Lenton Times

The Magazine of Lenton Local History Society

The Society's Current Research Projects - Can You Help?

In the following section of the website we outline a few of the lines of research the Society is currently pursuing.  This is followed by a section where individuals engaged in research with a Lenton connection can request help and information.

Lenton Local History Society is interested in all aspects of Lenton’s past and would welcome any photographs, ephemera, information and reminiscences relating to the locality.  We do, however, have a number of lines of research which we are actively exploring at present.  Among them are the following:-

Material for forthcoming issues of Lenton Times

The Dunkirk area of Lenton
In the near future we intend to devote an issue of the magazine to articles related to the history of the Dunkirk area, the shops, the businesses, the school, plus features on some of its past and present residents. If you have memories or possess any old photographs relating to this area of Lenton please get in touch with us.

The old Willoughby Street area
Eventually we would like to produce an issue of Lenton Times devoted to the Willoughby Street area.  If your family had a business here, you once worked in the area, or are a former resident we would be delighted to hear from you.

Although the Society’s photographic archive contains a number of photographs of the Willoughby Street area there are huge gaps.  We have no close-up photographs of the Wesleyan Chapel on Church Street; both exterior and interior shots of the pubs are largely absent from our collection; photographs of many of the shops and businesses are still required.  If you can rectify any of these deficiencies then we would be delighted to hear from you.

Lenton during the Second World War
Previous issues of Lenton Times have featured a number of articles relating to this era – but we are keen to assemble more.

We have also launched an appeal for recollections on School life in Lenton during the Second World War.  If you were at school in Lenton during this period then why not jot down your memories and let us have them.  Photographs from this particular era are rather thin on the ground.  If you have any in your possession then we would be eager to make copies from them.

Calling all postcard collectors ...
The picture postcard shown here was acquired for the Society’s archive.  There was no information on the back of the card and the person donating the photograph knew little of its provenance.   The scene is clearly Derby Road and the traction engine has undoubtedly demolished the boundary wall outside No. 259.  This is the property at the corner of Derby Road and Lenton Boulevard.   Were we able to ascertain the date of this mishap we could check the local papers to see if it made the news.  If that did prove to be the case then we could regale readers with the full story.  But sadly we don’t have any real idea as to when it took place.  What we really need is for someone else to have a copy of the postcard –  one that was actually sent through the post and so be franked with a postmark.   Can you help us?  In the magazine we stated that the publisher was ‘J. Spick’.  A quick glance at the bottom right hand corner of the postcard will show this is incorrect and we should said ‘J. Spree’.

Lenton’s Dead of World War 1
A project is underway to discover more about all those with Lenton connections who died in the war.  The Lenton War memorial has 288 names on it and we have identified a further 124 people whose names are not listed there but who do have a Lenton connection of some sort.  The kind of information we are trying to amass on each person is best illustrated by way of an example:

TOPLEY, Arthur William, Driver, (8th Div. Ammunition Col. Royal Field Artillery 35512).  Probably killed near Mont-St.Eloi, Pas de Calais, France 27th August 1918 (his birthday).  Age 33.  Born in Bobbersmill [C.1891], Nottingham; lived at 137 Willoughby St. [St.Ann’s, Nottingham.m.1914] and later 2 Mettham St. [n.e.p.5.9.1918], Nottingham;son of Samuel Topley [l.b.1901] and Mary Ann Topley [C.1891] (d.1941), of 2 Tanner’s Yard, Leengate [e.1891-1905], 3 Albert Ball Memorial Homes [l.m.1922 of sister & n.e.p.21.2.1941]; husband of Beatrice Ethel Topley (nee Truman) [St.Ann’s Nottingham.m.1914] (d.1945), of 2 Mettham St. [e.1931 & n.e.p.20.6.1945]; chauffeur [St.Ann’s.m.1914].

Sources used in this particular example include the 1891 Census [C.1891]; the marriage register of St. Ann’s Church [St.Ann’s Nottingham.m.1914]; the death notices in the Nottingham Evening Post [n.e.p.5.9.1918]; Holy Trinity Church’s burial records [l.b.1901]; the electoral registers for Nottingham [e.1891-1905]; Holy Trinity Church’s marriage registers [l.m.1922].  The standard typeface indicates information obtained from official sources while the use of  italics highlights information we have pieced together.

For people such as Arthur Topley we have assembled a fairly detailed profile which includes parents’ names and their residential details from 1891 onwards; any marriages plus what subsequently happened to the widow.  For others we may have their service details but lack many of the relevant personal details.

Accessing the 1901 census has enabled us to pinpoint the identities of some of the men and provide additional further information about others.  There are still quite a lot of details we still need to garner so if you have access to any information which may assist our project please get in touch.

Throughout the course of the war the Lenton Parish Magazine listed the names and addresses of Lenton residents who had enlisted and included short obituaries when their deaths were reported.   Unfortunately Holy Trinity Church failed to retain archival copies.  So far we have only managed to locate three issues. Searches at the Local Studies Library, Nottinghamshire Archives, the British Library and the Imperial War Museum have failed to generate any further copies.  So if anyone does have any parish magazines from this era we would be extremely keen to hear from them.

Lenton’s Dead in World War Two
While Lenton’s War Memorial records many of the names of those who fell in the First World War there was no additional list of names made for those dying in the Second World War.  Furthermore there was no specific record kept elsewhere of Lenton fatalities.  To remedy this omission the Society has been assembling its own list – made into books of remembrance which have been deposited in both Holy Trinity Church and Lenton Priory Church.  The Society is aware that the list is far from complete.  So if you know of someone not included in the following lists then let us know.                        

Additional names recently acquired which have not yet been included in the books of remembrance are as follows: