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An absolutely amazing church. Right in the middle of the housing estates, down a little road (St. Martin's Road) and there it is, Bilborough village comprising two old farms, a row of old cottages, an old rectory and St. Martin of Tours church Bilborough Village. A huge extension was built a few years ago. Some say it ruined the church and some say it improved. Perhaps God doesn't like us to freeze to death on a winter's evensong. Inside is the grave and the plaque concerning Edmund Helwys who founded the See Baptist movement. Edmund and his son Thomas lived just along the road in Broxtowe Hall. By the time he died, the old church at Broxtowe had gone so he was buried near his favourite pew in the Church of St. Martin of Tours in Bilborough Village. Alas, Broxtowe Hall was demolished in the 1930s to allow them to build the Broxtowe Housing Estate. Maybe we should open a thread on that.

The graveyard at Bilborough Village, although vandalised, has many interesting graves including many of the Towle family who lived at Bilborough village and many of whose descendants still live in the area. A few years ago, large murals were discovered behind the false ceiling. Unfortunately the lower half of these murals have been painted over.

As a Bilboroughite born and bred, and back living there, I have a huge interest in the history of the area. It is said that the Barber Walker coal factors had their coal wharves, primitive coal pits and even their homes in the village, before the coal ran out and they moved their interests to the Eastwood area. Sadly, none of them are buried at Bilborough.

I have loads of notes about Bilborough Village and church somewhere in the house. I really must dig them out.

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But remember the part of Bilborough I live in was once part of the old Wollaton Estate. Bilborough Village still has a great atmosphere even though there are modern houses and flats (YUKKK!!!) in the village. As well as the old farmhouses, one of which is now a community centre, and church and cottages, there is also an old forge and a sort of dovecote. Also an old cottage on Strelley Road, and the old Manor Farm which is now social services. This was once farmed by Joe Woodhouse after whom the outer loop road is named as his son also farm Chilwell Dam Farm in its last years. I had a great conversation on the 'phone with him about 15 years ago and he told me in great detail about the farming in that area between the two world wars. I made notes. I really must find them.

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  • 1 month later...

An absolutely amazing church. Right in the middle of the housing estates, down a little road (St. Martin's Road) and there it is, Bilborough village comprising two old farms, a row of old cottages, an old rectory and St. Martin of Tours church Bilborough Village. A huge extension was built a few years ago. Some say it ruined the church and some say it improved. Perhaps God doesn't like us to freeze to death on a winter's evensong. Inside is the grave and the plaque concerning Edmund Helwys who founded the See Baptist movement. Edmund and his son Thomas lived just along the road in Broxtowe Hall. By the time he died, the old church at Broxtowe had gone so he was buried near his favourite pew in the Church of St. Martin of Tours in Bilborough Village. Alas, Broxtowe Hall was demolished in the 1930s to allow them to build the Broxtowe Housing Estate. Maybe we should open a thread on that.

The graveyard at Bilborough Village, although vandalised, has many interesting graves including many of the Towle family who lived at Bilborough village and many of whose descendants still live in the area. A few years ago, large murals were discovered behind the false ceiling. Unfortunately the lower half of these murals have been painted over.

As a Bilboroughite born and bred, and back living there, I have a huge interest in the history of the area. It is said that the Barber Walker coal factors had their coal wharves, primitive coal pits and even their homes in the village, before the coal ran out and they moved their interests to the Eastwood area. Sadly, none of them are buried at Bilborough.

I have loads of notes about Bilborough Village and church somewhere in the house. I really must dig them out.

Hi Bilbraborn

Been a while since I was on, but saw this post. Re the Barbers and Bilborough, I know for a fact that at least two of my Barber great etc grandfathers were buried at Bilborough. I have been and couldn;t find graves outside the church, although there was a plot marked Barber on a church's graveyard map. I suspect they might have been interred in the church as I have a v old letter (19th century) from a Barber talking about his father wishing to be buried next to his father in or by the chancel in the church. Are you local? I am so rarely up in Notts that I'd love anyone to investigate in the church itself as that would answer why no graves outside. Tom.

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Ver busy at present, but your post has prompted me to have another look in that graveyard when I get a minute. I know there has been some vandalism.

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Mystery solved! I spoke to the wonderful Hilary Wheat who is a churchwarden, and she told me that they'd found Thomas Barber (my great x5 grandfather)'s memorial stone in the chancel, hence no sign of the grave in the churchyard itself. The plaque is being placed on the wall as part of the magnificent sounding restoration of the church. Sounds like English Heritage and the National Lottery have done a fabulous job. Now we need to track down Francis Barber, Thomas Barber's father, who is also, apparently buried at Bilborough!

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This is a subject close to my heart. I was born at Bilborough (in my mum's bedroom in an old prefab on Wigman Road), and grew up there. I am now back and have a huge interest in the early mining around there. The Barber/Walker coal mining factors started mining around that area before the coal was all worked out and they moved their interests to the Eastwood area. Now I am local, I can easily go up and have another nosey. I really must find time.

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  • 5 months later...

I really would love to visit but work commitments among other things give me little time. Keep coming up with any stories about Bilborough. Did you know that the foundations to the old manor house are buried nearby. There was an interesting article in one of the Transactions of the Thoroton Society.

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Bilbraborn, I have an old book County Churches Nottinghamshire, and this is what they write about St. Martin, (I apologise if you already know these facts)

This small church consists of chancel with N. vestry, nave, S. porch and W. tower. Porch (with crocketed ogee canopy over entrance), the square-headed traceried windows of both nave and chancel and a disused doorway are c.1400. Three-light E. window is early 15th century. On N. side of nave is large built up archway, where there was a former chapel. Two-staged embattled tower, c 1450. Octagonal font apparently coeval with tower. In vestry stands a discarded late Jacobean alter. Chancel arch modern. On N. side of chancel mural monument, with Latin inscription, to Sir Edmund Helwys, of Broxtowe, 1500. (Reg.1569. G 1634-82 M.pt)

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It is said that the Barber Walker coal factors had their coal wharves, primitive coal pits and even their homes in the village, before the coal ran out and they moved their interests to the Eastwood area.

Looking back on old posts in this thread reminded me of this.

From the Sanderson map of the 1830s, you can see several 'Collieries', 'Coal Pits', a 'Coal Wharf' and a 'Railway'.

bilbrough.jpg

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Thanks for all that stuff. A few years ago I had a good shufty around the graveyard and photographed some of the gravestones while they were still standing (most have been shoved over). I also had a good look around the church and was able to see a lot of the old artifacts still in there which I duly photographed. The old baptismal font is now in the new section. The murals weren't visible at that time. I have a lot of info on Broxtowe Hall which had huge links with St Martin de Tours church at Bilborough Village.

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As a youngster in Bilborough in the fifties and sixties, there was still much to see of the old bell pits, especially in the woods near the bottom of Glaisdale Drive. There were derelict sections of the Bilborough Cut in the Roughs, Glaisdale Drive bottom woods and at the back of Glenbrook and Glaisdale schools.

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Any connection with this church and Martin's Pond a medieval fish pond? I have heard it said that the pond was originally called St Martin's Pond.

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There were two. Martin's pond is between the railway and Russell Drive and was once accessible from the Allotments. Then there was the one on the corner of Strelley Road and Wigman Road at Bilborough. Long been built over but some say it was once a bell pit but got filled up with water. In my childhood, I regularly got soaked and muddied in both of them.

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and the infoboard says its so called because it used to be fished by a Mr Martin! Really dumb that one!!

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May I again refer readers to " Britain from Above" and type in Wollaton. You will see Ariel views of the Agricultural Show in the 1920s and also some photos up to and including 1947 when Lambourne Drive was being mapped out.

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May I again refer readers to " Britain from Above" and type in Wollaton. You will see Ariel views of the Agricultural Show in the 1920s and also some photos up to and including 1947 when Lambourne Drive was being mapped out.

See #24

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Fantastic Dave. A lot of this I already knew. My paternal grandparents lived on Ewell Road and my grandfather had a double allotment to the rear of his house garden. My dad also had at least two allotments near Martin's Pond. We used to trek from our house on Wigman Road Bilborough (where I am now living) every Sunday morning to my grandparents. Our route was up Glaisdale Drive, along a wide sandy path to the Old Coach Road train bridge (until they built SPD in the late 50s), across the train bridge and down a path to lock 17 on the canal where we crossed, We then proceeded along the tow path until we got to one of the rear entrances to the allotments at the bottom of the canal embankment. My dad had a padlock key so we let ourselves and walked up the avenue to my grand dads allotment which we cut through to his house. I have memories of visiting the allotment holders Association sales hut and also paddling in the stream which ran through the allotments. I believe this was Bilborough Brook (or Echo Stream as we called it) mentioned in another thread. I also remember piles of soot left by people near the avenues for use of the gardeners. And yes I also remember the strange contents of the cinders.

My grandfather was a train driver and regularly whistled as he went past on the nearby line. Late summer and Autumn was a time of harvest and we regularly barrowed apples. pears, plums and other produce back home for mum to deal with. Pre-freezer days, beans were bottled in rock salt and Plums and tomatoes in Kilner jars. Apples like Coxes could be stored in a cool dark place. Other fruit was made into jam.

Happy Days.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I was christened at this church in the 1950's. I remember those murals on the wall when I went to Sunday school in the early 1960's before they were covered up. Must visit again now that they have been restored.

The last time I visited a fence had been put up between the church and the rectory. Before the housing estate was built you could see the church from Strelley Road as there was some wasteland with a large pond in the middle. On the edge of the wasteland adjoining Strelley Road there used to be alittle funfair with rides and stalls appear directly after Goose Fair. I remember going on the Cakewalk.

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I remember that Fair very well. I used to spend time on the Rifle Range. When they built the houses, the building firm, Fleet by name, went bankrupt half way through the contract and was taken over by Searsons who my Dad was working for at the time. He didn't transfer to that site though.

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