Bestwood Estate

[loppylugs 8,336]

3 hours ago, loppylugs said:

Funny how they all look like the kids I went to school with.  We all looked the same back then.  

 

Gormless!  Eh Jill?   

[loppylugs 8,336]

216.  Reminds me of a story I heard about male and female Grizzly bears who caught up with an unfortunate Chekoslovakian hiker.  All that was left was the unfortunate man's clothes.  A vet was reported to have said later that day.  "The Check's in the male!"

 

I'll get me coat.....

[Jill Sparrow 9,574]

#217

 

Well, let's say they don't exhibit the same embryonic charm as our Ben! Ben, by the way, from the photos,  has quite a noticeable facial bone structure which probably resulted in quite distinctive features as an adult. His face, even as a child, draws the eye to it. As I said, I've never met him and I've no idea whether the avatars he's posted are images of him or someone else. Therefore, I have nothing to use as a comparison.

 

After what I've just said, he'll probably be unable to get his head through the hotel doorway tonight but I think we can probably rely on Chulla to puncture his ego!  

[benjamin1945 15,496]

Ouch. Lol

[Cliff Ton 9,955]

Another thread which has been wrecked by Photobucket, so I'll add a replacement.  To get your bearings, the arrow is the cross-roads of Hucknall Road / Arnold Road. Bestwood is the empty fields in the background. Follow the line of trees westwards and you'll see Marble Arch.

[FLY2 10,106]

Nice one CT. I see that my house has recently been built, so I presume it's early to mid 30's.

[DJ360 6,353]

Kev, that pic is from an unusual angle and had me foxed for a bit.  Have now worked it out though.  Thanks for posting.

 

Col

[Cliff Ton 9,955]

Looking at it again now, I hadn't realised there are two bridges through the embankment, i.e. two Marble Arches, roughly either side of where Kersal Drive comes out. They stand out on the photo even though they only led to fields.

[benjamin1945 15,496]

Thats right cliff-ton................the second one we used to call 'Tit Hill'.......as the track was in a small valley with a distinctive hill on either side,that led to '7 fields'.........which we called the gap between old Bestwood estate and Bestwood Village..........

 

As you went under the Arch.........to the right was part of 'Rigleys Wagon Works'.........and to the left was Rigleys very basic social club,....which consisted of a football and cricket pitch.........and a rough wooden hut which i remember served Beer straight from a Barrel ,a few of my old school mates and Uncles worked for Rigleys...............

[FLY2 10,106]

Re CT's last post. Wasn't there some sort of archway further along Hucknall Rd past the golf course, near the railway overbridge,on the right just prior to Bestwood Rd ? I may be wrong, but no doubt someone will correct me.

[Cliff Ton 9,955]

Looking on Old Maps, I can see just such a feature so your memory isn't wrong !

[FLY2 10,106]

Phew, thanks.

[FLY2 10,106]

Can someone confirm whether the Wagon Works was Wigleys, or Rigleys. I've seen both spellings mentioned, but I thought it was Wigleys. There used to be a picture of an advertisement somewhere, but since the demise of P B , I can't trace it .

[trogg 1,745]

Rigleys

[Merthyr Imp 729]

Yes, it was W. Rigley & Sons.  This advert appears in the book 'The Rise & Fall of Nottingham's Railway Network Vol. 2' by Hayden J. Reed:

 

[FLY2 10,106]

That's it MI. Got the book, but just couldn't remember which one. 

[trogg 1,745]

• With regards to Marble arch there was three bridges along this stretch of Hucknall road , if I recall correctly they were all built similarly to Marble Arch . There was Marble Arch and then further along the next one was where Gala way now is and finally the last one was where Bestwood Park drive now is.
• If you go on old-maps.co.uk  and look on the 1985/86 maps it shows clearly that they were built for access to farms when the leen valley railway was built.

[trogg 1,745]

Sorry I made an error in my previous comment the second bridge is not Gala way but Top Valley way. The web site I referred to is a great site to  find out how different areas have changed over the last 150 years.

[benjamin1945 15,496]

Spot on Trogg..........then as the line turns up Bestwood road,just before the Village there was/is another one...............

[Cliff Ton 9,955]

This is the arch under the railway line at the Bulwell end in the early 50s. The road is Bestwood Road and you can see the cottages which are still there.

[FLY2 10,106]

As I've stated in other topics, myself and a couple of friends used to cycle from FFGS at 4.15 to either Carrington Stn, or if the weather was good, we'd ride to Bulwell Common and the surrounding areas until the southbound Fast Fish had been. Various times have been mentioned, but I reckon on some days, there were two trains. The last being about 6.30. We'd then grudgingly cycle home and try and concentrate on some homework !

[BulwellBrian 107]

 Cliff. Ton, The bridge on the last photo is on the GCR/GNR connecton which was built at the same time as the GCR main line on the viaduct. The bridges were iron on blue brick abutments not red brick arches.

 

I am a bit puzzled as I recall such a bridge on this line but I remember it as further towards Moor Bridge. Perhaps I mis remember.

 

Fly2, there were two fish trains about 20 minutes apart in the 1950's. My mates and I called them big fish and little fish, I am not sure where they came from (Grimsby or Hull) or where they went, they always had some fish vans behind the guardsvan. In those days big fish was usually hauled by a K3 2-6-0 and little fish by a B1 4-6-0, in latter years Britannia 4-6-2 appeared.

[Merthyr Imp 729]

In my day (1961/62) at least, the evening fish train rain from Grimsby to Whitland in south west Wales, but vans would have been detached at various places along the way so only a few went the full distance.

[FLY2 10,106]

Quite right MI. I assumed that the empties were returned in similar fashion, then making one complete train to Grimsby, 

However, I gather they were returned from various locations to Woodford. Then added to the next available fully fitted train heading northwards. 

 

BB, I believe one departed Grimsby, and the other from New Clee. I'll investigate when I've time to dig my relevant books out. 

Ive also seen BR Standard  Class 5's on them too. 

[DJ360 6,353]

I remember 2 fish trains in the early 1960s.  We used to run home from school to see the first, which as I recall ran south through Bulwell Common at  either 4:15 or 4:30. The later one was at about 6 or 6:30.. or 'after tea'...  Normally pulled by 'Brits' at that time, though other types appeared occasionally.

 

Cliff.  As far as I know the 'cut through' you have 'red arrowed' above is still there, though it no longer has the 'Bestwood Park Branch' over it running off the GC mainline.  I last used it a few years ago to walk through to the Railway Club ( which appears to be not yet built) and would be between the cut through and St Albans Rd, which is just about visible top right.

 

Marble Arch and the other arches mentioned above were on the other side of Bulwell Common.  That is, over to the left from your pic, and on the far side of Hucknall Rd.  The first was close to where I think Fly now lives..a couple of hundred yards nearer to Bulwell Common.  It cut under the Leen Valley line onto Andover Road Bestwood Estate. The next was just beyond Rigley's wagon works and when I was a kid just ran onto a track which we called 'Lover's Lane' and which accessed Top Valley.. or Topvalley Farm. It now provides access through the banking to  Top Valley Way.  I think it also provided access on the left up to Forest Farm.  The third cut under the Leen Valley line and was an access for, I think, Rise Farm.  It is now the main access to Rise Park.  Finally, As Benjamin points out, there was/is another arch.. 'round the corner on the right' on Bestwood Road.  That is.. on the right as you head to Bestwood Colliery.  As far as I can make out.. it provided access to Forge Farm.

 

Here's a current 'Google' version of each:

 

Marble Arch:  https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.994361,-1.177091,148m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

Top Valley Way:  https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.003702,-1.18047,147m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

Bestwood Park Drive West.: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.0102077,-1.1845876,153m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

Forge Farm: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.0186939,-1.1820505,146m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

And the whole area: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.0086485,-1.1806649,5175m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

Thinking back to what a lovely area it was before the march of 'suburbia' conquered it, always makes me rather wistful.

 

Col