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When I was a little lad, living at my grandma's house on Cheltenham Street, I used to play

y on Vernon Park. The park very different then to what it is today. We went for a walk round this afternoon, and very pleasant it was. Its trees are magnificent - old and in full leaf they surround the lake and the sports ground. The lake has changed - no railings now but a number of jetties where the anglers are fishing from. Lots of ducks, swans and their young ones. Nice to see the old stone archway is still there. Sadly, all of the side bushes are gone.

At the Vernon Avenue entrance is a car park, and a sports building, where there is a toilet that is open.

A nice touch are a large number of exercise equipment - save you a fortune in gym fees. I noted that there are no cricket pitches there any more, only football pitches. We enjoyed it.

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Lovely park chulla,...........i also grew up playing there,.......still often have a walk round,..........fishing,cricket,football,courting,tennis, even bowls...............

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Nice pictures of you and Mrs Chulla in the park. That looks a dangerous contraption Mrs C is sitting on, Does it spin around like a helicopter when you wind it up.

Seriously, you can't beat a nice walk in the park on a sunny day.

The trees do look magnificent. and the park looks well cared for.

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Yes carni, it does look a bit helicopter-ish - no it doesn't spin, but there are some of the others that do. As you push forward to seat rises, according to how strong you are. If you tried all of the different pieces of equipment you would certainly have given yourself a good work-out.

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My Dad also grew up playing on Vernon Park,........and he told me that in the 30s there was a football team called Vernon Nig-Nogs,and in our innocent childhood we called ourselves Bestwood Nig-Nogs.........go down well today would'nt it..............lol.

edit........obviously the last comment could be taken two ways.......it was meant in the nicest possible way.

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Seems to have been so-named because it was originally the grounds of Vernon House which disappeared around 1900, and was sited approximately where Waterford Street is now.

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If you were arriving in your carriage, you went in at Vernon Road, round the right-hand side of the pond, to the house at the top.

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Amazing i reckon the Pond is still exactly the same shape,the river Leen entered from the top and exited back into it near the bottom,there was a large house just a 100 yards or so from the top end of the Pond but within the Park,which i'm sure was there well into the 70s.

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Love the photographs. The avenue of trees seems to be just as it was some 70 years ago and the stone arch still looks like a bit of a climbing challenge.

I would say it was a couple of years after the end of WW2 that fishing was allowed with rod and line on Vernon Park. Prior to that you were allowed to stretch over the railings surrounding the water with your fishing net and jam jar to try to catch the three spinned sticklebacks but definitely not allowed to climb over. At that time, if you walked around the northern path, through the stone arch and just before it sloped up to the pavilion and playing fields, if you looked to the water at 20 or 30 feet out you would see beautiful roach awaiting feed to flow in from the adjacent River Leen. Regretfully, the fish soon dispersed around the pool after angling was allowed but if you were brave enough; daft enough or agile enough you could scale the six foot fence and fish the river also for dace, roach and all sorts. I well remember seeing a tench for the first time caught by a big boy and it has remained my favourite ever since.

I absolutely loved Vernon Park as a kid, after all it was the nearest grass to Chard Street. It’s where I learnt my fishing; football; cricket and girl impressing skills on the swings and slide. I well remember my Uncle Bill acting as umpire at cricket matches on a Sunday. He had suffered polio as a young boy and had to use a crutch to get about but it was no hindrance to him whatsoever. I also remember having cricket coaching on the big field by an elderly ex Notts cricketer every Tuesday evening. No invite, no formalities, you just turned up, he was really dedicated. A few years later I do recall seeing him on the pavilion gate at Trent Bridge. I never knew his name though, more’s the pity.

Anyway back to the Park. I left Basford at fifteen and the memories of those informative years are probably sharper now than if I’d have stayed in the area. I called in some 20 years ago to walk the paths and I was pleasantly surprised to see the pond railings removed and a sort of stepping stones arrangement set up at the outfall but was disappointed to see the pavilion had been demolished. It was lovely to see fishing was still encouraged.

I was so proud that Her Majesty visited the Park and I was sorry I wasn’t aware of her visit prior to the date. I’m sure Uncle Bill would be just as proud also.

Sorry to go on. Please forgive.

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Agreed Beduth. Lovely memories.

Vernon Park was about at the limit of my range as a kid. Sometime in the 1950s a friend from our street (Peter Abbot. Benjamin may recall him.) helped me to make a rudimentary fishing rod. We tied loops (From safety pins?) along the length of a strong bamboo cane and used the little red rubber seals from the old fashioned pop bottle screw tops to secure a reel, which Peter lent to me.

We set off and I was happily trying to fish when the 'attendant' came along. I'd never even thought about the 6d day fee and was really embarrassed as I didn't have any money at all. A youngish bloke standing nearby gave the attendant 6d on my behalf. A lovely gesture when 6d wasn't peanuts.

I recall attending some Cub and Scout activities in the park in the early 1960s. At one of these there was a raft race along the lake, which resulted in a lot of wet scouts.

I also hung around Vernon Park and its environs on my bike, when I was making 'first contact' with young female laydees of the opposite sex. It wasn't easy and I always felt that attending a boys only school delayed my development by ohh.. 20 minutes at least.

There was a period, thugh I can't recall exactly when, during which the park seemed really run down, so I'm glad to hear it seems to be 'on the up'.

Col

 

P.S. Chulla. Your good lady appears to be wearing sandals without socks. I do hope Benjamin doesn't notice.... :)

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I am pleased that my post about our visit to Vernon Park has raised so much interest, and revived memories. Benji recalls an old large house just above the pond. That would be the house (but not Vernon House) used as the bowls clubhouse. There used to be a lovely bowling green at that place - I remember seeing the ladies dressed in white playing there; in the background a high wall (still there) but covered in a creeper. The bowling green has moved to the Vernon Avenue area.

At weekends the park was very popular with families and sportsmen. There use to be a green-coloured refreshment hut, made from logs sawn in half, half way down that avenue of trees. As I have said in an earlier post, I remember seeing a marching-band striding down the avenue with the leader throwing the staff into the air every so often - as a kid thought that was wonderfully clever. Also saw a mandolin band playing there.

At the high part of the park was a large area of sand that we kids used to play in. I see that it has been filled in, but a depression still marks the spot. It is a shame that all of the bushes that ringed the park and the lake have been taken up, but I supposed it cuts down on maintenance. A shame also that there are no flower beds - but maybe one day.

The outfall of the lake used to be near the Vernon Road entrance, but it seems to have disappeared.

Oh, and another thing. A common sight in the distance were trains travelling on the high embankment towards either Victoria Station or Bulwell Common station.

As a park it is not on the level as the Arboretum or the Castle grounds, but for many of us it is the park of our memories and so remains our childhood Eden.

Edit: As an aside, on the above map, near the number 195, is a Baptist Chapel. I remember seeing that in the late 1940s when dad told me what it used to be, and that it was replaced by the Queensbury Street Baptist Church a bit higher up. The old chapel was constructed from corrugated iron (wriggly tin - no pun intended)

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I take back what I said about the bowls clubhouse. Looking again at the map I think it was Vernon House.

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Hi DJ360,

Glad you qualified young females as ladees of the opposite sex! Mind you, these days you can't be too sure. Hell of a problem for young lads of today I should think.

Pleased to hear of your memories of Scouting at VP.

I knew a Brian Abbott from up Northgate way when we were at Northgate Primary but didn't know Peter.

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Yes Chulla, of course you are right.

I was the bowls clubhouse but it did double up as Cricket changing rooms if I remember correctly. I remember the high ivy covered wall also and the sand pit next to the swings. It was always glorious weather in those days wasn't it and the boys were like flies around a jam pot when the girls came along.

What ever happened to Pat Brooks?

I'm sure you're correct about the house also. Am I right in thinking that you could hire bowls and play because I'm pretty certain that some of us had a game there as very responsible grown up kids of 12'ish.

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The Park was the half-way meeting point for Old Basford lads and Old Bestwood lads,we generally got on well unless we tried to nick their girls,.......lol......we often arranged football matches between Basford and Bestwood,and i struck up good friendships with many Basford lads,which continued into the 70s playing for Park Tavern Southwark street,which again was a half-way meeting point.

In fact some of the friendships carry on to this day,.....at my Pals funeral last week saw a few of em,and much reminising was done.

And all down to good old Vernon Park.

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Can't think of Vernon Park without thinking of my Granddad Whitlam. I stayed with my grandparents in Marlow Ave for a few weeks while mam was near to delivering my youngest brother, and then afterwards. Granddad would walk t o Vernon Park to sit in the pavilion. I assume he was meeting his pals to chat, and would take me along to play on the swings. I can see him now, flat cap, and white silk muffler tied around his neck.

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katyjay. At the Vernon Avenue entrance, where the modern sports clubhouse is now, were one or two large huts. This/they were for The Sons of Rest retired people to spend time with each other, and granddad used to go to there.

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OK that figures, but in my mind's eye I picture the hut at the other side of the park, nearer to Queensbury Street. The memory plays tricks sometime.

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Just looking at post #287 in the Nottingham Hauliers thread, and to the far right of the aerial view of Basford you can see Vernon House.

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  • 1 year later...

A year late, I know, but here are some comments about the above photo:

 

Behind Vernon House is a path leading the top-left corner of the picture. The light-ish ground halfway along it is the sandpit where we kids used to play.

 

Centre left is Southwark Street school. To the immediate left of the tall building is a low-roof building. It was in here that one day in November 1945, when I was playing on the floor with the others, the headmistress walked in and told me that my dad had come for me. He was just back from India.

 

A bit lower on the left edge is a building with three chimneys, on Southwark Street. These for some reason were known as Canary Houses. I only remember open ground there, so might have been demolished before the war.

 

Immediately below Vernon House, on Southwark Street there is a black building. That was the chapel, constructed of corrugated iron. It was still there for some time after the war even though a modern replacement had been built on Queensbury Street - just out of the top of the picture. 

 

Bottom right shows was was to become Steve Clarke's wallpaper and paint store. Our aunt Norah was married to him.

 

Immediately behind this row you can see a low building facing on to Southwark Street. This was Simkins the grocer. Almost certain that it eventually became Simmy's motorbikes and then moved to Cinder Hill.

 

History lesson over.

 

 

 

 

 

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Further to Chulla's previous post.......

 

'Britain from Above' have changed their format so it's easier to get a bigger, better image. So I've adjusted the photo in post #23 and it's bigger, clearer, and shows more than the earlier version did.

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On 2016-6-11 at 10:01 AM, Cliff Ton said:

Well spotted ! It's right on the edge of the photo, and this is probably the best view you'll get of it.

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My new home is in the top centre of this picture

Photo around 1927 ?

 

Surprising how many of the buildings survive

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