First Impressions
No. 03 - Part 02 - Nottingham Road
w/e 05 May 2013
All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
Marathon runners sometimes "hit a wall"
and I have to admit that's what happened to me after the initial
part of this First Impressions series at the bottom of Nottingham
Road. Now nearly eighteen months later a fine sunny morning prompted
me to "grasp the nettle", " bite the bullet"
or do whatever management phrase is currently in vogue and I
picked up the camera and returned for this second part. It is
possible to see similar images to those on this page on Google's
Street View but here I can also add a little background information.
  For example the
building at the entrance to the Gallows Inn Playing Field (left)
previously housed the offices and showrooms of Pola Blinds Ltd
but now stands empty. Opposite KRM Building Supplies' site (right)
extends to occupy the former Shipstone Street which until at
least the 1980s had about a dozen terraced properties on the
left hand side with another seven facing onto Nottingham Road.
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Next to the former Pola Blinds building are a pair of semi-detached
houses that are probably the most patriotic in Ilkeston. There
is usually at least one national flag flying and on special occasions
such as International football matches, the Olympic Games or
Royal Weddings, both houses are usually draped with huge flags
and traditional bunting as well.
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One thing you won't currently see on Street View is this new
housing development called Babbington Close for when the Google
car passed this way, the site of the former Jet Petrol Station
and Car Wash was standing empty with all the former buildings
having been demolished.
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Nottingham Road is now starting to rise to cross the bridge over
the Erewash Canal. There's an interesting photo (ref DCER000249) on the Picture The Past website
looking in the opposite direction which shows a World War II
pillbox on the crest of the bridge. Half of the pillbox extended
part way into the road and the photo also shows the terrace mentioned
previously and the front of the "Horse and Groom" public
house.
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The pub is now called "The Gallows Inn" and has been
known as that for many, many years despite at one time having
the name "Lock, Stock and Barrel" on the inn sign.
The building seen today is the same as the one in the Picture
The Past photo taken during the war as it was built for brewers
Joseph Shipstone and Sons in 1936. An inn had stood on this site
for many years before that though, the first being built as "The
Crown" in 1765. Even back then because of the proximity
of the gallows built to execute criminals when the assizes were
moved to Ilkeston from Nottingham following the outbreak of the
plague that broke out in the fourteenth century, it had become
known as "The Gallows Inn" before the year 1800. The
gallows remained nearby (on what is now the Gallows Inn Playing
Field) but eventually fell into disrepair and were blown down
in a storm in 1870.
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A path from the road leads down to the canal towpath passing
a recently erected information board describing a thirty mile
route along each side of the Erewash Valley.
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The towpath along the Erewash Canal also provides a safe way
to cross the busy Nottingham Road as it passes under the bridge
to the car park at the pub on the other side. Work to build the
canal began in 1778 and it was opened in July 1779.
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  There are fourteen locks on the canal which runs
for some eleven miles from the River Trent to Langley Mill. Gallows
Inn Lock (left) is at the side of the inn. Steps lead down from
the bridge on this side on the road whilst opposite, Rutland
Windows trade from the site occupied previously by Kennings Garage.
An independent upholstery business has been replaced by more
housing at the foot of the steps (right).
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