Wollaton (often mistakenly spelt, yet pronounced, Woolaton) is an area in the west of the
City of NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England and is one of only eight members of the English Core Cities Group....
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is home to
Wollaton HallWollaton Hall is a country house standing on a small but prominent hill in Wollaton, Nottingham, England. Wollaton Park is the area of parkland that the stately house stands in. The house itself is a natural history museum, with other museums in the out-buildings...
with its museum, Deer Park, lake, walks and golf course. The Park housed Prisoners of War and US troops during the World Wars.
Overview
The picturesque Wollaton Village at the heart of the suburb has remained relatively unchanged over the past few hundred years and is dominated by the Admiral Rodney
public houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises in countries and regions of British influence. Although the terms often have different connotations, there is little definitive difference between pubs, bars,...
managed by Wendy, and the
Anglican church of St LeonardSt. Leonard's Church, Wollaton is a parish church in the Church of England.The church is Grade II* listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as it is a particularly significant building of more than local interest.-History:...
dating back to the 1200s. It also features historic cottages and a water pump. The village was 'swallowed up' by the suburbanisation of Nottingham and is now considered part of the
Greater NottinghamThe Nottingham Urban Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics consisting of the city of Nottingham and the adjoining urban areas of Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands of England...
metropolitan area.
Wollaton is primarily situated in the City of Nottingham, although a small part of it is under the administration of
BroxtoweBroxtowe is a local government district with borough status in Nottinghamshire, England, west of the city of Nottingham. It is part of the Greater Nottingham metropolitan area...
borough. The City Wards divide Wollaton into
Conservative PartyThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
controlled Wollaton West (Represented by Cllr. Dick Benson, Cllr. Georgina Culley and Cllr. Eileen Morley) and
Liberal DemocratThe Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems or just Liberals, are a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party; the two parties had been in alliance for seven years, from shortly after the formation of...
controlled Wollaton East with Lenton Abbey (represented by Cllr.Tony Sutton and Cllr. Dave Oldham).
It is considered one of the most desirable parts of the city in which to live, with relatively high house prices. This is largely due to the good quality schools, traditional
public houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises in countries and regions of British influence. Although the terms often have different connotations, there is little definitive difference between pubs, bars,...
s and good access to the
M1The M1 is a major north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
via the
A52The A52 is a major road in the East Midlands, England. It runs east from the junction with the A53 at Newcastle-under-Lyme near Stoke-on-Trent via Ashbourne, Derby, Stapleford, Nottingham, West Bridgford, Bingham, Grantham, Boston and Skegness before terminating on the east Lincolnshire coast at...
to the South and the A610 to the North.
The A52 runs directly into the centre of
DerbyDerby is a city in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
and has recently been renamed
Brian CloughBrian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and subsequently football manager, most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest, and his 44 day reign at Leeds United A.F.C...
Way as a tribute to the former Derby County and Nottingham Forest football manager who took both clubs to the league championship in the late 1970s and later took Nottingham Forest to back-to-back
European CupThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
s.
As a tribute to two of Nottingham's favourite sporting stars, Wollaton is home to the
Torvill and DeanTorvill and Dean are British ice dancers and former British-, European-, Olympic- and World champions...
estate, built near the former site of Wollaton Colliery.
The suburb's main shopping area along Bramcote Lane primarily consists of local family run stores, and sits at the centre of Wollaton. Among the shopping area is a Chiropodist/Podiatrist David Towers, a post office/newsagent, two pharmacies, a hardware store, two alcohol stores, a fish and chips restaurant, a beauty supply store, two cafes, a hair salon(Mayfields which is located above Betfred bookmakers),a barbers (Headmasters, managed by Adrian Simpson, also above the bookmakers), a butcher shop and others. Other stores on Bramcote Lane include Wollaton Dentist, Wollaton Travel Agents, and the Wollaton branches of many national banks and building societies, such as Bairstowe Eves,
HalifaxHalifax is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England, with an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece Hall...
, Barclays, and The Nottingham Building Society. The largest
supermarketA supermarket, also called a grocery store in some parts of North America, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
in Wollaton is the CO-OP which is on Trowell Road. The neighborhood directly adjacent to the Bramcote Lane shops is a middle class area with a relatively diverse population.
Wollaton itself stretchs across a large area, from Torvill Drive and Russell Drive near the Bilborough area in the north, all the way down to Bramcote Lane, Woodbank Drive and Appledore Avenue in the south, stretching as far south as the barren land know called 'The Ridge'. East to West it stretches from Trowell Moor and Balloon Woods on the east, across to Sutton Passeys and the former Wollaton Hall Gates on Derby Road in the west.
The local Fernwood Infants, Juniors and Comprehensive schools (http://www.fernwood-inf.nottingham.sch.uk/) are some of the best performing schools within Nottingham City and even the UK. The nearest
sixth form collegeA sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels...
for post 16 education is Bilborough College in Bilborough.
The edge of Wollaton is also home to the Martin's Pond Nature Reserve, a small council owned lake which provides a haven for plant and animal life (including some rarer species).
The area is also home to Wollaton Library which has recently overgone a £250k refurbishment to form a new children's library and extend meeting facilities.
Wollaton hall has also been host to many concerts, On 19 July to 20th it hosted "Splendour" a massive lineup of stars performing to a crowd of over ten thousand music lovers over the weekend. The event was hosted by Nottingham City Council; one of the stars that performed was Kate Nash.
Wollaton residents were given plenty of notice about the festival.
Railways
Wollaton is also noted for the existence of one of the earliest recorded railway lines in the world, the Wollaton Wagonway. The
wagonwayWagonways consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam powered railways. The terms "plateway", "tramway" and in someplaces, "dramway" are also found.- Early developments :...
ran between nearby
StrelleyStrelley is the name of a village and civil parish to the west of Nottingham. It is also the name of the nearby post war council housing estate. The village lies within Broxtowe, whilst the estate is in the City of Nottingham...
and Wollaton. Horse-drawn coal wagons travelled to their destination on wooden railway lines.
The
wagonwayWagonways consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam powered railways. The terms "plateway", "tramway" and in someplaces, "dramway" are also found.- Early developments :...
was completed in 1604, built by
Huntingdon BeaumontHuntingdon Beaumont was an innovative entrepreneur in coal mining, who built what is currently credited as the world's first wagonway. Regrettably he was less successful as a businessman and died having been imprisoned for debt....
working in partnership with the second occupier of
Wollaton HallWollaton Hall is a country house standing on a small but prominent hill in Wollaton, Nottingham, England. Wollaton Park is the area of parkland that the stately house stands in. The house itself is a natural history museum, with other museums in the out-buildings...
, Sir Percival Willoughby.
Nowadays Wollaton is not serviced by a train, even though the line from Nottingham to the
Erewash Valley lineThe Erewash Valley Line runs from south of Chesterfield along the Erewash Valley to Trent Junction at Long Eaton, joining the Midland Main Line at each end.- History :The Erewash Valley Line has historic, but troubled, origins...
passes through, and is not on the current plans for the
tram systemNottingham Express Transit is a light-rail tramway in the Nottingham area in England. The first line opened to the public on 9 March 2004, having cost £200 million to construct. The scheme took sixteen years from conception to implementation...
.
Bus Services
Nottingham City Transport
- Ecolink 30: Nottingham - Ilkeston Road - Wollaton Park - Deddington Lane - Wollaton Vale.
- 35: Nottingham - QMC - Wollaton Vale - Bilborough - Strelley - Bulwell.
- 35A: Nottingham - QMC - Wollaton Vale.
- 35B: Nottingham - QMC - Wollaton Vale - Bilborough.
- L11: Arnold - Bulwell - Basford - Aspley - Strelley - Bilborough - Wolalton Vale - Beeston.
- L10: Nottingham - Ilkeston Road - Lambourne Drive - Grangewood Road - Deddington Lane - Bramcote - Beeston.
- W3: City - Ilkeston Road - Jubilee Campus - Wollaton - Glaisdale Drive - Bilborough
- N28: Nottingham - Ilkeston Road - Beechdale - Bilborough - Wollaton (Friday & Saturday Nights Only)
Trent Barton
- Rainbow 2: Nottingham - Ilkeston Road - Wollaton Park - Trowell Road - Trowell - Cotmanhay.
Mining
CoalCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
has always been an important presence in the suburb and revenue from Wollaton Colliery was a major source of income to the
Willoughby-Australia:*Willoughby, New South Wales, suburb of Sydney*City of Willoughby, local government area of New South Wales*Electoral district of Willoughby, in New South Wales*Cape Willoughby, on Kangaroo Island, South Australia-England:*Willoughby, Warwickshire...
family, who built and owned Wollaton Hall up until the 20th century. The colliery closed after the Second World War and employment today is primarily in the service and civil servant sector, with many of the local residents commuting to work in the Nottingham and
DerbyDerby is a city in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
area.
The area is loosely bordered with the West Nottingham suburbs of Lenton,
BramcoteBramcote is a settlement in the Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, about five miles south-west of Nottingham. It was a separate village but is now a suburb of Greater Nottingham. Originally one of the main roads between the cities of Nottingham and Derby passed through the village centre...
,
TrowellTrowell is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. It lies a few miles west of Nottingham, in the borough of Broxtowe. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,568...
, Bilborough and
RadfordRadford is an inner-city area of Nottingham, located just outside the city centre itself.-Background:In recent years it has suffered from problems related to crime and anti-social behaviour , although there are signs that recent efforts by the authorities may be improving the situation.The area has...
. The
University of NottinghamThe University of Nottingham is a public research university in the city of Nottingham, England, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
and
Queen's Medical CentreThe Queen's Medical Centre situated in Nottingham, England, is the largest hospital in the United Kingdom, and the largest teaching hospital in Europe. It was officially opened by the Queen on 28 July 1977, and admitted its first patient in 1978...
(QMC), the UK's largest hospital, are also nearby.
In terms of transport, buses run by
Trent BartonTrent Barton is one of the very small number of significant independent bus operators in the United Kingdom. It was formed as the result of merging Derbyshire's Trent Buses with Nottinghamshire's Barton Transport....
and
Nottingham City TransportNottingham City Transport is the major bus operator of the English city of Nottingham, running a comprehensive network of services in the Nottingham City area and a handful of services beyond the boundaries of the conurbation to Southwell, Loughborough, and East Midlands Airport.Until recently,...
offer access to and from the City Centre, Beeston, Bulwell and Stapleford. Wollaton Vale is the central road through the area.
Pubs
The Admiral Rodney.
The Hemlock Stone and Dragon.
The Wheelhouse.
The Wollaton.
Middleton's formerly The Roebuck.
The Priory/Toby Carvery
Local Football
WHYFC
Wollaton HallWollaton Hall is a country house standing on a small but prominent hill in Wollaton, Nottingham, England. Wollaton Park is the area of parkland that the stately house stands in. The house itself is a natural history museum, with other museums in the out-buildings...
Youth Football Club (founded 1984) is a
FAFa or FA may refer to:- Government and law :* Federal agent * Felonious assault* Fixed assets- Medicine and science :* Fractional anisotropy* Fanconi anemia* Fatty acid* Formamide...
Charter Standard Club with the aim of providing a safe and supportive environment where boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18 can enjoy playing
footballFootball is the name of several similar team sports, all of which involve kicking a ball with the foot in an attempt to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
.
The club is based in the magnificent setting of Wollaton Park in
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England and is one of only eight members of the English Core Cities Group....
- our clubhouse and pitches are to the front of the hall, adjacent to the main park entrance. Some of our teams play their home games at nearby Fernwood Comprehensive School, which is also where we train, under floodlights, during the winter months.
We currently have over 300 registered players. Our teams compete in the Notts Ladies & Girls League, the Young Elizabethan League, Notts Youth League and Derby City League.
WFC
Wollaton FC were formed in 1954 and play at Wollaton Sports Association Ground sharing the ground with Wollaton Cricket Club.
The Club is sited on land that was sold to the village for sports and recreational activities by the Middleton family just after the 2nd World War. The pitch is only a few hundred yards away from Wollaton Hall and Deer Park which was home to the Middleton family up until it was sold to Nottingham City Council. The Club Badge depicts the Elizabethan architecture of Wollaton Hall.
Originally in the Midland Amateur Alliance. Wollaton joined the Notts Alliance in 1990. The club enjoyed a long and successful spell in the MAA and the 3rd and 4th teams still play in that League. Season 2004/5 saw Wollaton become one of the founder members of the Notts Senior League.