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A lot of the links and photos in this thread seem to have disappeared, so here's a couple of replacements.

This is where it was - the road called Churchville is now the lower half of Hartley Road

folly1_zpsiwysfxjr.jpg

And this is some artist's idea of what it looked like
folly1.jpg

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My gran lived at 24 Radford Grove Lane (very last house, nearest the Folly), from 1920's till her death in 1986, family name Robinson. houses still had horse 'hitching rails' at the front right up to the 80's....................

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  • 2 years later...

As a young child C1944/6 I played in what I believe was the remains of Folly lake. It was a strip of water along the wall running along New Road (old map) There was a small odd shaped ruin in the middle of the scrubland that the Leen ran through. My Granddad told me that it used to be a boating lake. They must have dammed of the Leen to creat the lake.

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I believe that there was another lost lake in Radford, At the end of Lake St. I remember being told that the large sunken garden running along The Grove was once a lake. And of course there are the wartime fire ponds - slab square and on the Forest where the car park is now.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I remember the remains of the folly. We called it the ruined castle. Us kids would go past it to the railway line and the stream that ran at the side of the line (not the Leen) and fish for sticklebacks. This would be 1955-58 time. No problem with young kids being out on their own in them days, part of growing up.

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  • 1 year later...

radford-grove%201827%20from%20The%20Stra

One other walk remains to be described, and that is to Radford Grove, a growing favorite as a place of amusement and recreation to the people of Nottingham. The way to this, is through the market place, up Derby-road, and then taking the middle road at the top of the hill, we tarn to the right, through George-street, in the populous and increasing village of New Radford, to Radford Church, which leaving to the left, as soon as we have passed the church yard and an adjoining field, we turn through a gate down a walk well planted on either hand, till we cross the river Leen, where a gate to the left admits us into this favorite place of resort. It was originally planned and laid out, at great expense, by the late Wm. Elliott, Esq. about the year 1780. Here is a beautiful sheet of water, with a house in the centre of an island, to which you cross by a beautiful Chinese bridge. The gardens are kept in good order, and here the young seek a healthy amusement. A swing, and the boats upon the water, and other sources of diversified pleasure present themselves, and parties who resort here in great numbers, in the summer season, have tea and other refreshments served up with every comfort. Here are frequently the merry fiddle and the dance, and a more delightful place of entertainment cannot well be imagined. The charges are reasonable; the walk is not more than a mile from Nottingham, and the surrounding scenery is delightful.

From 'The Strangers Guide to Nottingham, 1827 First image I've seen of the folly that also shows the church.

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Sounds like Nottingham in the victorian age was a very elegant place to be. Shame all these places haven't been preserved

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