Hidden Valleys
Encyclopedia
Hidden Valleys was a name coined in 2004 to describe an area of interesting historical and scenic value between Nottingham
and Mansfield
in the county of Nottinghamshire
. Promotional Literature and tourist information for the Hidden Valleys were created to encourage tourism in an area which had been blighted by industrial decline. Partners in the project were Ashfield
District Council, Gedling
District Council, the East Midlands
development agency, Nottinghamshire
County Council, and the Coalfields Regeneration Trust
.
, the romantic novelist D. H. Lawrence
, "bodyline" fast bowlers Harold Larwood
& Bill Voce
and the Composer Eric Coates
as well as links to the legends of Robin Hood
.
and Newstead Abbey
are two stately homes within the area. Historical religious buildings include Felley Priory, Selston
St Helens Church, one of the county's oldest churches, and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Hucknall
, resting place of the Byron family and home to a fine collection of stained glass
by the acclaimed artist Charles Eamer Kempe
.
Papplewick Pumping Station
is a fine example of a Victorian waterworks and houses an industrial museum. Bestwood Pumping Station
is nearby.
D. H. Lawrence's birthplace in Eastwood
houses a museum.
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...
and Mansfield
Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
in the county of 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...
. Promotional Literature and tourist information for the Hidden Valleys were created to encourage tourism in an area which had been blighted by industrial decline. Partners in the project were Ashfield
Ashfield
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...
District Council, Gedling
Gedling
Gedling is a local government district with borough status in Nottinghamshire, England. Its council is based in Arnold. It is part of the Greater Nottingham metropolitan area lying to the North and East of the City of Nottingham....
District Council, the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
development agency, 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...
County Council, and the Coalfields Regeneration Trust
Coalfields Regeneration Trust
The Coalfields Regeneration Trust is an independent grant-making organisation that was established in 1999 to improve the quality of life in Britain’s coalfield communities...
.
Famous People of the Hidden Valleys
The area boasts links with the Poet Lord Byron, his daughter Ada LovelaceAda Lovelace
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace , born Augusta Ada Byron, was an English writer chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the analytical engine...
, the romantic novelist D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
, "bodyline" fast bowlers Harold Larwood
Harold Larwood
Harold Larwood was an English cricket player, an extremely accurate fast bowler best known for his key role as the implementer of fast leg theory in the infamous "bodyline" Ashes Test series of 1932–33....
& Bill Voce
Bill Voce
Bill Voce was an English cricketer. He played for the Nottinghamshire and England, and was an instrumental part of England's infamous Bodyline tour of Australia in 1932–1933.-Life and career:...
and the Composer Eric Coates
Eric Coates
Eric Coates was an English composer of light music and a viola player.-Life:Eric was born in Hucknall in Nottinghamshire to William Harrison Coates , a surgeon, and his wife, Mary Jane Gwynne, hailing from Usk in Monmouthshire...
as well as links to the legends of Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
.
Buildings of Importance
Annesley Hall, NottinghamshireAnnesley Hall, Nottinghamshire
Annesley Hall near Annesley in Nottinghamshire, England, is the ancestral home of the Chaworth-Musters family.The Hall dates from the mid thirteenth century, but was significantly enlarged and improved by Patrick Chaworth, 3rd Viscount Chaworth....
and Newstead Abbey
Newstead Abbey
Newstead Abbey, in Nottinghamshire, England, originally an Augustinian priory, is now best known as the ancestral home of Lord Byron.-Monastic foundation:The priory of St...
are two stately homes within the area. Historical religious buildings include Felley Priory, Selston
Selston
Selston is a hilltop village and civil parish in the District of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 12,208 St Helen's Church dates back to 1150 AD although the exterior of the church was altered by restoration and enlargement in 1899...
St Helens Church, one of the county's oldest churches, and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Hucknall
Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Hucknall
The Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, 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 particularly significant building of more than local interest....
, resting place of the Byron family and home to a fine collection of stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
by the acclaimed artist Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
.
Papplewick Pumping Station
Papplewick Pumping Station
Papplewick Pumping Station, in the Nottinghamshire village of Papplewick, was built by Nottingham Corporation Water Department between 1881 and 1885 to pump water from the Bunter sandstone to provide drinking water to the City of Nottingham.-Construction:...
is a fine example of a Victorian waterworks and houses an industrial museum. Bestwood Pumping Station
Bestwood Pumping Station
Bestwood Pumping Station was a water pumping station operating in Nottinghamshire from 1874 until 1964.-History:Bestwood Pumping Station was built between 1871 and 1874 on land belonging to William Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St Albans. It was commissioned by the Nottingham Water Company and designed...
is nearby.
D. H. Lawrence's birthplace in Eastwood
Eastwood, Nottinghamshire
Eastwood is a former coal mining town in the Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, England. With a population of over 18,000, it is northwest of Nottingham, and northeast of Derby, on the border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Mentioned in Domesday Book, it expanded rapidly during the...
houses a museum.