Nottingham (NW) including New Basford & Hyson Green 1915
(Revised and Re-levelled in 1913)
Alan Godfrey Maps Price £2.20 from W.H. Smith and Waterstones

This reprint of Nottinghamshire Sheet 38.13 is reduced from the original O.S. 1: 2500 to a scale of approximately 1:4350 (or about 15 inches to a mile).

This Godfrey Edition, like that for the adjoining Sheet 38.14 published earlier, benefits from the informative overview by Dr Ron Blake, until recently Visiting Research Fellow at Nottingham Trent University. As always Ordnance Survey Maps of this date, just prior to World War I, fascinate the general public and are extremely useful to students and local and transport historians.

With a background of geography and town planning Dr Blake supplies a thoughtful interpretation of that area of Nottingham from Bobbers Mill in the south to Bailey Street, Old Basford in the north, and east to west from the Sherwood Hill Works on Nottingham Road, New Basford to rural Aspley and Aspley Hall (demolished 1968). The map covers about one and a half square miles.

The well developed area to the east of the map contrasts with the relatively open country to the west; the approximate SSW-NNE line of the Nottingham & Mansfield railway line divides the two. In the south east the rectangular streets of Hyson Green have long runs of terraced housing and the differences in the provision of back gardens is quite startling. In New Basford, from Gladstone Street northwards building is less intense, back gardens appear more generous and ‘Allotment Gardens’ fill most of that part north east of Nottingham Road. Here is the almost forgotten New Basford station on the old Great Central line.

Moving westwards, the River Leen wriggles its way north to south, from Basford Gas Works, by Scotholme Gardens to Bobbers Mill – notice the bleaching and dying works and Shipstone’s Star Brewery. Between the main railway line and the mineral railway line to Newcastle Colliery is the still modest settlement of Whitemoor and a number of open fields stretching to Old Basford. West of the mineral railway there are the Aspley Gardens to the south whilst the rest of the area consists of more open fields.

Part of the NET line 1 now runs where once was the Radford Road tramway and that is just one among other changes to Nottingham’s industrial past; pick out losses, survivors and plain change of use.

As I wrote when reviewing the adjoining sheet, this snap shot of some of Nottingham’s suburbs ripe for their inevitable development is really engrossing and is thoroughly recommended. An added bonus to Dr. Blake’s historical and geographical survey is a short extract from an early twentieth century Directory of Nottingham.

Ken Brand
Summer 2006

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