Canal at Wollaton


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21 hours ago, Beekay said:

Driven a 56 and 60 round that island many times. Irrelevant I know. :rolleyes:

 

Beekay,

 

was it the 53 service that routed from the the Crown,  (terminating at the lay-by at house number 27), to the northern end of Western Boulevard and back?

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A composite of images from Britain from Above which shows the canal near Wollaton and many of the places mentioned in the thread. The light-coloured road at an angle on the right is Russell Drive; the

Here are my memories of the Wollaton section of the Nottingham Canal set to verse. WOLLATON CANAL From Woodyard Lane it was seen both ways To the east was Radford, where Lime trees sway. And to

Try and get hold of Nottingham Canal A History and Guide by Bernard Chell. ISBN 0-7524-3759-3. There is at least one copy in Nottinghamshire libraries. I vaguely remember the bit on Radford Bridg

Morning Alpha, good day to you. You're correct with regard to the 53 service. However, it went a bit further than the Crown. I remember when it started. It used to run from Mansfield Road end of Valley Road, past City hospital, continued all along the boulevards past the Crown onto Middleton boulevard, over Derby Road island ,(as was) down to the traffic island at the start of University boulevard., then back again. I think it was about 1963 when the route was extended to Green lane Clifton. At first it was just on a Sunday service for the long run. The conductor who went on the first run was so busy, he collapsed when he got back to the depot, (think it only ran during the day 9 - 6 ish). I followed the next week, we ran to Valley Road and started there. By the time we got to Dunkirk island I'd had to refuse about 8 pushchairs as we had no more room for them. Everybody was visiting Auntie/Granny at Clifton. In those days the average cash takings was about 13/14£... On the 53, I took £26 !

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I remember the 53 at Clifton. It was a unique route because all the other buses from Clifton went directly to the city centre (Broad Marsh). The 53 went nowhere near the city centre, going all the way round the ring-road. Seeing a bus on Clifton with the destination 'Arnold' was almost like something from another world.

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I seem to remember the destination board was "53 Valley Road and 53 Green Lane". I think it was extended after I'd left. But I do recall, when I  started driving, what an experience it was, going ALL the way to Clifton and how exiting it was going over Clifton Bridge. To me it was like being on a bus tour. I really do miss it.

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When I was growing up in Arnold we had relatives on Clifton Estate and visited them occasionally by bus as we didn’t have a car.  We’d catch the 69 into town, walk through to Broad Marsh and catch a South Notts bus to Clifton.  The 53 bus was never considered, nor even mentioned, but I suppose that’s because it didn’t go all the way to the Estate in those days.   

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Alpha, if your still on board, was my reply of any use to you?

Back in 1966 I lived about 150 yards from the 53 terminus at Valley Road, (Upton drive). Not that that's got owt to do with anything. Does anybody have any idea what Bilborough depot is nowadays? Just curious, these sort of posts reignite my interest.

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That's it Stuart. It were the only building on that little road then unnamed. From the 16 terminus at Beechdale road, there was a piece of wasteland on the right, then the depot. First gate was the entry into the garage and car parking area. Then past that was the second gate which was the bus exit, although there wasn't a one way system. Past our boundary was a bit more road which led to the perimeter of Harvey Hadron stadium. Sometimes after finishing work on earlies, I used to walk over to HH fence and climb over and walk round to the entrance so I could catch a 56/60 to go home Kennington road bus stop, outside the midland hotel, (that was until I got married). On your picture, the section closest to the road used to be the canteen, ( two ladies, Mrs. Healey and the lovely Peggy).

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Beekay,

 

I remember the bus depot on Beechdale Road on the left just past Freemount Drive. In my early years I remember it being woodland with a few concrete (Wartime?) excavations. Then followed the development of the depot.

 

A terminus existed at the junction of Freemount Drive and Beechdale Road facing the then Beechdale Junior School. I can't recall the service number. Perhaps this could have been the 16 service? As I remember it ran from Beechdale Road via Western Boulevard and Aspley Lane and then to the city. 

 

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Alpha,

The bus service was no.16. It ran every 20 minutes, half past, ten to and ten past the hour. It ran in tandem with no.32 which ran from the Rose on Strelley Road. This ran on the hour, twenty past and twenty to. So if you were at the first stop on Aspley Lane, you could expect a City bus every 10 minutes. 'Er indoors, who used to live on Bradfield Road told me that Beechdale Road finished halfway down and it was then what was known as "Bluebell Woods". I've no idea when it joined up with the other side, near the Beechdale pub, so there was a continuous road down to Western boulevard. This was way before my adult time, I was still at school then. I remember going down Beechdale, on the left was Bluecoat school, I think a drill hall and a dairy. On the opposite side were/are prefabs. I distinctly remember my first day as a driver, it was on the 16A from Balloon woods crossroads, via Aspley Lane, Alfreton Road to the city. (Remember it was Sunday). At Melbourne Road, where the conductors clocking machine was, you could virtually guarantee a bus every 5 minutes, as these were joined with the 30 & 62 from Broxtowe and Strelley estates.

NB. The 16 terminus was on the corner of what is now Harvey Road, opposite Kingsbury drive. It didn't go as far as Freemount drive. B.

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  • 1 year later...
On 11/11/2015 at 7:31 PM, catfan said:

When my mum was a young girl she remembers a young lad drowning near that lock.

Yes my dad told about a boy falling in the canal and drowning. I think he said on the way home from school.

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The story I was told was that a you g lad named Billy Eyres was swimming with his mates in the canal.

Some older lads nearby were messing about with the lock gates, Billy was trapped under water when the lock gates were closed trapping him.

I received a good hiding from my mam when she found out me & my mates swam in there regularly,  many years after Billy's death.

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  • 7 months later...
On 10/21/2020 at 7:13 PM, The Pianoman said:

Is it possible to get a picture of that picture?  :crazy:

 

Taken today (If your interested you’ll have to go back a few pages to understand what we on about) 

 

Westhay Court is now built on the filled in canal, the brick outhouse middle right is still there the straight after The Crown car park 

 

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