Codnor Castle is one of only two medieval castles retaining its original medieval architecture in the whole of the county of Derbyshire, the other being Peveril castle at Castleton. Codnor Castle has a very rich history and the castle site dates back to the 11th century.

Codnor castle was the home and power base to one of medieval England’s most powerful families for 300 years; the De Grey family or otherwise known as the Baron’s Grey of Codnor. The De Grey family were wide spread all over England; Thurrock in Essex, Ruthyn in Wales, Wilton in Rotherfield and Chillingham in Northumberland. The senior members of this powerful and very influential family were seated here at Codnor castle.

The main aim of the Codnor Castle Heritage Trust is to ensure Codnor Castle is preserved for the future and to promote the castle as a major site of local and national historic importance. The Trust is always looking for volunteers to help out at events or who would be willing and able to offer specialist skills to the work of CCHT.

Living History enthusiasts who specialise in the Anglo-Saxon to 19th Centuries are particularly welcome. 

The Codnor Castle Heritage Trust are also committed to ongoing archaeological surveys of the castle site as well as developing an educational program where we will visit schools and public events to give interpretations of medieval life, and inform the public of the fantastic local heritage we have on our doorstep.

http://www.codnorcastle.co.uk/

The Framework Knitters Museum in Ruddington, Nottingham will be holding its popular annual ‘Workers Playtime’ family event on the May Day Bank Holiday, 5^th May 2014 from 11.00am until 4.00pm.

The ‘Workers Playtime’ day will feature music and dance as well as an opportunity for visitors to see and ‘have-a-go’ at traditional crafts.  The family event will feature demonstrations by traditional craftspeople.  Dancers will be in attendance to entertain throughout the day and will provide a suitable musical accompaniment.  Other crafts and entertainments will be announced shortly. 

Paul Baker, the manager of the museum, said “We are keen to ensure that the traditional May Day celebrations continue to thrive and our historic site is the ideal venue.  The May Day Bank Holiday was traditionally an annual workers holiday and this event celebrates the skills and social activities of past generations.  We look forward to welcoming visitors to the event and sharing traditional crafts and entertainments with them”.  The museum celebrates the lives of the Framework Knitters who produced hosiery and lace and whose poverty led to the Luddite protests.  Visitors can observe the authentic machines in action and are invited to have a go on our circular knitting machines.  The site includes two workshops, cottages, a chapel and a delightful garden.  Refreshments will also be available.

The ‘Workers Playtime’ event takes place on 5^th May 2014.  Why not follow the museum on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates and additions to the celebrations.

For more information contact Paul Baker, Museum Manager – tel: 0115 984 6914, email: rfwk-mus@btconnect.com, web: www.frameworkknittersmuseum.org.uk, address: Framework Knitters Museum, Chapel Street, Ruddington, Nottingham, NG11 6HE

An Exhibition at Southwell Minster marking the outbreak of the First World War

Exhibition runs from Saturday 17th May – Sunday 15th June 2014.
Exhibition open Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm and Sundays 12.30pm – 5pm.

2014 marks the 100th year since Britain entered the First World War.  Southwell Minster joins the national commemoration of this event by holding an exhibition centred on local experiences and memories of the war. Free entry to the exhibition is made possible by the generosity of a Nottinghamshire Charitable Trust.  The exhibition is additionally supported by The Friends of Southwell Cathedral. The Southwell Lecture takes place in the Minster at 7pm on Thursday 22nd May where General The Lord Dannatt will speak on the outbreak of WWI.

Along with other activities there will be a children’s interactive trail leaflet to accompany the exhibition. For information on events for children, please call 01636 817993 or email tt@southwellminster.org.uk

Part of the exhibition will be in the Chapter House for security and curatorial reasons. Please be aware that there are three steps down into this area.

A black tie gala dinner, supporting Walking With The Wounded marks the opening night private view on Friday 16th May. Further information 01636 817283 or email deanspa@southwellminster.org.uk

Saturday 10th May at 10:30 a.m. in Southwell Methodist Church – tea and coffee will be available.  This latest book from Southwell and District Local History Society chronicles Southwell’s commitment to the First World War and includes:

• Biographical details of the 650 men who served.
• A list of over 550 men from the surrounding villages
• Edited extracts from the Newark Advertiser.
• The 8th Battalion Sherwood Foresters on the Western Front.
• The South Notts Hussars in the Middle East.
• Life on the home front – military hospitals, schools etc.
• Individual stories of tragedy and heroism.

This large format book contains 346 pages and 135 pictures/illustrations and is being launched in advance of a major exhibition to be held at Southwell Minster from Saturday 17th May 2014.

  Bestwood Winding Engine House is preparing to give a warm welcome when it re-opens to the public for the spring and summer season on Saturday (APR19).

Bestwood Colliery – 1959

Nottinghamshire County Council has been working over the winter months with the Winding Engine House Volunteer group to prepare for another season of visitors at Bestwood Country Park and there is a packed programme of events and activities.

During the summer, a new electric supply will enable the winding engine wheel to rotate once again. It has been stationary for around a year after volunteers noticed that the steel driving rope which drives the main winding wheel was wearing and needed to be repaired.

A small team of dedicated volunteers have put in around 260 hours to help get the complex mechanism working again using their own industry knowledge and have worked with county council heritage officers David Amos and Adele Williams, and electrical and structural experts to carry out the important remedial works.

At the height of the industrial period, Bestwood Colliery would have been powered by steam from a set of Babcock water tube boilers, and these were last in use in the late 1960s.

The Winding Engine House is the last remaining part of the former colliery and is housed in a tall brick building. During the mining industry years, the winding engine lowered colliers into the mine shaft, and winched mined coal up to the surface.

The restoration of the Winding Engine House was helped by funding from The Heritage Lottery Fund and the Greater Nottingham Partnership. The engine dates back to 1876, the heyday of Victorian industrial engineering. Since 1998, there has been an electrohydraulic system powering the winding engine wheel,  and the current works will now modify this electric system.

Bob Gow, Chairman of the Volunteer Group for the Bestwood Winding Engine House, said: “We are keen to get the electric system in place so the winding wheel can rotate and in turn the head pulleys can also turn within the headstocks.

“We scoured a scrap metal yard in Yorkshire to salvage some specialist parts and enlisted the help of a company Gee Engineering and we have been working with colleagues from the county council to work on this project and it is coming on well.” His volunteer colleagues are Mick and Jonathan Sendall and Malc Carter.

Councillor John Knight, Committee Chairman for Culture, at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “This summer season will be exciting for Bestwood and it will be a great moment when the electricity can power the winding engine wheel again later in the season. It is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of those involved in the project.

“There are some fascinating stories to tell related to mining and conservation here and a packed programme of activities to help bring these stories to life.”

From Saturday, April 19, visitors can take a ride to the top of the building in the glass lift and see the 18 foot winding wheel up close, then pop into the Dynamo House café for a delicious home-made cake, which is managed by Women’s Institute volunteers.

Open for tours from 10am to 12noon Saturdays and Bank Holidays from Easter-October.

If you would like to volunteer with the engineering and maintenance team, or in other roles such as learning, oral history or in the café team, please contact the Heritage Development Officers Adele Williams adele.williams@nottscc.gov.uk or David Amos david.amos@nottscc.gov.uk or telephone 0115 976 2422. Suitable for wheelchair users

Some of the other forthcoming events are:

Mini-Miners Saturday:

First Saturday of the month, 10am-12noon

In addition to our usual activities for children, under 5s can ‘tunnel for coal’ and older ones can join in the hunt for mining objects around the site. Mini-Miners will take place the first Saturday of the month. In addition to our usual activities for children, under fives can ‘tunnel for coal’ and older ones can join in the hunt for mining objects around the site.

Bestwood:

Sunday 27 April 2014, 10am-2pm

Meeting of the National Mining Memorabilia Association

Dynamo House, mining heritage displays, and the opportunity to bring along your own mining memorabilia to show. Tours of the Winding Engine House will be available, as will delicious cakes and coffee at the Dynamo House. For details please call David Amos on 0115 976 2422.

Nominations are invited from individuals, architects, builders and local Councils, for buildings to be considered for the Harry Johnson Award.

The prestigious Harry Johnson Award, sponsored jointly by the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Nottinghamshire Building Preservation Trust, is given every two years to acknowledge best restoration of a building, or the best new building in its locality.

Nominations should be delivered to the Secretary of the Nottinghamshire Building Preservation Trust, The Minster Chambers, Church Street, Southwell, Nottinghamshire NG25 0HD, to arrive not later than 11th May, 2014.

Buildings should have been completed since 1^st May 2011. The judges will be looking especially for smaller buildings (new-build or restorations of existing structures) which enhance their environment and show the use of historic materials and methods.  It is helpful to the judges if ‘before’ and ‘after’ photographs can be supplied, together with a brief description of the building and its history. A site visit may be required and entrants will be contacted to make the arrangements.

Maureen Stockwood – Chairman (NBPT)

Tel: 01636 819555        E-mail: nbpt@btclick.com         Web site: www.nbpt.co.uk

A new website has been created to share the stories and memories of over fifty former workers at Raleigh from the nineteen thirties right through to its eventual closure in 2001. With a huge range of audio interviews, films and photographs the website – IWorkedAtRaleigh.com – is one of the largest archives of its kind in Europe. The brainchild of local Community Theatre Company Hanby and Barrett, the project, which was featured on national BBC Breakfast TV, marks the end of a three year long collaboration with the University of Nottingham to celebrate the impact of the company on the people of the city.

Writer Andy Barrett explains, “We really wanted to tell the story of this iconic Nottingham factory from the people who worked there; from across the ages and across the many, many departments. And of course, the best way to do that is to go and meet the workers, to have a cup of tea and to chat. People have a real attachment to the factory which came across in the stories that they told.”

Part of that process of finding people meant organising events to get people to come out of the woodwork. So H&B organised a series of talks that took place on the Jubilee Campus which is located on the site of the old factory; and then a weekend of Raleigh and cycling related activity at Broadway Cinema. And the information that was gathered was used to create a community performance, titled A Lifetime Guarantee, which was put on in Arnold, Chilwell, Eastwood and Bilborough.

It was the success of this show that lead to the idea of the website. ‘After each performance people would come up to us as we were packing away and start telling us all about their time at the factory’, said Andy; ‘and it was clear that there was a real desire from people for some kind of space where they could share their memories. We’re also hoping that people who have moved away from Nottingham will hear about the site and visit it to re-kindle old memories.”

As well as the website, a smartphone and tablet app are available. Producer Julian Hanby explained “The thing that makes the app unique is that you can see where the factories were compared to a current map, and you can see what went on in the different areas of the factory. Then you can listen to former workers telling what it was like to work in that specific bit of the factory, and look at pictures. It’s a way to access the information on the website based on where you are, rather than by topic. And if you are on the site a marker shows where you are.”

The app has been available to download since the 10^th March in Android and iPhone versions. The website is up and running and includes contact details for members of the public to contribute their own material.

The work has been made possible with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

For more information please contact julian@excavate.org.uk

http://www.hanbyandbarrett.com/

Lenton Flats

LENTON FLATS: THEIR STORY Nottinghamshire Local History Association has been supporting a film project to record the ‘Life of Lenton Flats’. Rubber Goat Films (Director Sam Derby-Cooper) is a co-operative of young people who make films about social and cultural events and themes. The film they are making is in association with the Lenton Partnership Forum. NLHA made a donation to the project so that the original building plans for the flats (1960s) deposited at Nottinghamshire Archives could be copied and displayed locally, at the Crocus Café, near the flats. The exhibition at the Crocus Café was on the 10th April and was attended by a constant stream of visitors, many with vivid memories of living in the flats but also local historians, students, community workers and some of the demolition team who have co-operated with the filmmakers. A ‘taster’ of the film was run on a screen as part of the exhibition and a vertical artwork comprising concrete and other materials stood as testimony to the process of demolition and renewal.

Lenton Flats Leaflet

The 5 blocks of flats are being replaced by a low-rise development. In addition to the film ‘Rubber Goat’ has compiled ‘Life of Lenton Flats’, a book that contains information about the history of the flats and the area, and which has a variety of memories and comments. The book will be deposited at Nottinghamshire Archives to provide a long-term legacy for both the project and the history of the flats. Sam Derby-Cooper and some of the ‘team’ will be presenting their thoughts on their project and Lenton flats and showing extracts form the film at the Youth Heritage Conference at Wollaton Hall on 15th July.

The exhibition at the Crocus Café is open from 10th to 30th April – Monday to Saturday between 11am and 3pm

Chris Weir

Laxton, situated to the east of Ollerton, south of Tuxford and just a few minutes from the busy A1 is a chance to step back in time. The village is the site of the last remaining open field farming crop rotation system still managed by a legally constituted Court Leet and Jury. Over the weekend of 28–29 June Laxton History Group invites you to come to learn more about this unique place and also to help us to discover more about the village as it was between 1900 and 1920.

Laxton is a busy working farming village. To keep the narrow roads clear and visitors safe, the experience begins at the bottom of the village where ample parking is available. Collect a guide to the history behind the sights you would miss as you take your choice of route to the hub of the event at Crosshill Farm via the road, the Twitchill or the fishponds. There is a ‘spotting’ game for the children. Be sure to pick up your spotting quiz sheet before you leave the car park and look out for the sheep or fish you pass along the way. Every child gets a small reward and there is one cash prize for the winner which will be drawn from all correct completed forms.

The event hub opens at 10.30am both days and will be hosting a wide range of activities based at Crosshill Farm. Learn more of the village’s history from the Group’s display and the range of speakers. These will include Prof. John Beckett from Nottingham University, the well-known authority on Laxton’s history, and Alistair Millar of Tallent’s Solicitors, the current Steward of the Court Leet.

Those who would like to see the open fields and more of the estate, now owned by the Crown Estate, can join one of the tractor and trailer tours. The land is private and not normally open to vehicles other than those of the farmers, so this is a rare opportunity to see the field strips at close quarters with a guide to tell you all about it. For the more energetic, there is a chance to take a guided walk to the castle to see the motte and bailey castle, which is no longer generally accessible to the public, and to learn more about how the village and its farming system work.

Laxton History Group has recently begun a Heritage Lottery Funded project to research the period 1900 – 1920 in depth. Project Leader Roger Cottee and Co-Chair Joan Cottee will be giving presentations about the work on both days. There will be opportunities for anyone with information which might help the project to speak to members or to indicate that they would welcome a call. If you have any family heirlooms from the WWI period which you feel you can safely bring to show Group members, they would be delighted to see them and talk to you about them.

You will be able to buy refreshments throughout and entertainment from Rattlejag Morris (Saturday) and the Bowmen of War both days, as well as a wide range of heritage crafts being demonstrated by local artists and crafts people. Don’t forget your shopping bag as there will be plenty of chances to buy gifts and treats from those demonstrating their skills.

For more information and advance ticket sales, please see www.laxtonheritage.org.uk

Time on your hands? Try a new web blog that will open up our region’s heritage

Robert Howard has a long association with transport, which has led to the creation of a brilliant new web blog called ‘History in and around Nottingham by bus’. The site currently holds around eighty heritage locations that you can reach direct by bus from Nottingham City Centre and also a further twenty for Derby, Leicester and Rutland. For those with plenty of time on their hands, this website will open up our region and give you wonderful new places to explore. You can find the blog at here.

Local Historians Wanted

A local television company, Notts TV, is due to launch in spring 2014. They are currently creating programmes for the channel and are looking for people who have a strong knowledge of Nottingham’s history. Their first feature is on the Lace Market and the trams of Nottingham and they hope to cover many other topics also. If you have any local stories, ideas or opinions for the show please contact Kate Chaplin by email or telephone her on 07792499920.  Or write to Inclusive Digital at 49 Stoney Street, Lace Market, Nottingham NG1 1LX.

Could you lead one of our forums?

After three years and eleven Angel Row Forum sessions, Robert Howard is planning another three for 2014, the first to be held on 25 March at Angel Row Library in Nottingham, and the others in September and December. In addition to the Forum meetings a group visit has been proposed to Hurt & Son Ltd, on Chilwell High Road, who have been manufacturing fine shawls, scarves and wraps since 1912, but have looms which go back much further in time. The date and time will be announced on the website, at Forum meetings and via our newsletter and Facebook page once details have been finalised.

If you are interested in leading a Forum meeting in 2014, please contact us via Facebook, email or see Robert at the next meeting. If you would like to share your interests and enthusiasms with other historians, whatever aspect of local history it may be, please get in touch.

 New County Archivist

Following Mark Dorrington’s appointment as Keeper of Manuscripts and Records at Nottingham University,  Ruth Imeson has been appointed to replace him as Team Manager, Archives and Local Studies at  Nottinghamshire County Council and has now  taken up post. Ruth was formerly Principal Archivist (Records Management) at Nottinghamshire Archives and previously worked in Oxfordshire.

Peter Gaw, Group Manager,  Libraries, Archives, Information & Learning, said: ‘Ruth takes on the leadership of the Archives, Records Management and Local Studies services at a time of great challenge as we develop the archives office to provide better access, extended storage capacity and meet new archives standards whilst responding to a very difficult financial situation for the County Council.

 Rededication of memorial

The rededication of Nottinghamshire’s Spanish Civil War Memorial on 27 July 2013 has been recorded on DVD.  It’s a moving reminder of a day when speakers and Nottingham Clarion Choir led a public gathering to see the memorial return to the front of County Hall after it was removed in 2009, and to remember the Nottinghamshire volunteers who went to Spain to fight fascism, 1936–1939. Available from NUM Ex & Retired Miners Assn., 1st Floor, Byron House, Commercial Street, Mansfield, Notts NG18 1EE. Price £2 collected or £3 posted. Email: exandretiredminers@hotmail.co.uk.

Sarah Seaton, News Editor