The New Foresters / Forresters Arms

[Carolyn1985 0]

I'm working on a book about the LGBT+ venues in the 1960s and wondered if anyone could tell me anything about The New Forrester on St. Ann's Street round the back of Victoria Centre. 

 

I'm looking for any memories from 1960s - 1980s in particular

[Cliff Ton 9,955]

Never been in the place but.......

 

...a photo here from the 1970s - https://picturenottingham.co.uk/image-library/image-details/poster/ntgm001540/posterid/ntgm001540.html

 

 

and one from the 1930s -  https://picturenottingham.co.uk/image-library/image-details/poster/ntgm014387/posterid/ntgm014387.html

[Carolyn1985 0]

That's incredible! Its really lovely to see the old photos. Looking at the 1970s one - It appears to have a street in between the two buildings that doesn't exist now. In the 1930s photo - there appears to be a pub in between the Forresters and the corner building that comes and goes!

 

 

Thats now the small little bit that connects the two buildings. It's odd to see them apart! I wonder what that road (if it is a road) was called?

 

I did wodner if that street was always as small and quiet as it is today thanks to Victoria Centre 

[Beekay 4,275]

Carolyn1985, thought you may like this....

[Beekay 4,275]

Or this....

[Carolyn1985 0]

Do we know when those were taken? @Beekay? The below now looks like it is now and has the pink plaque which was awarded in 2021. The above image could be much older

 

I am so curious as to what that side street between the Awd Boot/White Hart pub was called and what was down there! Not only that, was this street busier before Vic centre opened? 

 

 

[Cliff Ton 9,955]

3 hours ago, Carolyn1985 said:

 Looking at the 1970s one - It appears to have a street in between the two buildings that doesn't exist now.

 

I agree it looks as though it could've been a street, but I think it's just the empty space left by the demolished building. There's no indication on old maps of any street between the two buildings .

 

1 hour ago, Carolyn1985 said:

Do we know when those were taken? @Beekay? The below now looks like it is now and has the pink plaque which was awarded in 2021. The above image could be much older

 

The 'above' image was taken in 2008, but obviously could've looked like that for a number of years previous.

[Carolyn1985 0]

Ace

 

Thank you!

 

I was so curious. Its been fascinating to see the building through the years

[Cliff Ton 9,955]

Another, from the 1920s, when there was much more housing in the area. The large building on the right is Victoria Station.

 

[Carolyn1985 0]

@Cliff TonThats class! I don't think i had realised how residential that area of Nottingham was at that time. What caused the housing to fade away? I've had one theory that the station being built led to a decline which then the centre finished.

 

It would explain why there is a pub in the middle of nowhere! although I appreciate there was a lot more there in the photo from 1937-45. 

 

That area now seems hugely neglected now. 

[mary1947 1,879]

Welcome Carolyn1985

The Victory railway station was closed down and at the time large shopping centers were being built, on the railway station the Victory shopping center was built plus a tall block of flats, The housing did not fade away as it was part of the 1970 St Ann's pre demolition,  The council told us that the houses were unfit for human inhibition, So they were pulled down and a new St Ann's took it's place. If you look at the St Ann's pre-demolition web site you might find out more. Hope this helps.

[Dark Angel 112]

    Used to walk from Huntingdon Street bus station & through the foot bridge over Victoria Station, but have no recollection of any houses being there. I only remember a piece of rough ground used for parking. (Bus station should be top left hand corner, but doesn’t appear to have been built when photo taken.)

[Cliff Ton 9,955]

11 hours ago, Carolyn1985 said:

@Cliff TonThats class! I don't think i had realised how residential that area of Nottingham was at that time. What caused the housing to fade away? I've had one theory that the station being built led to a decline which then the centre finished. It would explain why there is a pub in the middle of nowhere! although I appreciate there was a lot more there in the photo from 1937-45. 

The housing you see in that photo (which was on the very edge of St Ann's) was demolished in the clearance of the 60s, which happened to coincide with the closure of Victoria Station. The area seems to have been largely forgotten when redevelopment took place, with only almost-temporary buildings occupying the site. 

 

2 hours ago, Dark Angel said:

   Used to walk from Huntingdon Street bus station & through the foot bridge over Victoria Station, but have no recollection of any houses being there. I only remember a piece of rough ground used for parking. (Bus station should be top left hand corner, but doesn’t appear to have been built when photo taken.)

 

I remember that footbridge through the station, and I remember the bomb-site car park.

In the very top left of the photo you can see an empty space; that's a corner of where the bus station would later be. 

[mary1947 1,879]

When you came out of Victory Station from Mansfield road from the tunnel/footbridge first you would be on  Glass house street then cross the road and you would be on Huntingdon street cross again and you would be on Union Road this was part of St Ann's carry on down Union Road and you would get to Commercial Square, Alfred Street Central and St Ann's Well road,

[benjamin1945 15,496]

Amazing how different subjects can get connected on here............after Stuarts find the other day that Marsdens began in 1880.....then Union road crops up on this thread which was where Marsdens warehouse was......i m pretty sure until the merger with Farrands about 1959.......i'm wondering now how long it had been on Union road perhaps even as far back as the 1880's..?

[Cliff Ton 9,955]

In the early 1900s Marsden's had a shop (not a warehouse) at 22 Union Road. In those days the road was mainly houses & shops; not much in the way of anything bigger.

 

The factory/warehouse units which have survived... https://goo.gl/maps/PVnsMJvbnH5AnDfd6   are probably 1920-ish.

[benjamin1945 15,496]

Thanks for that Kev...........i m certain that Marsdens warehouse was there in the late 50s or early 60s....before the takeover/merger with Farrands.....after which they operated out of Wigman road as one company..........

[Stuart.C 428]

22 Union Rd (The Factory) appears to be a large unit to the rear, may or may not have been in the 60's

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cliff Ton 9,955]

Of particular interest to Ben - in the fading distance...

 

https://picturenottingham.co.uk/image-library/image-details/poster/ntgm014856/posterid/ntgm014856.html

[benjamin1945 15,496]

Marvellous Kev............oldest photo of Marsdens ever......must be.........

[Alpha 162]

Glasshouse Street was notorious as the venue for VD Clinic. Never attended there, of course.

[mary1947 1,879]

I have done a bit of digging these notes are from Book Victorian Nottingham, from what I have found out, that piece of land as you came out of Victory Train Station was part of Union House York St there was also a Charlotte St most of the property was demolished as it was classed as the worst in nottingham. The Old Union Workhouse and twenty public houses also disppeared,the workhouse from what i have read is that piece of land. Charlotte St was named after Queen Charlotte and the street fell vitim to the building of Victoria Station the right of way to Glasshouse st resulted in an elevated walkway over Victoria  station being maintained and the same exit to Glasshouse st is still to be found in the preset Victoria Center the comming of the railway was a vast under taking involving the demolition of 1.300 houses and the displacement of more than 6,000 people. 

 JUST A NOTE FOR OUR BEN!!!!

Milton St Mansfield rd to the left railings and Holy Trinity Churchyard , Tram lines for the horse driven trams were still single track, many of the shops were to come down to make way for Victoria Station and Hotel. Marsdens rebuilt their shop a well kown grocery which included a cafe and ballroom.

Hope fully this is correct i have taken it from a book Victorian Nottingham  in Old Photographs collected by Michael Payne.

[MRS B 280]

2 hours ago, Alpha said:

Glasshouse Street was notorious as the venue for VD Clinic. Never attended there, of course.

Yes my mother always used to point that out to me whenever we exited the Vic Centre carpark and to this day I’ve never understood why. Goodness knows what she thought I was getting up to!

[DAVIDW 1,615]

This confused me this morning , a link to a story of a pub called the Foresters Inn on Huntingdon St , a former "LGBT" pub , being demolished for flats.

This one fronts St Mark's St . Had to resort to Streetview to make sure it was a different pub.

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/plan-knock-down-former-nottingham-7733483.amp

 

So there were two pubs with "Foresters" in the title near to each other and both were LGBT pubs ?

[Dark Angel 112]

      Am also confused. I didn’t think Union Road and Glasshouse Street met up in 1890.

      When Victoria Station was built Glasshouse Street moved slightly so the Glasshouse Street you see now at the Northern end didn’t exist.

      I could be totally wrong and fully expect to be taken out at dawn to face punishment. However, is the building with twin towers the maltings which stood on Mill Street? If so than Marsdens likely moved to Union Street during the turmoil of the station buildings being built.

      Whatever the outcome, it’s a wonderful period photograph.