Park News

William the Conqueror commissioned the first castle to be built on the high rock in Nottingham after the invasion in 1066. First mentioned as a completed castle in the Domesday Book in 1086, it continued as a principal royal residence for the next 400 years. It was often visited by Henry II during the 12th century, but most particularly it was a favourite residence of King John and it was this association that inspired the legend of Robin Hood and his encounters with the Sheriff of Nottingham and King John. The woodland surrounding the castle was enclosed for a royal hunting ground, complete with deer and game, as well as fishponds, a rabbit warren and a falconry, providing both food and sport for the castle residents.

 

By 1623 the castle had become dilapidated and James I gave the castle and grounds to the Earl of Rutland, but he only used the land as a source for building materials. During the Civil War, Charles I raised the royal standard from the castle (giving the south east area the name ‘Standard Hill’), however, it wasn’t long before the castle was commandeered by the Parliament forces, led by Colonel John Hutchinson. Hutchinson was one of the commissioners who signed the death warrant of Charles I, but later broke with Cromwell when he became Lord Protector.

 

The Dukes of Newcastle

 

With the restoration of the monarchy staunch royalist, William Cavendish, Earl of Newcastle, purchased the ruined castle and grounds in 1662 and proceeded to build a new Renaissance palace, completed in 1679. The estate then passed to Thomas Pelham Holles, the great Whig politician who was twice Prime Minister between 1755 and 1762.

 

By the 19th century the Park, so near to the centre of town, became a popular attraction for the inhabitants of overcrowded Nottingham, becoming an escape from the dirty city, especially for the working classes, many of whom lived in slums. The Park became the city’s ‘lung’, with open space for walking and recreational activities. In 1849, The Stranger’s Guide noted that it was “open to the public and is used as a promenade by all classes of society, and a most healthy appendage it is to a populous and closely built town”.

 

In the early 19th century, the 4th Duke of Newcastle had grand aspirations for the development of the Park estate. He engaged architect Peter Frederick Robinson in 1825 to draw up plans for building. Robinson’s plan was a typical early 19th century style, with a grid pattern with squares, wide roads, inspired by John Nash’s fashionable London terraces. Early development of Robinson’s plans began along the Park edges, including The Ropewalk and Park Terrace in 1827, as well as Derby Terrace in 1829, which exemplified the model style Robinson planned. He also completed a number of individual houses on Park Terrace and Park Valley in varied designs including Regency pairs and Italian villas. However, in 1831 Robinson’s designs came to a halt when locals, angry at the Duke’s staunch position against the Reform Bill, attacked the Duke’s palace and caused extensive damage.

 

By this time around 40-50 houses had already been completed with most occupants from the new richer merchant and manufacturing classes, who greatly desired the large ornate homes within central Nottingham. By the early 1840s work had also started on the unique Park tunnel, but work stopped suddenly and the project temporarily abandoned due to the Duke’s lack of funds.

 

In 1851 the 4th Duke died and his son, the 5th Duke, Henry Pelham Clinton, instigated the continuing development of the Park by appointing prominent local architect, Thomas Chambers Hine as estate surveyor. The appointment of Hine was a significant moment for the history of the Park, as he not only designed many of the homes himself, but also oversaw all other designs submitted by other architects, including his rival Watson Fothergill and later his own son, George. Through this control, Hine was able to ensure high standards of design, including house size and even wall thickness, as well as the choice of building materials allowing for a consistency of architectural vision. By 1855 Hine had prepared a new design for the Park, which is almost exactly as it appears today. Hine was probably directly or indirectly responsible for at least 200 houses in the Park. It was this collaboration of Hine and the 5th Duke which established the picturesque and exclusive element of the Park which still continues to entice people today.

 

The tunnel was one of the most unique elements to the original development plans for the Park Estate. The original layout meant that the tunnel was required for greater access, despite the work involved in tunnelling through the rock. After the initial work halted in the 1840s, work continued on the tunnel in 1855, however, the tunnel never fulfilled its expectations as the development of other roads on the outskirts of the estate provided more convenient routes.

 

While the construction of the tunnel went ahead, Hine continued with the building of new homes on Castle Grove, Newcastle Drive and Derby Road. Hine also took advantage of natural foundations of the site and many houses have basements down into the natural stone. Hine was also very careful to shape the estate so as not to block the views of those residents behind. Along with his skill as an architect and surveyor, Hine was also an inventor, creating a gas lamp in 1874 that functioned both as a light and as a vent for the sewers beneath the Park. The original gas lighting network is still believed to be one of the largest in Europe.

 

The architectural style of homes across the estate vary greatly, primarily due to building taking place over such a long period from the 1830s to the early 1900s. Styles cover classical Regency and gothic Victorian with Hine repeatedly using unique decorative features and motifs, including Venetian windows, contrasting brickwork and star shaped vents. Some notable designs by Hine include No.1 South Road (1859); No.9 Cavendish Crescent North (1875); Penrhyn House Clumber Road East (1879) and No.17 Lenton Avenue (1886). 

 

The overall appearance and continuity within the Park was maintained by covenants restricting the density of development and required that houses be, “set back from the road among trees, and no house was allowed to be erected which would interfere with the view from of the houses.” No businesses were allowed in the park and it was even illegal for buildings or rooms to be used by any faith other than the Church of England. Once completed the owners were required to maintain them properly, including painting exterior wood every four years and submitting to twice-yearly inspections by Hine’s office.

 

One of the Park’s most unusual features is a collection of sandstone caves located in the former garden of No.32 The Ropewalk. The house was the home of Alderman Thomas Herbert, a successful lace manufacturer. His back garden fell away down the steep slope into the valley and in 1856-1872 he had a series of caves cut into the stone. The caves are like a grand folly and feature decorative pillars, stone lions and ornate carvings.

 

The 5th Duke died in 1864, from which time the Newcastle estates were managed by trustees, until 1879, one of whom was former Prime Minister, William Gladstone. By the 1870s large parts of the estate, with wide avenues and crescents were covered with new homes. The majority of the new roads were named after members of the Duke of Newcastle’s family or estates. By 1877 the Park covered an area of 254 acres and had

a population of 1500 residents. “By 1887 the original scheme was complete; some 650 houses stood in semi-rural splendour on an estate less than half a mile from the centre of town, and Nottingham’s merchant aristocracy had a local Belgravia all of their own.” Victorian Nottingham by Michael Payne (2007)

 

 

By the time Thomas Chambers Hine retired as estate surveyor in 1890 very few plots remained empty. However, the Park Estate continued to evolve during the late Victorian period into the early 20th century with the appointment of a new architect, Watson Fothergill. Fothergill predominately worked in a gothic and Queen Anne style and designed between 25 and 30 homes between 1873 and 1900. He was one of the most

flamboyant of Nottingham’s architects. He mixed ornamental brickwork and stonework, soaring chimney stacks and half timbered gables, turrets and towers.

 

By 1900, an address in the Park indicated that one had definitely ‘arrived’. Amongst the many who have lived in the Park there have been a number of notable residents. Some noteworthy residents have included, Sir Jesse Boot, founder of Boots The Chemist; artist and first woman to be elected to the Royal Academy, Dame Laura Knight; Director, Sir Jonathan Miller; Fighter pilot awarded the VC, Albert Ball; Founder of the Raleigh Cycle

Company, Sir Frank Bowden; fashion designer, Sir Paul Smith and actor, Hugh Grant.

 

The early 20th century brought about many alterations and extensions on the Park Estate, with conversions of larger houses into flats and the addition of garaging and converted outbuildings. In 1938, after almost 280 years, the 8th Duke of Newcastle sold The Nottingham Park Estate to Oxford University. Almost 50 years later, in 1986, the Park came into the hands of Nottingham Park Estate Ltd, run by a Board of Directors elected by the residents. It was designated a conservation area in 1969 and over 93 of its buildings and other features are listed. Today, the Park Estate is a quiet, picturesque area within central Nottingham, with historic features maintained, preserving the tree lined streets and grand Victorian houses.

 

© Melanie Backe-Hansen

Historian

August 2009