3rd September
Despite the optimism of the new cafe and shop at the Spencer family’s Spring Lane Farm it was a very sad day at the farm today when their oldest Labrador Tess gained a place at the forever farm in the sky 🐾 🤍
“A very happy dog with a constant waggy tail, regularly seen around our farm shop entrance or car park greeting staff and customers; sometimes even bribing them for a sneaky treat! She always called shotgun for the front seat of our delivery van anytime there was somewhere to go. A huge loss for our farm shop family, a great dog who managed 11 happy and fun filled years, she will be truly missed”
There were 93 messages of condolence. Here’s one of them.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Tess was a beautiful dog and very friendly, always round my car, when she went wandering, bless her, rest in peace little one. – Shirley Arnold
The Spencer family replied:
Thank you all so much for these really kind comments. It’s so lovely to hear all your different stories and interactions you’ve had with Tess over the years when visiting our farm shop. Barney the Collie, Maisie the Black Lab and Copper the Fox Red Lab will be roaming around the farm to greet you on your next visit to us. Thank you all again for the love and support
Transport Changes
On 5th September we posted
Work on the Porchester Road Active Travel Scheme has reached the Post Office and is approx 2/3 complete. Whatever your opinion, it’s clear that the way we move around urban areas is changing.
Money from the Active Travel Fund and the newly formed East Midlands Combined County Authority added Porchester Road in Mapperley to the strategic cycle network connecting with the Carlton Road.
Predictably, opinion was divided:
A ridiculous amount of money and disruption- I live off Porchester road and have probably seen about 8 cyclists on the double width cycle lane since it was made. Same with all the other cycle lanes locally. The obsession with cycling baffles me- we aren’t all going to don Lycra to get on a bike because driving’s become impossible! There are many other ways to improve our environment – cycling is a green option but not practical in a busy city , and grabbing bits of road at huge expense is lunacy. Meanwhile my road is like a track in the mountains of Afghanistan. I’d do better on a donkey trying to get up it! – Avis Blanche
I’ve seen plenty of cyclists up and down. Just cos you haven’t seen them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. It increases the safety of those cyclists and I have seen plenty of near misses so I’d rather not see a fatality before something was done about it. Some people have blinkers on and don’t notice the world around them. No need to be angry about the work being undertaken. It’s fully funded and great that money is being spent on such a busy road. – John Dome
The Westdale Lane Tram Terminus in Mapperley (circa 1930).
The tram service originally terminated at Porchester Road as a horse drawn tram and was then replaced by electric trams in 1902. In the book “Nottingham Trolleybuses” by David Bowler a date of 7 June 1926 is given for the tram extension to Westdale Lane. This later became route B and was replaced with motorbuses from February 1st 1936. It was bus route 31 by the 1950s.
Image credit Sam Stilling on FB.
Old St Anns
Thanks to Jo Singh for sharing this photo taken by her father who wrote ‘Nottingham 1971’ on the back.
Nottingham city centre is recognisable in the distance and the cleared ground is certainly the demolition of the old St Anns estate.
We think it was taken from the area of Blue Bell Hill Road. What do you think?
Identity Card
With all the talk about the news that the government were set to introduce a digital Identity card in the UK, we reproduced this post about a National Registration identity card from the 1940s.
It shows the address as Emily Terrace, Dawson Street off Carlton Road (not to be confused with Dowson Street off Gordon Road). This area was replaced with what is now known as Hooten Street Industrial Estate.
The high rise flats of Burrows Court, (built in 1967) appear to have taken its name from Burrows Street in the same area.
Identity Cards were replaced by NHS Cards on its formation in 1948.