along the road by a car when attempting to arrest a man on the Bulwell Hall estate. Four people were arrested.
The fatal shooting of local lad Marvin Bradshaw outside a Bulwell pub, in 2003, led to "gangland-style" reprisal attacks on a large scale, and attracted international interest.
A passenger in the car Mr Bradshaw had been driving on the night of his murder, whilst unhurt in the attack, himself died within months of the event, leading friends and family members to seek revenge on his behalf.
The parents of Michael O'Brien, the man convicted of Mr Bradshaw's murder, were targeted, and despite moving into a "safe house
" on the Lincolnshire
coast were both also murdered soon afterwards.
O'Brien had already been sentenced to 24 years in prison for Mr Bradshaw's murder. Three of the eight men arrested on charges of conspriracy to murder Mr and Mrs Stirland (O'Brien's parents) were found guilty, in a case still being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission
"Extremely serious matters" are said to have been found in connection with the way the police handled the case. It has since been proven that corrupt police officers implicated heavily in the case actually had passed information to gang boss Colin Gunn around the time of the murders Gunn received a sentence of 35 years for conspiracy to murder Mr and Mrs Stirland and a further 9 years for bribery and corruption of policers officers Gunn was also implicated and arrested,but never charged with the murder of Marian Bates the jeweller.
On 1 July 2006, The day after the 3 were sentenced for the Stirland's murders, a large riot broke out on the Bestwood estate, the former home of Gunn and his gang. Lasting several hours and causing an estimated £10,000 worth of damage, the riots were said to have been triggered by the outcome of the murder trial. 9 people have been convicted in connection with the disturbances.
On 7 August 2006, a local teenager died after he was attacked outside the Moon & Stars pub. 18-year-old Aaron Smith suffered severe head injuries in the attack, which took place on 3 August. A local 24 year old man pleaded guilty to Mr Smith's manslaughter, and awaits sentencing.
Another local man was shot in the neck and back outside the Lord Nelson pub in November 2006, before being abducted, tied up, driven to a country road and left for dead. Three people were arrested and bailed in connection with the crime, which left the 27 year old victim, from Aspley, with serious injuries.
Woolworths is gone and taken over by B and m. Tesco is now up the main street. we have Aldi, a fish and chip shop, chinese and pizza shop along with total petrol station on Sellers wood drive.
The name is supposed to have been derived from the spring
which runs out of the Bunter
sandstone over a bed of clay
, near to the northern end of the forest, called "Bull Well." In The Place Names of Notts., it is suggested that the first part of the name may stand for an Anglo Saxon person called Bulla, or a bull, or it may describe the bubbling sound produced by the flowing water of the spring.
Legend has it that the town was named after a bull
struck a sandstone
rock causing it to seep water - a well. The now sealed well-housing, located in the nature reserve off Bestwood Road, is said to be the original well; i.e. the place that the bull gored. Both Bulwell Saint Mary's school and the 7th Day Adventist church next door have illustrations of the tale relief-carved into sandstone blocks. Generations of Bulwell's children have grown up with the legend, and with the city council recently erecting a statue of a bull goring a well in the marketplace, it seems that the traditions surrounding the legend will continue indefinitely.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northwest of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
city centre, on the northern edge of the city. The United Kingdom Census 2001
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
showed there were almost 30,000 people living in the Bulwell area, accounting for over 10% of the population of the city of Nottingham.
Early settlers
The earliest documented settlements in Bulwell appeared circa 800 A.D, and were most likely built around the same time as the first local bridge spanning across the River LeenRiver Leen
The River Leen rises in the Robin Hood Hills just outside Kirkby-in-Ashfield. It then flows through the grounds of Newstead Abbey, skirts Hucknall, goes through Papplewick and on through Bestwood Country Park, and following the route of the Leen Valley into suburban and urban Nottingham, passing...
. With the river being significantly narrower, shallower and slower-moving in Bulwell than in other potential locations along its length and the threat of highwaymen a very real danger on existing cross-country routes, a toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
was constructed in this outpost, allowing for a quicker and safer passage from north to south for travellers but providing an obstacle to less legitimate travellers.
The bridge created a rare direct road to Nottingham from the North West and therefore introduced regular traffic from across the country to the area for the first time.
The tolls
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
levied for crossing the new bridge required the building of a gatehouse for those collecting the levies and providing protection for people using the route: the creation of the toll house thereby inadvertently founding the new settlement. The almost captive market
Captive market
Captive markets are markets where the potential consumers face a severely limited amount of competitive suppliers; their only choices are to purchase what is available or to make no purchase at all. Captive markets result in higher prices and less diversity for consumers...
of the travelling parties provided endless potential for trade, and the abundance of natural resources
Natural Resources
Natural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who"...
made it easy to erect a dwelling. As the volume of traffic using the road increased, so did the size and population of Bulwell.
Bulwell is mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, which was compiled in 1086. [2] Recorded in the book as "Buleuuelle" and classified as a village, Bulwell had by this time become established as a small trading post for all kinds of goods and services. It had expanded to cater both for those living and working in the surrounding area and those travelling further afield, and this in itself encouraged many others to settle in the wider area.
Local people, particularly the poorer of the new settlers, often offered space in their homes to travellers requiring overnight stops. Paying a relatively small price, travellers would share a home-cooked meal with their hosts and sleep in their rooms - a much safer and infinitely more sociable arrangement than continuing onto Nottingham. The river provided local entrepreneurs with the facilities to make beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
, a fact which it appears was exploited freely, and which perhaps led more 'guests' to become overnighters inadvertently and require accommodation!.
Never slow to evolve, by around 1200 Bulwell had grown to provide all the facilities to accommodate animals and their masters alike in droves, becoming something of a one-stop 'service station' on what was fast becoming a relatively major road. Trade in this still relatively small and compact stopping post thrived, with a steady stream of newcomers attempting to exploit the opportunities Bulwell had to offer. Whilst the increase in trade was good for the local economy, the new-found abundance of salesmen and tradesmen split the town in two.
The owners of the 'official', original businesses, having in some cases incurred large expense to build and maintain premises, complained bitterly about an ever-growing number of roaming salesmen undercutting their prices and taking their trade. Since they were also paying rates to the local landowner, they considered their right to monopolise custom inalienable. In response to the complaints, a local law was enacted (circa 1320 AD) forbidding anyone without 'fixed... and at least part-covered premises' from selling goods or services close to the original businesses.
However, the statute was badly worded: to circumnavigate the laws, the salesmen simply fixed posts into the ground, creating market stalls similar in design to their modern counterparts. The stalls were covered for use and left uncovered in situ when not in use, thus both abiding by the law and designating a permanent venue for their sales. The people using these facilities fought hard against the power of the richer businessmen and successfully defended the right of the marketeers to operate alongside them. The location of the Market Place
Market Place
Market Place is the financial programme broadcast Monday to Friday at 10:30pm in Hong Kong by television channel TVB Pearl....
remains virtually unchanged to this day and still houses a bustling market on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
1100-1600
The population grew steadily throughout this period, but the town itself did not grow much in size: opportunities for betterment and the desire of many to live further away from the 'unhealthy' town centres ensured a relatively even flow of traffic in and out of Bulwell.At some point during this time the magnesium limestone on which Bulwell sits began to be quarried. The strong easily crafted durable rock, a dull yellow-orange magnesium limestone (not to be confused with the Bunter sandstone famously underlying Nottingham Castle), provided a perfect building material which was also easy to quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
. Many houses, schools, churches and - particularly - garden walls built using Bulwell Stone still stand to this day, extending for miles around Bulwell in all directions.
An early example can be found in sections of the wall surrounding Wollaton Hall, which was built using Bulwell stone in the late 16th century. The sheer quantities used there - and elsewhere in the city - suggest some kind of professional mining operation must already have been in operation by this time.
Coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
is also found in abundance close to Bulwell. Running as part of much larger seams criss-crossing the region, the coal lies underneath the layers of sandstone and is in places only a few feet beneath the surface. Coalmines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in the area around Bulwell were therefore among the first in the county to operate on a commercial basis, with large-scale mining from around 1500 onward.
Many fortunes were made at the time from the extraction of coal, including that of Sir Francis Willoughby
Francis Willoughby (1547-1596)
Sir Francis Willoughby was an industrialist and coalowner, who built Wollaton Hall in Nottinghamshire.He was the son of Henry Willoughby, a Dorset landowner and Anne, daughter of Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset. Henry had inherited Wollaton from his uncle John Willoughby on 10 January 1549, but...
. Willoughby paid for the building of the extravagant Wollaton Hall (mentioned above) with money obtained through coal-mining. One of the world's first railway lines, completed in 1604 and leading between nearby Strelley and Wollaton
Wollaton
Wollaton is an area in the western part of Nottingham, England. It is home to Wollaton Hall with its museum, deer park, lake, walks and golf course...
, was built by Willoughby's heir to aid transportation of the tons of coal being produced from 'his' mines.
The church on the hill overlooking Bulwell (built 1849-1850) is on the site of the original Bulwell church, which dates back to at least the 13th century. Towering over most of North-East Nottingham, Bulwell Saint Mary the Virgin and All Souls
Church of St. Mary the Virgin and All Souls, Bulwell
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin and All Souls, Bulwell is a parish church in the Church of England.The church is Grade II listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as it is a building of special architectural or historic interest.-History:...
(Known simply as St Mary's) can be seen from many miles away, and its bells
Church bell
A church bell is a bell which is rung in a church either to signify the hour or the time for worshippers to go to church, perhaps to attend a wedding, funeral, or other service...
still ring out across the area each weekend.
1600-1900
In 1667, George Strelley "built a school for the educating and teaching (of) young children of the Inhabitants of the said ParishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
", a stunning building that survives to this day, along with many of the other houses built at this time. The building is now used as a private home but retains many of the original features. 1852 brought the act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
allowing for the extension of the gas pipeline from Basford and the South. This allowed for street lighting, commercial and domestic use, and effectively revolutionised life in the town. The earliest supply of water was not to arrive until 1877, with the many local springs, wells and the river providing for the needs of both business and domestic use until this time. Before 1877, water-borne diseases were rife and the river water highly polluted by both industry and sewage, leading to very high rates of infant mortality across the region. The percentage of children dying before reaching their fifth birthday decreased by over 75% in Bulwell between 1870 and 1890 - a situation that led to dreadful overcrowding and even more demand for already overstretched services like housing. Health care again suffered as a result of the insanitary living conditions, but the population continued to grow apace.
1843 brought bad weather that did irreparable damage to Bulwell Saint Mary's church. The church we have today was built in its place between 1849 and 1851; the architect was Henry Isaac Stevens
Henry Isaac Stevens
Henry Isaac Stevens was an architect based in Derby. He was born in London, in 1806, and died in 1873. In the late 1850s he changed his name to Isaac Henry Stevens.-Family:His parents were Isaac Stevens and Elizabeth Young....
.
In 1885 the new church of St. John the Divine
Church of St. John the Divine, Bulwell
The Church of St. John the Divine, Bulwell is a parish church in the Church of England.The church is Grade II listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as it is a building of special architectural or historic interest.-History:...
on Quarry Road was consecrated.
Bulwell Hall
Bulwell Hall (See picture here) was a grand mansion houseMansion House
Mansion House may refer to:* the official residences of the Mayor or Lord Mayor of various towns and cities in Great Britain and Ireland:** Mansion House, Dublin** Mansion House, London***See also Mansion House tube station on the London Underground...
built in 1770 by landowner John Newton. It was set in its own large grounds to the North of Bulwell town centre, and was known as Pye Wipe Hall when first built; a name which stuck with local folk until the time of its demolition.
After passing through the hands of Newton's ancestors for a time, Bulwell Hall was sold at auction in 1864, along with over 1000 acres (4 km²) of land, to a man named Samuel Thomas Cooper.
Bulwell Hall was later employed variously as a sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
, an 'approved school for boys' and an Italian Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp, before its eventual demolition in 1958.
S.T Cooper and The National School
As a result of the above sale of Bulwell Hall, Samuel Thomas Cooper became the "Lord of the Manor" of Bulwell and its larger areas.Cooper was a philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, and in 1866 he paid £3000 for another school to be built for the local children. Then named the National school, it provided education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
for up to 518 children at a time; a remarkable feat considering the size of the building. Remaining in use as the "old building" of St. Mary the Virgin and All Souls C of E primary school, it is now listed, and houses many fewer pupils than at the time of its creation. (See picture here.)
After Cooper's death, his widow, Annie Cooper, donated £600 to Bulwell Saint Mary's church to provide for a better organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
. Still in use (although now operating electrically powered bellows), the organ houses a plaque commemorating Mrs Cooper's donation, "in memory of (her) husband".
Some sources claim that this man was the same S.T. Cooper who later went on to enclose Bulwell Bogs as his own private ground. (See below.) It is known that Cooper died in 1871, aged 39, and also that the protest over the Bogs took place in 1872, but this does not show conclusively whether the protest taking place after his death was not down to his actions whilst still alive. There is no other "S.T. Cooper" recorded as being Lord of the Manor of Bulwell, leading many to believe the man to be the same.
Boundary changes
The Deanery of Bulwell was created in 1888, four years after the creation of the Southwell diocese.Bulwell then remained a town in its own right until a boundary change in the 1890s made it a part of the City of Nottingham. The beautiful Old Town Hall, rendered useless by the change and built in the 18th century, is now a retail outlet for fireplaces and more recently the top floor which houses the buildings old dance floor(which was unused and discarded for years) has had extensive refurbishment from what was a rundown space last being used as a factory for clothing garments, now being converted back to a place for its primary purpose to be a place for dancing.This is in the form of a dance school housing over 250 local children and adults alike. the buildings tired "old town hall" signage has now gone and a reproduction in its place, vibrant and proudly displaying "old town hall home of Take 5 theatre school of dancing" in the same style and colours of the buildings predecessor this is just one of the signs of the hard work and dedication of those that attend the school and their efforts to bring this landmark building of bulwell back to life.
1900 - present day
Over the past century, Bulwell has grown enormously with the creation of housing estates such as Crabtree Farm, Snape Wood, Highbury Vale and Hempshill Vale.Snape Wood and Sellers Wood were originally part of a swathe of woodland that bordered the landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
site to the north-west of Bulwell, stretching down to the farmland that became Hempshill Vale estate to the south-west.
Both woods were protected under Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
s stretching back to the 14th century, but drastic shortage of housing in Bulwell in the 1960s and 1970s, as in Nottingham as a whole, led to the protection being removed and new housing estates being built.
A token remnant of Snape Wood was left behind in the middle of the new estate, amounting to little more than a small fenced-in copse with three pathways leading through it. Owned by the local authority, Nottingham City Council
Nottingham City Council
Nottingham City Council is the non-metropolitan district council for the unitary authority of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire. It consists of 55 councillors, representing a total of 20 wards, elected every four years. It is led by Jon Collins, of the majority Labour Party. The deputy leader of the...
, the site was designated a Local Nature Reserve
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
, but years of neglect have left the site rubbish-strewn and in need of a structured management plan. Despite constant fly-tipping
Fly-tipping
Fly-tipping is a British term for dumping waste illegally instead of in an authorised rubbish dump. It is the illegal deposit of any waste onto land, i.e...
and a lack of proactive conservation, this site surprisingly supports a wide variety of wildlife, from rare wildflowers to mammals such as grey squirrels
Eastern Gray Squirrel
The eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada...
, hedgehog
Hedgehog
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
s and urban foxes, as well as up to 20 different species of bird. In February 2009, plans to set up a community group to take ownership for the maintenance and conservation of the site on behalf of the local authority were moved forward.
A larger proportion of Sellers Wood remains, with the land also designated as a Local Nature Reserve, actively managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust founded in 1963 is a wildlife conservation charity working to protect and enhance the wildlife and habitats of Nottinghamshire. They care for over 60 nature reserves covering more than of wildlife habitat ranging from wildflower meadows to ancient woodland...
on behalf of the local authority, Nottingham City Council. Sellers Wood was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
by English Nature
English Nature
English Nature was the United Kingdom government agency that promoted the conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England between 1990 and 2006...
in 1981, being cited as "a fine example of broad-leaved semi-natural woodland...of regional importance".
Bulwell no longer has a working quarry, landfill site, coalmine or brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
to employ its residents. Designated industrial areas
Industrial region
Industrial region or industrial area refers to a region with extremely dense industry. It is usually heavily urbanized.-Brazil:*ABCD Region, sometimes called ABC is an industrial region made up of seven municipalities with the greater metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil.-Korea:*Kaesŏng...
such as those found on Greasley Street and Commercial Road were constructed early in the latter half of the 20th Century, followed in the 1980s and '90s by smaller developments of offices and light industrial units such as those on Pottery Way (off Sellers Wood Drive).
The larger developments for industry built in Sellers Wood in the 1980s (off Blenheim Lane/Camberley Road/Dabell Avenue) were further added to during the 1990s. Many other industrial buildings have sprung up in the surrounding area since then and the larger area looks set to grow outwards once more in the near future. The extended industrial estate includes warehousing and distribution for national food retailers, large printing factories, office blocks of all sizes and numerous small- to medium-sized units offering a variety of goods and services.
A large Cash and Carry
Cash and carry (wholesale)
Cash and carry wholesale represents a type of operation within the wholesale sector. Its main features are summarized best by the following definitions:...
wholesalers recently joined the supermarket, petrol station and small row of fast-food outlets between this industrial estate and the rest of Bulwell. This utilises yet another piece of the land that was used for landfill until the 1960s/1970s; leaving only two large fields now without some kind of development.
Just next to the supermarket is a very steep hill which still marks out the edges of the long-abandoned quarry.
Geography
Bordering AshfieldAshfield
Ashfield is a local government district in western Nottinghamshire, England. According to the 2001 UK census, it has a population of 111,387. The district is mostly urban, with a tradition of coal mining. There are three towns in the district; the largest being Sutton-in-Ashfield...
and Broxtowe
Broxtowe
Broxtowe is a local government district with borough status in Nottinghamshire, England, west of the City of Nottingham. It is part of the Greater Nottingham metropolitan area...
districts, 'Greater' Bulwell stretches across an area of around 3.5 square miles (though many would argue that Bulwell's 'catchment' should still include the Bestwood, Bestwood Park, Heathfield and Leen Valley estates, as it did in the past, increasing the size to around 5 square miles.)
The Greater Bulwell area, as designated by the City Council, includes Top Valley, Heron Ridge, Crabtree Farm, Bulwell Hall, Snape Wood, Sellers Wood, Highbury Vale, Hempshill Vale, Bulwell Forest, Bulwell Central, Moorbridge and the area adopting the title 'Bulwell Village', and also a significant amount of Rise Park.
Although the addresses for the Bestwood estates were also originally suffixed 'Bulwell', ward and local area boundaries have been changed to instead link the entire 'Greater Bestwood' area with Basford and Sherwood. The old "seven fields" between Bulwell and Bestwood have now been largely developed, but the historic links between the areas remains constant. The newer estates now covering the fields have just added to the list of 'Satellites' affiliated with Bulwell.
Bulwell Bogs
The centre of Bulwell is located in a valley next to the banks of the River LeenRiver Leen
The River Leen rises in the Robin Hood Hills just outside Kirkby-in-Ashfield. It then flows through the grounds of Newstead Abbey, skirts Hucknall, goes through Papplewick and on through Bestwood Country Park, and following the route of the Leen Valley into suburban and urban Nottingham, passing...
. The Bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
area beside the Leen, known for over 900 years as "Bulwell Bogs", has long been set aside as a place where children can play, paddle and fish.
After an attempt by the Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
to enclose the land around the Bogs, in 1872, the people of Bulwell staged a peaceful protest, massing in their hundreds to protect the 'common' land. Described as "...impeccably well behaved and peaceable to a man; indeed rather joyous of spirit!" in the official records, the people of Bulwell marched a short distance before enjoying lunch by the river. After this, the crowd is said to have "...dispersed quietly and as directed with no further disturbance", later winning the fight to designate the land for the "pleasure and leisure of the people of Bulwell".
The whole Bogs area was set to be demolished in 2002, to make way for a large road-bridge and a transport interchange, from where buses, trams, taxis and trains could all be caught. Fierce public opposition from local people resulted in a campaign being launched to prevent the work; the City Council eventually scrapped the plans.
With help from local community groups and residents, the facilities at Bulwell Bogs were instead upgraded in 2003 to produce a bigger play-park, a safer paddling pool and a cleaner feel, and won a Green Flag Award
Green Flag Award
The Green Flag Award is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the United Kingdom. The scheme was set up in 1996 to recognise and reward green spaces in England and Wales that met the laid down high standards...
in 2004 for the work done to regenerate the area.
As well as the Bogs, there is an area about a mile upstream, near the present-day Moorbridge, which historically attracted children from miles around to play. This led to the nickname "Bulwell-on-Sea" being applied by other Nottingham residents. The building of the outdoor Lido pool nearby further strengthened the connection, with families historically travelling from across the city to spend a day by the water in Bulwell. Unfortunately, despite fierce opposition by local residents, the Lido was demolished in 2006, with the land being sold off to private housing developers.
Transport
Bulwell is a transportation hub for the North Nottingham area. There are three stations serving Bulwell on the Nottingham Express TransitNottingham Express Transit
Nottingham Express Transit is a light-rail tramway in the Nottingham area in England. The first line opened to the public on 9 March 2004, having cost £200 million to construct. The scheme took sixteen years from conception to implementation...
tram system: Bulwell
Bulwell station
Bulwell station is a railway station and tram stop in Bulwell, Nottingham, England.It is located on the Robin Hood Line and the Hucknall branch of the Nottingham Express Transit....
, Bulwell Forest and Moor Bridge. These provide access to Nottingham and Hucknall
Hucknall
Hucknall, formerly known as Hucknall Torkard, is a town in Greater Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, in the district of Ashfield. The town was historically a centre for framework knitting and then for mining but is now a focus for other industries as well providing housing for workers in...
.
Next to Bulwell tram Station is the railway station, where trains on the Robin Hood Line
Robin Hood Line
The Robin Hood Line is a railway line running from Nottingham to Worksop, Nottinghamshire. The stations between Shirebrook and Whitwell are in Derbyshire.The towns and villages served by the route are listed below:*Nottingham*Bulwell*Hucknall...
link Nottingham to Worksop
Worksop
Worksop is the largest town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. It is about east-south-east of the City of Sheffield and its population is estimated to be 39,800...
.
There is also a large bus station and a taxi rank, with two taxi firms based in Bulwell.
Nottingham City Transport
- 17: Nottingham - City Hospital - Bulwell.
- 35: Nottingham - Canning Circus - QMC - Wollaton - Bilborough - Strelley - Bulwell.
- 68/69: Nottingham - Basford Crossing - Bulwell - Hempshill Vale & Snape Wood.
- 70/71: Nottingham - Basford - Bulwell - Rise Park - Arnold.
- N77: Nottingham - Canning Circus - Aspley - Strelley - Bulwell.
- 79: Nottingham - Canning Circus - Nuthall Road - Aspley - Bulwell.
- L11: Arnold - Bulwell - Bilborough - Beeston.
- L13: Nottingham - Canning Circus - Hyson Green - Basford Crossings - Bulwell.
- L14: Nottingham - Canning Circus - Hyson Green - City Hospital - Basford - Bulwell.
Premiere Travel
- S34: Beechdale - Strelley - Broxtowe - Bulwell - Morrisons
- S35: Broxtowe - Bulwell - Morrisons
- S41: Bulwell - Morrisons - Hempshill Vale - Snape Wood - Morrisons - Bulwell
- S42: Morrisons - Bulwell - Bestwood Village - Top Valley - Piccadilly
- S43: Nuncargate - Annesley - Hucknall - Ruffs - Morrisons - Bulwell
- S44: Hucknall - Morrisons - Bulwell
Doyles
- 228: Hucknall - Bestwood Village - Bulwell - Phoenix Park - Assarts Farm - Strelley - Bilborough - QMC - Beeston.
Nottingham Express Transit
- Tram: Nottingham - Forest Fields - Hyson Green - Basford - Bulwell - Hucknall
Education
Schools in and around Bulwell have historically been among the worst-performing in the UK. The entire Bulwell area was designated an "Education Action Zone" in 1999, as part of a high-profile scheme aimed at addressing the problems. Standards have risen slightly since then, but certain major deficiencies persist.The North Nottingham region has the lowest level of students progressing to higher education in the UK, and the 2006-7 league tables for secondary education showed Nottingham's schools to be second-worst achieving in the country.
More recent results show that drastic improvements have been made in some of Bulwell's schools over the past few years; unfortunately in the same time some have also stagnated or even become worse.
One Bulwell school, Hempshill Hall Primary, was served by long standing headteacher
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
Marcia Puckey, who was Britain's longest-serving school Head when she retired in summer 2005, and was awarded the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, in recognition of her ‘services to education’ in the Queen's New Year's Honours List 2006.
Bulwell's flagship school, The Bulwell Academy
The Bulwell Academy
The Bulwell Academy is a large secondary school situated in Bulwell, Nottingham, England, an area of social deprivation. It is run on a house system, and based in the brand-new Bulwell Academy complex.-History:...
, was officially opened in September 2009 and move into the new building in August 2010.
Life in Bulwell
In Bulwell, there are no nightclubs, high class eateries or indeed any of the more metropolitan outlets or establishments, but there is a libraryLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, many churches, and several fast food restaurants
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
. There are also many chip shops
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
, two golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s, a youth club
Youth club
A youth club or youth social club is a place where young people can meet and enjoy activities such as football, soccer, basketball, table tennis, or video games, and other religious, sports activities are frequently sponsored by a community center....
, a police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
and an Tudor-style shopping arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
are hidden off the Market Place.
Bulwell has a strong sense of community. Many families are descended from generations of Bulwellians, and there is still a distinct and unique family feel to the place that belies its size and proximity to the larger Nottingham conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
. Bulwell is a friendly place with a lot of community-based initiatives focusing on improving the area, with volunteers playing a key role in their survival. The Bulwell Credit Union
Credit union
A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at competitive rates, and providing other financial services to its members...
, Bulwell Vision and the active Brownies, Girl Guides, Rainbows
Rainbow (Girl Guides)
A Rainbow Guide is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 5 and 7 . Exact age limits are slightly different in each organisation...
and Cubs
Cub Scout
A Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons, mainly boys normally aged about 7 to 11. In some countries they are known by their original name of Wolf Cubs and are often referred to simply as Cubs. The movement is often referred to simply as Cubbing...
packs, the Bulwell and Basford Rotary Club and Bulwell Community Toy Library are just a few of the projects thriving thanks to the help of the local people.
There is a site for traveller
Irish Traveller
Irish Travellers are a traditionally nomadic people of ethnic Irish origin, who maintain a separate language and set of traditions. They live predominantly in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.-Etymology:...
s of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
heritage in Bulwell that exists as one of only a few 'permanent' sites in the country catering for both roaming and static populations. A lot of work has been done by the nearby schools to ensure the integration of traveller children, work which has won praise from Police, community leaders, and travellers' rights groups nationwide.
There are a number of pubs in Bulwell, one of which (The Scots' Grey, now closed) was featured in a television programme entitled "The Ten Hardest Pubs in Britain". Housing a successful boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
club, it has provided many champion boxers, such as Dominic Wilmot in 2008 and Aaron Brenton in 2009 and taught many hundreds of boys and trained amateur boxers at all levels for generations. However, the pub's reputation for toughness comes as much from fights held outside the ring as in it, and stretches back many years. Fights were regularly held in the nearby Market Place after closing time on Saturday night, with scores being settled as well as money made or lost on the outcomes. Spectators formed a ring around the bare knuckle pugilists, who would fight to the knock out. Betting, challenging (i.e. money offered to any man who can knock down the "hero"), and "purses" offered by crowds were regular sidelines to the fights, which continued until as recently as the 1990s. Ironically, the pub was closed down recently because it was seen to be too "rough" to control adequately!
Despite the closure, the pub's football team (The Scots' Grey F.C.) continue to play, enjoying a great deal of success in the local Sunday League. Winning all three senior trophies in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
for two years running, after being the first team ever to accomplish this feat, coached by Steve "Ozzy" Osborne, the club are hoping to make history by becoming the first team ever to do the 'treble treble': winning all three trophies for three years running.
Crime
Crime levels are very high in the area, compared to both the Nottingham and national averages. In 2003 Bulwell gained the nation's attention after a Nottingham PC, Ged WalkerGed Walker
PC Gerald "Ged" Walker was a police dog handler with Nottinghamshire Police who was killed in the line of duty in Bulwell, Nottingham....
, was killed here in the line of duty. PC Walker was dragged to his death as he attempted to arrest the driver of a stolen taxi; local resident David Parfitt was later sentenced to 13 years for his manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
.
A memorial stone marking the spot where PC Walker died was badly vandalised in January 2006, with a hammer being used to deface and damage the engravings.
Another officer was badly injured in a remarkably similar incident on 10 October 2006. The special constable
Special constable
A Special Constable is a law enforcement officer who is not a regular member of a police force. Some like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police carry the same law enforcement powers as regular members, but are employed in specific roles, such as explosive disposal technicians, court security, campus...
required extensive reconstructive surgery after being dragged along the road by a car when attempting to arrest a man on the Bulwell Hall estate. Four people were arrested.
The fatal shooting of local lad Marvin Bradshaw outside a Bulwell pub, in 2003, led to "gangland-style" reprisal attacks on a large scale, and attracted international interest.
A passenger in the car Mr Bradshaw had been driving on the night of his murder, whilst unhurt in the attack, himself died within months of the event, leading friends and family members to seek revenge on his behalf.
The parents of Michael O'Brien, the man convicted of Mr Bradshaw's murder, were targeted, and despite moving into a "safe house
Safe house
In the jargon of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, a safe house is a secure location, suitable for hiding witnesses, agents or other persons perceived as being in danger...
" on the Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
coast were both also murdered soon afterwards.
O'Brien had already been sentenced to 24 years in prison for Mr Bradshaw's murder. Three of the eight men arrested on charges of conspriracy to murder Mr and Mrs Stirland (O'Brien's parents) were found guilty, in a case still being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission
Independent Police Complaints Commission
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.-Role:...
"Extremely serious matters" are said to have been found in connection with the way the police handled the case. It has since been proven that corrupt police officers implicated heavily in the case actually had passed information to gang boss Colin Gunn around the time of the murders Gunn received a sentence of 35 years for conspiracy to murder Mr and Mrs Stirland and a further 9 years for bribery and corruption of policers officers Gunn was also implicated and arrested,but never charged with the murder of Marian Bates the jeweller.
On 1 July 2006, The day after the 3 were sentenced for the Stirland's murders, a large riot broke out on the Bestwood estate, the former home of Gunn and his gang. Lasting several hours and causing an estimated £10,000 worth of damage, the riots were said to have been triggered by the outcome of the murder trial. 9 people have been convicted in connection with the disturbances.
On 7 August 2006, a local teenager died after he was attacked outside the Moon & Stars pub. 18-year-old Aaron Smith suffered severe head injuries in the attack, which took place on 3 August. A local 24 year old man pleaded guilty to Mr Smith's manslaughter, and awaits sentencing.
Another local man was shot in the neck and back outside the Lord Nelson pub in November 2006, before being abducted, tied up, driven to a country road and left for dead. Three people were arrested and bailed in connection with the crime, which left the 27 year old victim, from Aspley, with serious injuries.
Retail
There are a variety of shops in the Bulwell area, which cover most people's needs, with major store like Argos, boots and Wilkinsons, a few clothes shops and Bulwell has quite a few discount shops where bargains can be had. Bulwell is also the home of Bradrail Awnings and Blinds in Nottingham which is one of the oldest blinds companies in Nottingham and been trading before 1969 and is still one of the largest independent retail shops in BulwellWoolworths is gone and taken over by B and m. Tesco is now up the main street. we have Aldi, a fish and chip shop, chinese and pizza shop along with total petrol station on Sellers wood drive.
Pronunciation and origin of name
Bulwell is locally pronounced as the monosyllabic word 'Bool', which gradually formed through 'Bulwell', 'Bulwull' and then to 'Buwull'.The name is supposed to have been derived from the spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
which runs out of the Bunter
Bunter (geology)
Bunter beds are sandstone deposits containing rounded pebbles, such as can notably be found in Warwickshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Devon and Dorset in England...
sandstone over a bed of clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, near to the northern end of the forest, called "Bull Well." In The Place Names of Notts., it is suggested that the first part of the name may stand for an Anglo Saxon person called Bulla, or a bull, or it may describe the bubbling sound produced by the flowing water of the spring.
Legend has it that the town was named after a bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
struck a sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
rock causing it to seep water - a well. The now sealed well-housing, located in the nature reserve off Bestwood Road, is said to be the original well; i.e. the place that the bull gored. Both Bulwell Saint Mary's school and the 7th Day Adventist church next door have illustrations of the tale relief-carved into sandstone blocks. Generations of Bulwell's children have grown up with the legend, and with the city council recently erecting a statue of a bull goring a well in the marketplace, it seems that the traditions surrounding the legend will continue indefinitely.
Sankeys
Richard Sankey and Son Ltd, perhaps the best known manufacturer of earthenware flower pots in the world, was founded in 1855 at Bulwell. Their clay flower pots were stamped "Sankeys Bulwell Nottingham" around the circumference beneath the rim. Production of terracotta pots ceased in the early 1980s because of competition from plastic.Notable Bulwellians
- Stanley MiddletonStanley MiddletonStanley Middleton FRSL was a British novelist. He was born in Bulwell, Nottinghamshire and educated at High Pavement School, Stanley Road, Nottingham and University College Nottingham....
, Booker prize-winning author. - Les LestonLes LestonAlfred Lazarus Fingleston , better known as Les Leston, is a British former racing driver from England. Les started racing in a Jaguar SS100 before acquiring a Cooper and his own Leston Special. He become a Cooper works driver in 1954 and took the national Formula 3 championship in the same year...
(also known as Alfred Lazarus Fingleston), Grand Prix-winning F1 driver. - Bertie MeeBertie MeeBertram "Bertie" Mee OBE was an English football player and manager, noted for managing Arsenal to their first Double win in 1971. He was the younger brother of fellow footballer Georgie Mee.-Early life:...
, footballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and manager who led ArsenalArsenal F.C.Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
to their first ever DoubleThe DoubleThe Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
win. - Georgie MeeGeorgie MeeGeorge Wilfred "Georgie" Mee was an English professional footballer. He played as a midfielder.Nicknamed the Mighty Atom, he was the older brother of former Arsenal manager Bertie Mee.-Career:...
, footballer, older brother of Bertie Mee. - Wilfrid Reid, professional golfer and golf-course designer.
- Dr Sir Neil CossonsNeil CossonsSir Neil Cossons OBE FSA FMA is Pro-Provost and Chairman of the Council of the Royal College of Art, of which he has been a Governor since 1989. From 1986 to 2000 he was the Director of the Science Museum, London, UK, the National Museum of Science & Industry...
OBE FSA FMA, former Director of the National Museum of Science and Industry; current Chairman of English HeritageEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
, educated at Henry Mellish school. - Richard Sankey, founder in 1855 of world's largest producer of plant pots, Sankey's. Bulwell Hall is locally still nicknamed "Chinatown" because of the Sankeys' manufacturing output: whenever local buildings were being excavated, lots of earthenware pots were discovered. The locals thought they were china clay ware.
- Patrick Doyle (b.1948), songwriter who had a hit song with his group "The Diamonds" in the 1980s, wrote the well-known chart hit "Give a Little Bit", and still lives in Bulwell Hall with his wife Pamela and family.
- Brothers Jason BoothJason BoothJason Booth is a British professional boxer who has competed in the flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight and super bantamweight divisions. He is the current holder of the British and Commonwealth super bantamweight championships...
and Nicky Booth, boxers, both of whom have held concurrent British and Commonwealth titles (at FlyweightFlyweightFlyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...
and BantamweightBantamweightBantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
respectively), educated at Henry Mellish School. - Richard Gennard, alumnus of University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
- Albert BallAlbert BallAlbert Ball VC, DSO & Two Bars, MC was an English fighter pilot of the First World War and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British or Commonwealth armed forces...
, First World War Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying CorpsThe Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
pilot and air ace who was awarded the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the Military CrossMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
and the Croix de guerreCroix de guerreThe Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
before his death in battle aged just 20. - Malcolm StarkeyMalcolm StarkeyMalcolm Starkey is an English former professional footballer. He played in The Football League with Blackpool, Shrewsbury Town and Chester and later worked as secretary at Shrewsbury.-Playing career:...
, English footballer - The Very Reverend Canon Walter Beasley, Priest, Ex-Dean of Nottingham diaconate and Rector of Bulwell Saint Mary's Church.
- John Bird (actor)John Bird (actor)John Bird is an English satirist, actor and comedian.-Early life:Born in Bulwell, Nottingham, England, and educated at High Pavement Grammar School, Nottingham, Bird briefly joined the Socialist Party of Great Britain, while still at school...
, Satirist, actor and comedian educated at High Pavement Grammar School New College NottinghamNew College NottinghamNew College Nottingham is an amalgamation of education establishments in the City of Nottingham. The College caters for students from the age of 14 and has several campuses throughout the Nottingham conurbation, primarily in the City itself...
. - Famous actress Debra Juett, was born in Bulwell in 1884 before moving to Hungary in 1892. Most notably starred in The Last BohemianThe Last BohemianThe Last Bohemian is a 1912 Hungarian film directed by Michael Curtiz. It was Curtiz's debut film as a director....
.