Upper Saxondale
Encyclopedia
Upper Saxondale is a residential area situated mainly in the parish of Radcliffe on Trent
, in the Nottinghamshire borough of Rushcliffe
. A section also falls within the parish of Cropwell Butler
. Upper Saxondale is located in an upland area set between the River Trent
and the Vale of Belvoir
and between the A52 road
and the A46 road
close to their junction at Saxondale Roundabout near Bingham
. The nearby hamlet
of Saxondale
was the site of an Anglo-Saxon
fort and earthworks
, clearly visible from the A52 road.
-bar
called Sanctuary, a hairdresser, tennis club and bowling green. The estate is surrounded by parkland, much of which is owned by Upper Saxondale Residents' Association.
Upper Saxondale is a designated conservation area
of 30 hectare
s. The boundary of this conservation area contains the entire former Saxondale Hospital site and includes extensive semi-wooded grounds, parkland landscape and many fine trees.
The chapel was built in 1902 to the designs of E.W. Roberts, the then County Architect, for use by hospital staff and patients. The small, gothic revival style building is home to Wellspring CGC (Christian Growth Centre).
Towards the northern end of the site, there are three houses collectively known as "Top Lodges" which mark the original main entrance to the hospital, and were originally occupied by senior staff. Many of the original nurses' houses, which were built in 1930, can also be found to the northern end of the site and along Saxondale Drive (formerly Hospital Drive).
David Wilson Homes originally called the development "St James Park", but the residents voted to change the name to "Upper Saxondale" at a Residents' Association meeting in 1999. Upper Saxondale also includes the original houses on Saxondale Drive, which are not part of the David Wilson Homes development.
Today the site is a blend of old and new. High quality conversions of the Victorian buildings, the mature parkland, its core of community buildings and its public open spaces have resulted in an ususual residential area of special character and quality.
There are several ghost stories relating to the history of the area: most notably a troop of Roman soldiers marching up Henson Lane. The ghosts of Lady Elinor denison and Sir Sam WIlson is said to be haunting some areas of the grounds.
King Henry VII is said to have camped on land to the west of Upper Saxondale during the Battle of Stoke Field
.
A RAF bomber crashed close to Upper Saxondale during WW2. The site is marked by 5 mature trees set out in the shape of a cross in the middle of a field close to the main Saxondale Drive. The impact made a slight hollow and piles of earth are still clearly visible. The site was originally marked with a memorial stone, although this has now been removed.
for Nottinghamshire, and was used as a military hospital
during World War I
from August 1918 to October 1919 to care for shell-shocked soldiers. The most infamous of these being a Mr Sam Wilson who suffered such serious shell shock he believed himself to be a Romanian Gypsy for over 10 years. Another notable resident was the old ward psychiatrist Dr. Leo Dolan, he is infamous for torturing his patients with copious amounts of white rum and was even rumoured to have had intimate relations with a bush he liked to call 'sheila'. Tragically Dr. Dolan died in one of the frequent 'play' fights he used to engage in with his patients. The hospital was built to replace Sneinton Asylum and the foundation stone was laid on 25 July 1899. The new building — designed by architect E. Purnell Hooley
, better known as the inventor of Tarmac — was two stories high, cost £
and had accommodation for 452 patients (226 of each sex). The 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) surrounding the hospital cost £. It was officially opened 24 July 1902 by Lady Elinor Denison. In 1913 extensions were made for 148 patients, which cost £. In 1932, two further blocks were erected, each to accommodate 50 female patients. In 1955, two further villas were built, one to accommodate 36 females and the other 36 males. The hospital closed in 1987 and was partly demolished prior to redevelopment.
Radcliffe on Trent
Radcliffe-on-Trent is a large village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire-Location:Radcliffe has a population of around 8,000. It is to the east of Nottingham, and is close to but not quite part of the Greater Nottingham built-up area...
, in the Nottinghamshire borough of Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe is a local government district with borough status in Nottinghamshire, England. Its council is based in West Bridgford. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by merging the West Bridgford Urban District, the Bingham Rural District and part of Basford Rural District.-Political representation:The...
. A section also falls within the parish of Cropwell Butler
Cropwell Butler
Cropwell Butler is a village in the borough of Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, one mile to the east of the A46 in the NG12 postcode. The next village to the south is Cropwell Bishop....
. Upper Saxondale is located in an upland area set between the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
and the Vale of Belvoir
Vale of Belvoir
The Vale of Belvoir is an area of natural beauty on the borders of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire in England. Indeed, the name itself derives from the Norman-French for beautiful view.-Extent and geology:...
and between the A52 road
A52 road
The A52 is a major road in the East Midlands, England. It runs east from the junction with the A53 at Newcastle-under-Lyme near Stoke-on-Trent via Ashbourne, Derby, Stapleford, Nottingham, West Bridgford, Bingham, Grantham, Boston and Skegness before terminating on the east Lincolnshire coast at...
and the A46 road
A46 road
The A46 is an A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway development...
close to their junction at Saxondale Roundabout near Bingham
Bingham, Nottinghamshire
Bingham is a market town in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, England.-Geography:With a population of around 9,000 people it lies about nine miles east of Nottingham, a similar distance south-west of Newark-on-Trent and west of Grantham. It is situated where the A46 intersects the A52...
. The nearby hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Saxondale
Saxondale, Nottinghamshire
Saxondale is a small hamlet in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, England, situated just off the A52 road near to its junction with the A46 road at the Saxondale roundabout...
was the site of an Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
fort and earthworks
Earthworks (engineering)
Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...
, clearly visible from the A52 road.
Characteristics
Upper Saxondale was developed on the site of the former Saxondale Hospital by David Wilson Homes from approximately 1995 to 2001. The area includes approximately 350 dwellings, ranging from 3 bedroom converted hospital buildings to newly built 5-6 bedroom detached houses. There is also a restaurantRestaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
-bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
called Sanctuary, a hairdresser, tennis club and bowling green. The estate is surrounded by parkland, much of which is owned by Upper Saxondale Residents' Association.
Upper Saxondale is a designated conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
of 30 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s. The boundary of this conservation area contains the entire former Saxondale Hospital site and includes extensive semi-wooded grounds, parkland landscape and many fine trees.
The chapel was built in 1902 to the designs of E.W. Roberts, the then County Architect, for use by hospital staff and patients. The small, gothic revival style building is home to Wellspring CGC (Christian Growth Centre).
Towards the northern end of the site, there are three houses collectively known as "Top Lodges" which mark the original main entrance to the hospital, and were originally occupied by senior staff. Many of the original nurses' houses, which were built in 1930, can also be found to the northern end of the site and along Saxondale Drive (formerly Hospital Drive).
David Wilson Homes originally called the development "St James Park", but the residents voted to change the name to "Upper Saxondale" at a Residents' Association meeting in 1999. Upper Saxondale also includes the original houses on Saxondale Drive, which are not part of the David Wilson Homes development.
Today the site is a blend of old and new. High quality conversions of the Victorian buildings, the mature parkland, its core of community buildings and its public open spaces have resulted in an ususual residential area of special character and quality.
There are several ghost stories relating to the history of the area: most notably a troop of Roman soldiers marching up Henson Lane. The ghosts of Lady Elinor denison and Sir Sam WIlson is said to be haunting some areas of the grounds.
King Henry VII is said to have camped on land to the west of Upper Saxondale during the Battle of Stoke Field
Battle of Stoke Field
The Battle of Stoke Field may be considered the last battle of the Wars of the Roses, since it was to be the last engagement in which a Lancastrian king faced an army of Yorkist supporters, under the pretender Lambert Simnel...
.
A RAF bomber crashed close to Upper Saxondale during WW2. The site is marked by 5 mature trees set out in the shape of a cross in the middle of a field close to the main Saxondale Drive. The impact made a slight hollow and piles of earth are still clearly visible. The site was originally marked with a memorial stone, although this has now been removed.
Saxondale Hospital
The former Saxondale Hospital was the county asylumPsychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
for Nottinghamshire, and was used as a military hospital
Military hospital
Military hospital is a hospital, which is generally located on a military base and is reserved for the use of military personnel, their dependents or other authorized users....
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
from August 1918 to October 1919 to care for shell-shocked soldiers. The most infamous of these being a Mr Sam Wilson who suffered such serious shell shock he believed himself to be a Romanian Gypsy for over 10 years. Another notable resident was the old ward psychiatrist Dr. Leo Dolan, he is infamous for torturing his patients with copious amounts of white rum and was even rumoured to have had intimate relations with a bush he liked to call 'sheila'. Tragically Dr. Dolan died in one of the frequent 'play' fights he used to engage in with his patients. The hospital was built to replace Sneinton Asylum and the foundation stone was laid on 25 July 1899. The new building — designed by architect E. Purnell Hooley
E. Purnell Hooley
Edgar Purnell Hooley was the founder of Tarmac plc, one of the United Kingdom's largest building materials businesses.-Career:Born in Swansea, Hooley was articled as a civil engineer to the firm of James Craik in Bristol....
, better known as the inventor of Tarmac — was two stories high, cost £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
and had accommodation for 452 patients (226 of each sex). The 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) surrounding the hospital cost £. It was officially opened 24 July 1902 by Lady Elinor Denison. In 1913 extensions were made for 148 patients, which cost £. In 1932, two further blocks were erected, each to accommodate 50 female patients. In 1955, two further villas were built, one to accommodate 36 females and the other 36 males. The hospital closed in 1987 and was partly demolished prior to redevelopment.