February 2025
In February 2025, we remembered our history, said farewell to a popular and well known person on Mapperley Top and looked forward to the future.
This is the last brick to be made at Mapperley.
On the 2nd May 1969 almost 150 years of brickmaking in the City of Nottingham was over.
Dorket Head had taken over production, much further out along the Mapperley ridge, because (of course) several housing developments had been built as far as Middlebeck Drive.
Photo with kind permission of Jeffrey Sheard author of Clay Stealers to St Pancras Station – A History of Nottingham’s Brick Makers
We remembered Sharpes Garage at the top of Breck Hill Road and shared this photograph from 1958. Sharpes went on to become a Vauxhall dealer and expanded onto a larger site on the corner with Plains Road ( now Sainsburys).
Sharpe’s Garage
This prompted many memories and here are a few:
Graham Westcott – My dad bought a Vauxhall Victor 2.3 sl in bright yellow from them, SRR551L in 1975. It was parked right on the corner, I can see it now and whenever I go into Sainsburys, and yes their showroom is where Wetherspoons is now. We looked at a brand new Vauxhall Viva gls there in 1978.
Muriel Richardson – Jennifer Sharpe was my friend when we attended school together at Mapperley Plains. I lived close by on Woodborough Road.
Quinta Da Horta – Remember it well. Bought my first new van from them – Bedford CF with one sliding drivers door and swing door on the passenger side, a bit strange though at the time. Got a good deal. I remember the number HAU 2N and not a private number plate, just the one from DVLC
On 21st February we said a final goodbye to the the Fruitbowl grocers shop but welcomed the expansion of the Old Flower Shop.
We posted: Whilst many of us still miss The Fruit Bowl, the shops on the top don’t stay closed for long. The Old Flower Shop (MkII) looks good to go. Reopening TONIGHT! from 5pm for drinks only. The kitchen will be fully open from Saturday.
We also said farewell to a regular face on Mapperley Top when we learned of the death of Bill Bedward. Bill was known from the family business Diddyland (the pram and baby product shop) which closed in April 2022 and also a regular in the Bread and Bitter.
Bill died recently and his family would like to invite you to gather together to laugh, cry and celebrate a beautiful soul and a life well lived. Family flowers only, however if you would like to make a donation to Cancer Research please do so.