LOCAL INFORMATION
Hucknall
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Hucknall | |
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29,188 | |
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0115 | |
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List of places: UK • England • Nottinghamshire | |
Statistics
Population 29,704 (14,572 (49%) male, 15,132 (51%) female). Total households 12,427 (Census 2001,Nottinghamshire County Council). White (94%) Asian (3%) Afro-Caribbean (1%)
Geography
Hucknall is situated seven miles (11.26 kilometres) north-west of Nottingham on the west bank of the Leen Valley, on land which rises from the Trent Valley in the south to the hills of the county north of Kirkby-in-Ashfield. The Whyburn or 'Town Brook' flows through the town centre, and Farleys Brook marks its southern boundary. The town's highest point is Long Hill which is 460 feet (140 metres) above sea-level.
Apart from the southern link to
History
Hucknall was once a thriving market town. Its focal point is the parish
From 1295 until 1915, the town was known as Hucknall Torkard, taken from Torcard, the name of a dominant landowning family. Signs of the old name can still be seen on some of the older buildings.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, coal was discovered and mined heavily throughout the Leen Valley, which includes Hucknall. This brought increased wealth to the town along with the construction of three railway lines.
From 1894 until 1974 Hucknall was the seat of the Hucknall Urban District council. Upon the abolition of the UDC, the town was transferred to Ashfield.
Etymology
Hucknall was recorded as Hokeuhale (n.d.) and Hokenale (n.d.), suggesting "nook of
In the Domesday Book (A.D. 1086) the name appears as Hochenale (volume 1, pages 288-290).
Transport
The town is the northern terminus for the Nottingham Express Transit tram system as well as sharing a station on the Robin Hood Line. There is also a stop at Butler's Hill/Broomhill. The town used to be on the A611 but now this has bypassed the town to the west with a very wide single-carriageway road with roundabouts, with access to junction 27 of the M1.
Education
The National School Technology College is on Annesley Road at the north end of the town, near the roundabout of the B6011. The Holgate Comprehensive School-which was recently given a specialist status of 'School of arts' is on
Industry
Mining
Hucknall was a colliery town from 1861 to 1986. The sinking of the coal mines caused the settlement to grow rapidly from a village to a market town in under a hundred years. The Hucknall Colliery Company, formed in 1861 sank two shafts, Hucknall No. 1 colliery (known as "Top Pit") in 1861 (off
Rolls-Royce
Hucknall Airfield was built in 1916, which became RAF Hucknall. From 1927, Rolls-Royce began using the airfield for flight tests. During World War II, the aerodrome at Hucknall was the location of the first flight of a P-51 Mustang fitted with a Rolls-Royce Merlin Engine. The fitting of the Merlin, replacing the existing Allison V-1710 engine allowed the Mustang airframe to reach its full potential and achieve spectacular high altitude performance, something the Allison engine could not provide. In the early 1950s, the Rolls-Royce site at Hucknall developed the world's first vertical-takeoff jet 'aircraft' - actually, a test rig, officially called the Thrust Measuring Rig, but soon nicknamed the "Flying Bedstead" because of its shape. The first untethered flight, piloted by Capt. Ron Shepherd, took place on 3 August 1954 before a distinguished audience. The rig rose slowly into the air and hovered steadily. It then moved forward, made a circuit of the area, then demonstrated sideways and backwards movements before making a successful landing. The flight was a tremendous success and during the next four months a number of free flights were made, up to a height of 50 ft. There are pubs in Hucknall called The Flying Bedstead and The Harrier. Rolls-Royce's flight test centre closed in 1971, but engines are still tested and some components are manufactured at the site in Westville.
Textiles
Framework knitting was once the predominant industry in Hucknall.
Famous People
Lord Byron (poet, philosopher and revolutionary) is buried in the parish church (on 16 July 1824).
Robin Bailey (1919-1999), actor.
Ben Caunt (1815-1861), a bare-knuckle fighter, known as "The Torkard Giant", who became 'Champion of England'. It is after Ben Caunt that the bell Big Ben is named.
Eric Coates (1886 - 1957), whose compositions include the theme music for The Dam Busters movie, and the "Sleepy Lagoon" introduction for Desert Island Discs.
Philanthropist Zachariah Green (1817-1897). Buried in the local Parish church. Has a monument to his memory in
Jack Hall (1883-1938) professional footballer who played as an inside-forward or centre-forward for Stoke, Middlesbrough, Leicester Fosse, and Birmingham.
Thomas Cecil Howitt, (1889-1968) an eminent British provincial architect of the 20th Century.
Countess Ada Lovelace (1815 - 1852), daughter of the Poet Lord Byron, is buried in the church. She is credited as being the first programmer, having assisted in realising the potential of Babbage's analytical engine.
Enoch 'Knocker' West (1886-1965), a footballer who played for Sheffield United,
Sam Weller Widdowson, a footballer who played for Nottingham Forest. He also played cricket for Nottinghamshire and is credited with inventing football shin pads in 1874.