Fishfinger

Not Andrew (Manuel) Sachs, but his father, Leonard. The Sachs escaped from the Nazis in pre-war Germany on the same boat as a friend’s father and grandparents. The rest of the family weren’t so lucky

Anyone know when C&A opened its first shop in the city? I know they arrived in the UK in 1922, and built an impressive (but sadly short-lived) Art Deco store in Sheffield in the late 1930s - were they in Nottingham also by then?

Once British intelligence had the frequencies for Knickebein, and later X-gerat, they broadcast jamming signals on the same frequency, which made the German system effectively useless (one of the jamming stations, codenamed ‘aspirins’, was located in Charnwood, not far from Coalville). This resulted in the Luftwaffe having to fall back on visual targeting. In the case of Coventry, whoever ordered the jamming frequency got it completely wrong, so the Luftwaffe crews were able to recognise it, and ignore it. After the initial fires were started, of course, visual target location was

There were several Starfish (decoy fires) sites around Nottingham - the best known was called the Cropwell Butler site, though some distance away. There was also one at Diseworth (now under M1Jn24), and also just outside Cotgrave, which earnt its keep, judging by the craters in the woodland there! The Starfish sites were very different from the decoy trucks, etc (some of which were made by Nottingham’s rag trade!) in that they were live fires, lit after the first wave of German pathfinder bombers had bombed their target, and intended to deceive the Luftwaffe main force into bombing

The safety of the caves was psychological rather than physical! I used to work with Nottingham caves expert Tony Waltham, and so was able to get into places not generally open at the time. When we went on a tour of the Peel St caves/air raid shelter, Tony pointed out that the top end of the caves (sand mine) was so near the surface, and the rock so porous, that if anything of any size had been dropped on the shelter, it would have gone straight through and exploded IN the shelter, similar to the Co-Op bakery incident, but the number of casualties would have been far higher. Indeed, a bomb drop

If the ‘huts’ were there c.1920, they were probably “recycled” Army huts from 1914-18. They could have been from a local base, or even possibly from the Machine Gun Corps camp at Belton near Grantham, which was huge! These huts were well-built and some lasted well into the 1970s at least - my school in Grantham had one which housed the domestic science classroom and dinner hall, and others had new lives as village halls, so it’s entirely possible that’s what these ‘huts’ were (I saw one still in existence, but showing its age, a year or two back in Co. Durham - not bad for ‘temporary’ structur

Thanks all for the information. As mentioned, there is so much conflicting material about as to which was the actual building - you’d have thought it was something so literally burnt into the city’s psyche it would be well known! Mega thanks to Clif Ton for the aerial shot - I have seen several, but this one is new to me, and really helped in sorting out the bakery location. Presumably the little vehicles dotted about are the ‘new electric delivery vans’ mentioned by Una? I can’t remember now if I asked this elsewhere, but does anyone know where the online eye witness a

I know this topic is mentioned on several threads, but the dire “search” facility won’t find them for me! I’m trying to find out *exactly* where the building was that was hit - was it the building that still exists that is painted blue, that was recently the Stephen Jenkins bed/bathroom place, or was it a separate one? I’ve been looking at old aerial photos, but am no wiser. Also, I’ve seen a sketch map of the layout, but can’t now find it - was it on Nottstalgia, or a different site? Thirdly, I know I’ve read an eye-witness account online, but again, can’t now find it.

It was Suthell when I lived there briefly as a kid - never heard of 'Southwell' until the 1990s and poncy London incomers! Mansfield friend born and bred insists it is Rennoth!

Fascinating stuff - only coming to this part of the city in the 80s, I never realised Bilbie Walk had a previous existence, nor knew Arkwright Building as anything other than educational facilities (the Fashion Dept dye technology labs were in the top floor at the Bilbie end in my day). Terrace Royal at the bottom of Clarendon Street is now Grade1 listed externally, but the ghastly object plonked on what for years was a car park between there and the Chaucer Building can't be said to complement it!

Having intimate acquaintance with the goods lift in Newton, and how much kit would fit in it (not), I imagine most bands would take their gear up in the public lifts at the front! I have to say though that I never realised how many great names had hallowed the old Refectory area with their presence - in my time in Newton, it was just an empty space my department would have loved to occupy!

It was bloody difficult to get to see bands in Nottingham when you lived in Grantham, but luckily for me, my Dad allowed his arm to be twisted and he took a carload of us to see our favourite band at the Portland - Horslips, then the biggest band in Ireland after Thin Lizzy, and inventors of Celtic rock. I won't go into how we got into the dressing room, but we did, and have stayed friends with the band ever since! We saw them again there the following year (invited into the dressing room that time!), and later I saw the Italian prog band PFM at the Portland, but had to leave early in order to

I'm one of those who intensely dislike the vandalism perpetrated on Slab Square, particularly the 'Weeing Wall', which bears no relationship to its surroundings in scale, purpose or materials, and which meant the destruction of a far more useful 'weeing facility'! What I want to know, though, is has anyone improved it by the addition of Fairy Liquid, as regularly happened with its predecessors?

Oh, you would! I've had the dubious pleasure of seeing the proposals made in the 1960s for the new 'civic centre', which would have stretched from Newton up to the crossroads with the St Ann's Road on Mansfield Rd, along the bottom of the Arboretum, and back up Goldsmith St. They make Maid Marian Way look like a model of sympathic planning in scale with the rest of the city - horrendous! I personally rather like Newton myself - I always think it's like a big dog that's so ugly you can't help being fond of it, and certainly, there are far worse monstrosities in the city from the Br

It's actually a rather positive addition to Beeston, for a change - it covers the massive, depressing, blank side wall of the Square buildings on the side of Station Rd, and depicts Richard Beckinsale, Edwin Starr and Sir Paul Smith. The same artist has created other pieces of art around Beeston centre, including a portrait of Boon and Rocky on the side of The Star

Yep, on the sides of the Central Fire Station door! I believe the lizard is a salamander, which in its mythical form is supposed to be impervious to fires, hence appropriate for a fire station. The unit in the lower of the previous photos I have seen identified as Beeston Fire Brigade, taken at the old firemen's housing on Villa St. Is there a specific thread on the Dakin's fire? I have only been on Nottstalgia a few days, but have seen several references to it, and am curious. I always thought that end of Talbot St. looked a mess - is that why?

Interested in any memories of Trent's Newton Building prior to the 1980s, when I worked there - I was told it was originally designed in the 1930s, but the plans had to be mothballed due to the war/lack of finance after, hence construction being delayed until the late 1950s. Previous to starting at Trent Poly, I worked at Loughborough University; my boss there had trained at Nottingham Tech, and told me that in the city it was known as 'the Kulturpalast' due to being thought similar to Stalinist architecture of the period! I was also told that originally it was planned to be the centre one of

I remember Nonsuch - as 'Hairy' kids in Grantham (anyone remember Hairies? A now-forgotten youth culture between the hippy and punk eras), Nottingham was the 'promised land', and Nonsuch and 'the hippy shop' on the first floor of the Viccy were our primary targets, though Miss Selfridge in the Viccy and the original Chelsea Girl on Wheeler gate, as well as Sisson & Parker's and Blackwell's bookshops, and the original (tiny) Token House were also on our shopping itinerary. We ate in a first floor 'Tudor' restaurant on Upper Parliament St, on the north side of the road, can't recall the name

Clif Ton, the large white building behind the modern school (College House/The Lanes) is College House itself. It has a huge copper beech and a yew which are apparently from the arboretum, as are the large dark trees on 'Goodacre St'. College House was part of the original school, despite being architecturally different, as I have a print in the prospectus showing it joined to the school building by a covered walkway, part of which apparently remains. The brick building behind College House is the college itself, now divided into 2 private houses. The tower where the spire should have been is

She is called 'Just Jane', and is privately owned. She is currently restricted to taxi runs, as the airframe is not airworthy, but the owners are trying to raise enough to get her flying again. Before her days as 'gate guard' at Scampton, they had one of Barnes Wallis's blockbuster bombs there. Everyone assumed it wasn't filled, but when they came to remove it they discovered - it was! Nice mess that would have made of anything on the A15...

Yes, Richard Beckinsale went to College House School - there is a Beeston Blue Plaque there now, as well as the stunning huge mural on the side of the Beeston Square precinct buildings. There are 4 'modern' houses on College Road itself - a 1960s-70s Vicarage next to the church, then at the top, a pair of 1950s semis constructed as police housing, then a large 1960s detached. There's also a set of 3 'couldn't swing a cat' terraced houses technically on the jittyway between College Road and Lime Grove Ave - which is actually called Goodacre Street, after the original school founder

I used to work with with a guy who trained as a TV engineer at Rediffusion, as did his brother. Rediffusion did also have an electrical goods rental side, which operated all over the country (my Gran in Yorkshire got her tellys from them), and also sold reconditioned ex rental tellys. My colleague's brother once had an 'experience' at Balloon Wood flats (whereabouts were they? Before my time in Nottingham, I think). He was sent to reclaim a telly on which the rental was outstanding. As he got out of his van, the defaulting renter appeared on one of the balconies holding the telly i

Thanks, Jill. Besides the College building, there is also College House, which is also part of the original boarding school, and is on the opposite side to the side your aunt would have lived. It belonged at one time to the local education authority, but was sold off around 2000, and is now a private house. Perhaps this was the house your aunt meant? Lots of people would have worked there.

Thanks, Jill! Can you remember if the building still had its spire then? It would have been quite a dominant feature! Incidentally, College Road was originally the private driveway up to the College, and where College House School was built was the cricket ground! The large number of unusual trees were intended as an arboretum to further educate the boys of the original school, and pre-1950s maps also show what appears to be a belt of woodland extending from behind College House to the High Road.

Many will no doubt have memories of the former College House School on College Road in Chilwell (now called The Lanes Primary). However, does anyone have memories - or better still, photos - of the Victorian College itself, at the very top of College Road? Apparently in Victorian times and at least the first part of the 20thC, it had a big spire on top of the tower, with another floor beyond the 3 remaining now. It was easily visible from the railway before all the development between there and Chilwell High Road was built up, so must have been a striking building! I'm looking for