History Group

On Wednesday 19th June we are visiting the Church (Rock) Cemetery, Nottingham, for a guided tour by a Kevin Powell, a member of Nottingham Civic Society.
Meet at 12.50pm at the Cemetery entrance gates (next to the Lodge) at the Mansfield Road / Forest Road junction. Note: There is no public car parking at the cemetery; you will have to find a space in a nearby street.
There will be a charge of £2.00 per person which goes to the Nottingham Civic Society.
The walk is approximately 2 to 2½ hours depending on speed of walking by the group between the different graves which are looked at as there are a number of narrow paths, i.e. one person wide.
The walk looks at the heritage and history of the cemetery (opened in 1856) and some of the people buried there, who have contributed to Nottingham’s history.
One of the important parts, and a hidden gem, of the cemetery is the St Ann’s Valley, and Kevin will liaise with Nottingham City Council to gain access to this section as it is normally locked to prevent vandalism.
Note: Suitable footwear is recommended as we will be walking across uneven ground and grass. Bring a walking stick if you need one.
It’s on your doorstep, but it is unlikely you have been to Papplewick Hall. The History Group went there in May and had a guided tour by the owner, Mr Godwin-Austin. We started in the main entrance Hall. Whilst we marvelled at the impressive cantilevered staircase, he told us the history of the house from the time the Byron family obtained land in Papplewick, Newstead and Linby after the dissolution of Newstead Priory The present Hall dates from 1783-87; it was built for Frederick Montagu on the site of an older farm, some of the stables of which still stand. After his death Papplewick Hall passed through several generations of his family until it was sold to pay of gambling debts and was purchased by Alderman Albert Ball, father of Albert Ball VC.
Another owner was the Chadburn family.
We were shown the scorched patch on the library floor where the suffragettes tried to set fire to the Hall at the end of WW1. The ceiling in the drawing room has never been restored, retaining the same painting and ornate decoration as when it was built in 1787. There are magnificent views across the fields from the drawing room and dining room.
The Hall is a family home for the Godwin-Austins and several family portraits hang in the rooms.
After a cup of tea with cakes and biscuits, we all walked down the drive to St. James’ Church, where we were met by the Church Warden to see and hear about its history. This is a Grade 1 listed building with a history going back to the 12th century. We saw the old stained glass windows, memorials to the Montagu, Colladon and Chadburn families and climbed the stairs to the minstrels’ gallery. The churchyard has tombstones going back to the early 1700s and an ancient yew tree.
We had a very informative afternoon and our thanks to Betty for organising the visit.
There will be no meetings in July and August. Normal meetings resume in September.