Our unsung gravel pits

[PeverilPeril 3,286]

Gravel pits have changed much of Nottinghamshire countryside over the past century or so. From boring workings that were an eyesore, they have evolved, over the decades, to become picturesque natural wildlife habitats and recreational facilities. Nottingham, being in the Trent valley have lots of them. I call them the 'unsung' gravel pits because so much is recorded and remembered about the river Trent and river Leen and the canals but hardly a thought given to our gravel pits. Most of us  will have memories or experiences relating to these valuable and interesting areas of open water?  

[Cliff Ton 10,479]

The best example around here must be Attenborough Nature Reserve which I think is still a working gravel site, but also home to thousands of birds.

[philmayfield 6,187]

When we came here in ‘62 the gravel had been long extracted in the Bleasby area but still continued until recent years in Thurgarton and Hoveringham. The resultant lakes have very much returned to the wild although they are actively fished both for trout and carp in dedicated lakes. There has long been the Trent Valley Sailing Club between Thugarton and Hoveringham. A lot of local people worked at Hoveringham Gravels and the orange gravel lorries are well remembered. I taught myself to sail on the lake at Gibsmere in a Mirror dinghy which I built at home and I subsequently sailed an Enterprise at the Trent Valley club. The lakes are very much an asset to the area. There was talk about further gravel extraction in the Shelford area but it met with the expected opposition and nothing has been heard recently. 

[Beekay 5,180]

I'm sure there used to be old gravel pits where the crematorium is now, (next to the Hemlockstone). As kids, we used to catch a blue bus (B2) to Balloon woods X roads and walk down the lane to the pits. Then climb down and go swimming. I remember the water looked remarkably clear. When approaching the site we used to pass what we always thought a witches cottage, it terrified us, so we would run past. Turns out it was no more than a weighbridge office. Yet again, this would all be before I was 13 years old.

[IAN FINN 817]

Was the B2 a MGO bus and do you know  where it departed from and its destination?.

[Beekay 5,180]

Hi Ian, the blue bus was MGO. As far as I  know, it came from the city and we used to catch it on Ilkeston Road, opposite Bloomsgrove Street. I can only tell you it went to Ilkeston, no doubt someone more knowledgeable would be able to tell you where it finished. At that tender age, anywhere past Balloon Xroads was unexplored country, coulda been the other side of the moon.

[LizzieM 9,514]

I used to occasionally waterski at the gravel pits at Holme Pierrepont.  They were transformed into the National Watersports Centre in the early 1970s.  

[Beekay 5,180]

I've skied at the ski lagoon next to the rowing course. When I  was a Park Ranger at N.W.S.C.,there were ex gravel beds behind that were known as the finger ponds. I see on Google Earth that they've all been made into one big lake. That's where we photographed a bloke who had caught a huge pike, about 26lb.

[philmayfield 6,187]

There’s never been water skiing on our ponds, that was done on the Trent at Hazleford, but some people skated on them when they froze over in around 1963. I walked to the middle of a very big lake but there was an almighty cracking noise and I’ve never moved so quickly in my life!

[IAN FINN 817]

I seem to remember watching power boat racing on the Hoveringham gravel pits in the mid 60s.

[Beekay 5,180]

Don't know to which ponds you refer to Phil, but the ski lagoon was part of the Water Sports centre. There used to be a ski club there. The lagoon was linked to the rowing course near the start. It went under a little service Road that ran right round the course, (it was all part of our security patrol). The " finger ponds" were nothing to do with us, it was still private property.

We did Hydroplane racing every August Bank Holiday weekend.

[Brew 5,423]

46 minutes ago, Beekay said:

I'm sure there used to be old gravel pits where the crematorium is now, (next to the Hemlockstone). As kids, we used to catch a blue bus (B2) to Balloon woods X roads and walk down the lane to the pits. Then climb down and go swimming. I remember the water looked remarkably clear. When approaching the site we used to pass what we always thought a witches cottage, it terrified us, so we would run past. Turns out it was no more than a weighbridge office. Yet again, this would all be before I was 13 years old.

 

It was the opposite side of the road and not as far down as the Hemlockstone, it became a refuse tip later

[philmayfield 6,187]

Yes, I know the ponds of which you speak. Wasn't the skier pulled by some mechanical contrivance and not a boat?

[Brew 5,423]

I've skiied there. The wire is suspended from four corner pylons. This means the change in direction was 45 degrees, getting the approach wrong meant you suddenly had a slack tow rope, just before it went tight again and dumped you in the water...

[philmayfield 6,187]

I remember going to a car 'do' sponsored by Sytners at the watersport centre. We bombed BMW's along the road at the side of the rowing course!

[LizzieM 9,514]

There were only gravel pits at Holme Pierrepont when I went there.  Most Sundays we were on the river at Gunthorpe or Hoveringham.  I’m talking about 1969-71 ish. 

[Beekay 5,180]

When I worked there it was boat towing, all basic stuff. They had a ski jump ramp in the middle and I used to enjoy watching pupils on training courses do their stuff. At the end of their course they would have games on the water. They had a bath tub which had extra piping on it and when it was towed on the water it would cause a shower to operate. On one occasion,  with the blessing of the Head ranger, they tied me up in the bath and dropped it in the lagoon. But they'd forgot about the plughole ! and the bath started to sink. The students left me to get chest deep before jumping in to rescue me.

[Brew 5,423]

4 minutes ago, LizzieM said:

There were only gravel pits at Holme Pierrepont when I went there.  Most Sundays we were on the river at Gunthorpe or Hoveringham.  I’m talking about 1969-71 ish. 

 

The ski run at Gunthorpe was brilliant - being a river the water was always smooth as glass. Top tip, don't fall off on the turn it's where cows come down to drink and...

[Beekay 5,180]

8 minutes ago, philmayfield said:

I remember going to a car 'do' sponsored by Sytners at the watersport centre. We bombed BMW's along the road at the side of the rowing course!

Once, during the National Women's Canoe finals, we were driving round the service Road when we were stopped by one of the watermen. "Glad you've turned up, I'm bursting "! he said. He proceeded to have a wee over the back n/s wheel. My mate, who was driving said, "Watch this". Just as the lady canoe teams were passing he put his foot down and our Land rover shot forward, leaving the poor waterman peeing into the air, in front of the canoeists. 

[philmayfield 6,187]

Back in the 80's we had a seaplane come to Nottingham for a week. It had wheels in the floats so it could land at Tollerton to refuel but basically it operated from the rowing course taking trips. The last time I saw one of those was on Loch Lomond a few years ago.

[Beekay 5,180]

In addition to your post above Phil, I recall the Head waterman telling once, that during a very foggy day, a light aircraft pilot nearly came a cropper on the rowing course. He mistakenly thought the course was a runway of Tollerton aerodrome. He just managed in time, before hitting the boathouses. We had no reason not to believe the waterman.

[LizzieM 9,514]

We flew on a seaplane years ago from Paradise Island to Ft Lauderdale return.  It was a little unnerving taking off on water from Paradise Island, it felt like we were submerged as the sea water splashed up the windows but on the return it used the runway in Ft Lauderdale.  It was a good shopping trip though because we were doing up our house in Nassau and as everything is imported there is very little choice on the islands. When we got back to an Arrivals shed on Paradise Island there were no checks on goods being brought it, four of us carried in curtain rails and poles, curtains, bundles of towels and sheets, a rug etc and nobody stopped us.  
Chalk Airways has since been stopped from operating ....... I seem to remember hearing there’d been a serious accident! 

[Oztalgian 3,326]

55 minutes ago, LizzieM said:

Chalk Airways has since been stopped from operating ....... I seem to remember hearing there’d been a serious accident

Yes  LizzieM

That was in 2005, 20 passengers and crew were killed when Flight 101 crashed off Miami Beach Florida when the wing of the 1947 Grumman Mallard separated from the fuselage due to metal fatigue. Like you many of the passengers were returning from a shopping trip. I remember seeing this on a National Geographic TV documentary.

[philmayfield 6,187]

@BeekayThe rowing course was a good way of finding the airfield when returning to Tollerton from the north on a murky day. Just aim for the mid point and then head due south.

[PeverilPeril 3,286]

I must make a trip to what used to be the Colwick pits. They were still working when I last visited in 1963. I took Mrs PP's granddad fishing there and I caught a pike. Still have his antique cane rod. Looking at Google earth it is now quite a complex with a marina and trout lake. There were a lot of places to go fishing in those days at no cost. You just needed a rod license costing half a crown. 2/6' or 12.5pence nowadays. I also used to fish a pit in Farndon, which is now a marina.