Carlton guidebook

As the city of Nottingham expanded throughout the course of the 20th century, small villages and even towns became engulfed by the big conurbation.

So it was with much of this eastern part of the city, sections of which are no longer recognisable today as the distinct areas that they were just over 100 years ago.
 
But this does not mean that these places have lost their individual character – if anything, the likes of Gedling and Netherfield are striving even harder to assert their individuality precisely because they are part of the urban expansion.

If anywhere has suffered from a slight loss of identity, it’s probably Carlton itself, and that's simply due to its sheer size.

But because of its location at the edge of Greater Nottingham's north-eastern development, and because many streets are built on hills, even Carlton doesn't feel too urban or claustrophobic.

Above all, this district of Notts is a place where people tend to stay rather than being made up of a transient population; it also has a lower proportion of students than some other parts of the city.

So you will get people buying their first home in one street, moving into a bigger place close by when they become part of a couple, and then buying a family home in a neighbouring street. 

Each area has a varying degree of local facilities such as shops, pubs and takeaways, as well as its own atmosphere; the centre of Netherfield, for example, has the buzz of a small town while nearby Gedling has a prevailing village atmosphere.

It's always relatively easy to reach the countryside from this side of the city, and there are plans to create a brand new country park as part of the redevelopment of the former Gedling Colliery site.

Property In and Around Carlton

This north-eastern area of Greater Nottingham encompasses Carlton, Colwick, Netherfield, Gedling and Bakersfield. 

It is sandwiched between the resolutely urban district of Sneiton and the more suburban enclave of Mapperley.

In Carlton itself, 33 per cent of homes are detached, 43 per cent are semi-detached, 10 per cent are terraced, 12 per cent are purpose-built flats and two per cent are flats in converted houses.

In Colwick and Netherfield, 14 per cent of homes are detached, 30 per cent are semi-detached, 48 per cent are terraced, six per cent are purpose-built flats and two per cent are flats in converted houses.

In Gedling, 33 per cent of homes are detached, 40 per cent are semi-detached, 18 per cent are terraced and nine per cent are flats.
 
In Bakersfield, 30 per cent of homes are detached, 40 per cent are semi-detached, 25 per cent are terraced and five per cent are flats.

Here's a brief look at what each area has to offer:

1. Carlton

Where is it? A large suburb in the north east of Nottingham which actually comes under Gedling Borough Council.  It's the area between Oakdale Road in the south and Westdale Lane in the north.

What’s there? Carlton has homes to suit every pocket. There are lots of terraced houses in the smaller streets just off the main thoroughfare of Carlton Hill.

As you leave Carlton Hill, the terraces increasingly give way to a large range of semis and detached houses, generally increasing in size the further out you go.

There are also new two-bed apartments in Carlton Hill, and a development of one- and two-bed flats in Carlton Court, off Midland Road. 

Buyers: Carlton is suitable for a wide range of buyers, but a thriving rental market makes it appealing to investors, too.

Pros: Good amenities and easy access to the city centre.

Cons: It's too big an area to have a distinct community feel.

2. Colwick

Where is it? To the north-east of Colwick Country Park, between the River Trent and the railway line. The northern part of Colwick Industrial Estate separates Colwick from Netherfield.

What’s there? Some very nice properties in the Crosslands Meadow area, which have an enviable position close to Colwick Lake.

North of Colwick Loop Road there are some older terraces and semis, with pockets of newer homes dotted around, such as those in The Elms.

Buyers: First-time buyers and families.

Pros: Nearby Colwick Country Park provides some scenic outdoors space.

Cons: The area is somewhat dominated by industrial estates and doesn’t have a lot of amenities.

3. Gedling

Where is it? The area between Westdale Lane East and Arnold Lane; and between Arnold Lane and Burton Road (plus the few roads on the other side of Burton Road).

This second area contains the heart of the old Gedling Village, a term which is still in use even though the village itself has effectively been consumed by the surrounding development.  

What’s there? As you’d expect, the finest properties are in Gedling Village – Wood Lane, Waterhouse Lane and Burton Road all have a variety of substantial period homes.

More modern family housing can be found in the streets just off Burton Road, such as Braemar Drive and Beaumaris Drive.

Areas of new-build include Blackthorn Close off Yew Tree Lane, Tennyson Grange off Tennyson Avenue, and Gedling Grange off Shearing Hill.

There are some cottages in the middle of Gedling Village, and plenty of terraces in areas such as Priory Road.  There are also modern apartments in Ascot Park, and older flats in the Queen’s Avenue/Princess Close area.

And, because of the steep hills in this part, there are a fair few split-level homes in Gedling.

Buyers: Mostly families and couples.

Pros: Village atmosphere with a beautiful historic church and low-key charm.

Cons: Some of that charm has been slightly diminished by nearby developments.

4. Netherfield

Where is it? North-east of Colwick, in the triangle formed by the two railway lines and the Colwick Loop Road.

What’s there? Nearly half of all properties in Netherfield are terraces, plenty of which are available to rent.

Most of the housing here is older, including lots of Victorian property, but there are some newer homes to be found, particularly nearer the Colwick Loop Road end of town, such as in Drummond Avenue and Nether Pasture.

There are also some flats and apartments scattered around.

Buyers: This is ideal first-time buyer and investment territory with comparatively affordable house prices.

Pros: Town centre amenities are within easy reach.  There are also two nearby train stations and good access routes in and out.

Cons: There are a noticeable number of empty shops in the town's main precinct.

5. Bakersfield

Where is it? Between Sneinton and Carlton. Greenwood Road is the southern boundary and Cardale Road the eastern side.

The northern/western boundary generally follows the border between Nottingham and Gedling; however Bakersfield does creep over into Gedling in the Oakdale Road area. 

What’s there? Far more similar to Carlton than Sneinton, with over two-thirds of property stock made up of either detached or semi-detached houses.

The main area for big period homes is between Oakdale Road and Carlton Road, but there are also plenty of detached houses along Greenwood Road and Oakdale Road itself. 

More affordable properties can be found in the Hereford Road / Ripon Road / Harrogate Road area.

Buyers: Mainly those on the first and second steps of the property ladder.

Pros: Big houses at reasonable prices.

Cons: Bakersfield is lacking in shops and amenities compared to Carlton or Sneinton.

Living Here

Transport:

Trains: There are stations at Carlton and Netherfield which are just quarter of a mile apart but on different lines. From Carlton you head west to Nottingham or east to Burton Joyce, Newark and Lincoln.

From Netherfield you also head west to Nottingham, but east takes you to Radcliffe, Bingham and Grantham. Services are operated by East Midlands Trains.

There are direct links to London from Newark and Grantham (into King’s Cross) and from Nottingham (into St Pancras).

Road: Reasonable connections to the east and north (including the A1) via the A612, but heading south or west means skirting the city centre. It’s about 35 minutes to the M1.

In 2007 a new £11m road was opened linking Colwick Loop Road, at the Victoria Road junction, to Burton Road further east.

This was designed to reduce traffic going through the part of Burton Road nearest to Netherfield, but the rest of Burton Road still seem to gets quite congested.

Buses: Nottingham City Transport runs frequent services to and from the city centre. Numbers 25, 26, 27 and 100 go to Carlton; numbers 23 and 24 run to Bakersfield; and numbers 44 and 45 go to Colwick, Netherfield and Gedling.

Air: East Midlands Airport near Castle Donington is about 35 minutes away by car.

Shopping:

Carlton: The main shopping area is along Carlton Hill, where there’s a good selection including a Tesco Express, Blockbuster Video, Bonds Fine Foods, Booze Buster and Iceland.

At the bottom of Carlton Hill there’s a Tesco superstore. There’s also a precinct at Carlton Square, which has a Wilkinsons, Farmfoods, chemists and other shops, but in general could do with a major overhaul.

The post office in Valley Road is earmarked for closure in 2008.

Colwick: A bit light on shops but there is a newsagent and a pharmacy on Vale Road.

Gedling: Has a Sainsbury's Local and a Co-op. The post offices in Main Road and Wollaton Avenue are set to close at some point in 2008.

Netherfield: The town centre's biggest shop is a large Co-op store, though there are plenty of other outlets including a greengrocer’s, butcher’s, card shops, newsagents and a tattoo parlour.

Victoria Retail Park off the main A612 has a Morrisons, Next, B&Q, Halfords and Carpet Right. Just over the road is a Lidl.

Bakersfield: The area's main street, Oakdale Road, has most of the basics including a Nisa Local Store, Co-op, post office, Booze Buster and the II Tricolore fruit and veg store.

Eating & drinking:

Restaurants: Colwick Hall in Colwick is a hotel overlooking Nottingham Racecourse which has a Georgetown restaurant offering Malaysian cuisine in a colonial setting.

Also in Colwick is the Park Yacht Inn in Trent Lane, a straightforward eatery with bar meals, Sunday carvery, and special evenings such as curry nights.

Bianco in Victoria Road, Netherfield, has a range of pizza, pasta and steak dishes.

Takeaways: A good selection in Carlton Hill, Carlton, such as the Indian Prince, Vegas Fast Food Takeaway and Golden Harvest Cantonese, and there is also La Piazza takeaway in Carlton Square.

Netherfield has Pastaland which offers takeaway Italian fare, the Taste of Kashmir, the Olympic Fish Bar, the Lucky House Cantonese takeaway, and all day breakfasts at Rumbles.

In Oakdale Road, Bakersfield, there’s the New Summer Palace Chinese takeaway, the Oakdale Fish Bar, the Oakdale Tandoori and a Pizza Hut delivery outlet.

Cafes: In Netherfield The Number One Sandwich Bar is popular, while in Vale Road in Colwick, the Vale Cafe and Takeaway has a range of hot and cold food.

Carlton itself has the Fratelli Italian Cafe and Panini Bar, the Pasa Cafe and Bistro, and Quackers Coffee Shop.

Pubs: Carlton Hill has a number of traditional drinking spots, including the Earl of Chesterfield, the Toby Jug, the Windsor Castle and The Nag's Head, while The Old Volunteer and Inn For A Penny can be found on Burton Road.

Two large community pubs dominate Oakdale Road in Bakersfield, in the form of the Oakdale and the Tally Ho, whose attractions include roast dinners and bingo.
 
In Netherfield, pubs such as It's Inn The Bank and the Fox And Hound are congregated around the town centre and serve a range of ales.

In Gedling, the Chesterfield Arms was refurbished in 2005 with plasma screens and a new menu, while the Grey Goose hosts rock nights on a Monday.

And finally there’s the Starting Gate and the Colwick Park Toby Carvery on opposite sides of the A612 as you enter Colwick.  

Sport and leisure:

The Carlton Forum Leisure Centre in Coningswath Road has two pools, all-weather and grass football pitches, squash courts, gym, fitness studio, and courts for badminton/basketball.

The Richard Herrod Leisure Centre in Foxhill Road has snooker tables and an indoor bowling green.  

Carlton Town Football Club has been around since 1904 and plays in the Unibond League First Division South (as of 2007/08).

Gedling Town FC is based at the Riverside Ground at Stoke Bardolph and plays in the Northern Counties East Division One (as of 2007/08).

Both Nottingham Forest’s City Ground and Notts County’s Meadow Lane are about two miles away.

Trent Bridge, also a couple of miles away, hosts both county and international cricket. There is a Gedling and Sherwood Cricket Club but it is based out of the area, in Regatta Way in Gamston.

The Nottingham Panthers ice hockey team play at the National Ice Centre in the city centre.

Nottingham Wildcats basketball team play at the Wildcats Arena in Greenwood Road, Bakersfield.

Nottingham Racecourse is based at Colwick Park, about a mile from Carlton. This flat-racing venue runs a mixture of afternoon and evening meetings from April to November.
 
The racecourse site is also home to Nottingham's greyhound stadium, which runs races on Monday, Friday and Saturday evenings and has three bars and a restaurant.
 
Entertainment:

The Showcase cinema is about three miles away round the ring road, and Nottingham city centre has the Cineworld, the Savoy and the Broadway and Screen Room.
 
Theatre-wise, the city has the Theatre Royal, the Playhouse, and several smaller venues.

There’s also the 176-seat Bonington Theatre in nearby Arnold for local productions.

Parks and open spaces:

Colwick Woods, just to the south of Bakersfield, is a designated nature reserve which was originally part of the grounds of Colwick Hall.  It is mainly used by walkers, and cyclists are banned from the majority of the paths.

Colwick Country Park, to the west of Colwick, offers good walks around Colwick Lake and is also suitable for cyclists and horse-riders. Trout fishing and coarse fishing are available, and the site is home to Colwick Marina.

Other open spaces include Willow Park in Gedling, which has a recreation ground but no children’s play area.

Elsewhere there are children’s play areas in Albert Avenue, Burton Road, Carnarvon Grove, Oakdale Road and Standhill Road, all in Carlton.

In Netherfield, you'll find play areas in Curzon Street, Dunstan Street and Victoria Park; in Gelding at Lambley Lane; and in Colwick, at Valeside Gardens and in the Colwick Recreation Ground.