58-470: Hucknall ( / ˈ h ʌ k n ɔː l / ), formerly Hucknall Torkard ( / ˈ t ɔːr k ər d / ), is a market town in the Ashfield district of Nottinghamshire , England. It lies 7 miles (11 km) north of Nottingham , 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Kirkby-in-Ashfield , 9 miles (14 km) from Mansfield and 10 miles (16 km) south of Sutton-in-Ashfield . It is the second-largest town in
116-551: A Dutch pilot and flying off in a Hurricane fighter. He was arrested at gunpoint as he sat in the cockpit trying to learn the controls, and returned to his camp in Swanwick , Derbyshire . Franz von Werra was eventually the only German PoW to succeed in returning to Germany, when he escaped from Canada to the United States, then to Mexico and into South America, over a period from January to April 1941. His exploits feature in
174-601: A cost of £1,000,000, after the firm had appealed against a planning committee ban on grounds of noise, anti-social behaviour, smells and litter. Hucknall was a colliery town from 1861 to 1986. The sinking of the mines caused Hucknall to grow into a market town in under a century. The Hucknall Colliery Company, formed in 1861, sank two shafts, Hucknall No. 1 colliery (Top Pit) in 1861 off Watnall Road (closed 1943), and Hucknall No. 2 colliery (Bottom Pit) in 1866 off Portland Road (closed 1986). Hucknall Airfield , built in 1916, became RAF Hucknall . From 1927, Rolls-Royce began using
232-400: A delightful house of rest and amusement, the seating being conducive to the utmost comfort, whilst the projection was without fault for the first time, so perfect has the art become in these days." Manager R. L. Kemp told the paper, "The Byron projection room fills us with great pride and the management cordially invite any of our patrons who so desire to view the projection room. 'Wide Range' is
290-569: A freight route serving collieries at Hucknall, Linby and Annesley . The Hucknall station on this line was known as Hucknall Byron in its latter years. In the 1990s the line was reopened to passengers in stages as the Robin Hood Line , the section through Hucknall in 1993, with a new station on the site of the old "Byron", though simply called Hucknall. The second was the Great Northern Railway (later LNER ) route up
348-533: A link to surrounding villages such as Linby , Blidworth and Rainworth which is run by Stagecoach . The town used to be on the A611, but this now bypasses it to the west with a single-carriageway road with roundabouts and access to junction 27 of the M1 , some 3 miles (5 km) away. The National Academy was founded in 1788 by Frederick Ward and originally located at the southern end of Annesley Road. It relocated in
406-552: A lower level than the MR's and so was much longer but it had previously been shared with the GNR and the elevation was a good match for the route through Kirkby. In the end it proved cheaper to re-excavate the MR's tunnel, which was found to be in excellent condition and build the new connection on a gradient between the two levels. The new service from Nottingham to Newstead opened in 1993, although Bulwell station opened only in 1994. It
464-429: A mission statement to "help Hucknall regain its position as a strong, viable town, attract visitors to the town, to help increase its economy and to raise awareness of our heritage to both visitors and residents." The Hucknall Tourism and Regeneration Group (HTRG) was inaugurated in 2002. It consists of people from all aspects of Hucknall life, who have a desire to help regenerate the town, primarily through tourism, after
522-426: A reduced Sunday service from 22 May 2011. The service runs eight times each Sunday between Nottingham and Mansfield Woodhouse and return. Just north of Shirebrook station is a junction with a freight branch line that was used for coal traffic to High Marnham power station via Warsop , Edwinstowe and Ollerton . Following closure of the power station the line is disused but has been kept open and fully maintained as
580-528: A successful landing. The flight was followed over the next four months by a number of free flights up to a height of 50 ft. There were pubs in Hucknall called The Flying Bedstead and The Harrier . Rolls-Royce's flight test centre closed in 1971, but engines were tested there until late 2008. Some components are still manufactured at the site. In December 1940, during World War II, a German prisoner-of-war, Franz von Werra , attempted to escape by posing as
638-399: A sweeping, curved façade of Thraves' favoured sandstock bricks and Portland stone, with a vertical tower to the right of centre, faced in cream terracotta tiles. Much was also made in the cinema's publicity of a canopy "provided to protect our patrons during bad weather." The Hucknall Dispatch newspaper was enthusiastic about the 1,189-seater facility: "The consensus of opinion was that it's
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#1732776154021696-482: A test track for driver training. In mid-2009 Nottinghamshire County Council commissioned a feasibility study to consider a plan to extend the Robin Hood Line along this route by extending the current hourly service between Nottingham and Mansfield Woodhouse to Ollerton, calling at Shirebrook, Warsop and Edwinstowe (for Center Parcs Sherwood Forest holiday resort). Nottinghamshire CC have remained keen on
754-601: Is also a tram stop at Butler's Hill /Broomhill. The tram line was built in 2002–2004 and currently runs from Hucknall to the Toton Lane terminus. Since 2015, trams pass through central Nottingham to Clifton and Toton Lane. Hucknall is primarily served by Trentbarton . The Threes into Nottingham and Mansfield , Connect and which serves the West Hucknall Estates and links to the tram and other services. The 141 hourly bus to Sutton-in-Ashfield provides
812-618: Is an unparished area . The largest settlement is Sutton-in-Ashfield . Towns and villages in the district include the following: The Ashfield District is served by BBC East Midlands and ITV Central with television signals receives from the Waltham TV transmitter. Northern parts of the district around Sutton-in-Ashfield and Kirkby-in-Ashfield receives better signals from the Emley Moor TV transmitter that broadcast BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire (West) programmes and
870-414: Is contiguous with the wider City of Nottingham with the suburbs of Bulwell and Bestwood Village both to the south and southeast. The town's highest point is Long Hill, at 460 ft (140 m) above sea level, with views over the city and Trent Valley, which descends to 22–24 metres (72–79 ft) AOD , flowing just beyond most of the city centre. The town is surrounded by farmland or parkland. To
928-662: Is in Leen Mills Lane, next to Leen Mills Primary School. It is a feeder primary school to Christ The King Academy in Arnold. It was voted third best school in Nottinghamshire in 2014 and in 2015. Hucknall Sixth Form Centre is on Portland Road, near the Byron Bingo Club, and now houses the sixth form provision for The National Academy The Holgate Academy and Queen Elizabeth's Academy . The building
986-574: Is the town's local weekly newspaper. Ashfield, Nottinghamshire Ashfield ( / ˈ æ ʃ ˌ f iː l d / ) is a local government district in Nottinghamshire , England. The council is based in Kirkby-in-Ashfield , but the largest town is neighbouring Sutton-in-Ashfield . The district also contains the town of Hucknall and a few villages. The district is mostly urban, with some of its settlements forming parts of both
1044-735: The Belmont transmitter broadcasting BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and ITV Yorkshire (East) programmes. Radio stations that broadcast the area are: The Ashfield District is served by the local newspaper, Mansfield and Ashfield Chad . 53°03′N 1°18′W / 53.05°N 1.30°W / 53.05; -1.30 Robin Hood Line The Robin Hood Line is a railway line running from Nottingham to Worksop , Nottinghamshire , in England. The stations between Shirebrook and Whitwell (inclusive) are in
1102-761: The Northern Premier League title in 2003/2004, with promotion to Conference North , just two leagues below the Football League ). It reached the final of the FA Trophy in 2005. However, financial difficulties in 2009 led to demotion to the Central Midlands Football League for the 2013/2014 season. The works football team of Rolls-Royce was formed in 1935 and has undergone many name changes. In 2009 it formed again as Hucknall Rolls Leisure F.C. , and by 2013 it
1160-552: The Nottingham and Mansfield Urban Areas . The neighbouring districts are Mansfield , Newark and Sherwood , Gedling , Nottingham , Broxtowe , Amber Valley and Bolsover . The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , covering the whole of three former districts and of part of a fourth, which were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named Ashfield, being
1218-528: The 1970s to a new build still on Annesley Road but at the north end of the town, near the roundabout of the B6011 road . The National School has a large science block with 10 labs and an astro-turf playing area, both opened in 2004 by Princess Anne . The school has an eco-friendly building. The Holgate Academy is on Hillcrest Drive in Beauvale, to the west of the bypass. Holy Cross Catholic Voluntary Academy
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#17327761540211276-583: The Ashfield district after Sutton-in-Ashfield. Hucknall is on the west bank of the Leen Valley, on land which rises from the Trent Valley in the south and extends northwards to Kirkby-in-Ashfield . The Whyburn or Town Brook flows through the town centre. Farleys Brook marks its southern boundary. Due to the mass amount of housing and industrial estates along the southside of the town. Hucknall
1334-706: The High Street; NatWest , HSBC and Yorkshire customers now have limited service via the Post Office . Hucknall has a Friday Market in the newly pedestrianised High Street. Ashfield District Council has additionally more recently agreed to run a Saturday market. When Costa Coffee opened a branch in Hucknall High Street in 2014, its local job advertisement attracted over 1,300 applicants. A new branch of McDonald's opened in November 2019, at
1392-753: The Leen Valley and on to Shirebrook , serving many of the same places as the Midland south of Annesley. It closed to passengers on 14 September 1931, but remained in freight use until 25 March 1968. The station on this line was known as Hucknall Town. The third was the Great Central Railway (also LNER), the last main line built from the north of England to London , which opened on 15 March 1899. The stretch through Hucknall closed fully on 5 September 1966, but Hucknall Central station had closed earlier, on 4 March 1963. From 1894 until 1974 Hucknall
1450-512: The Newstead Abbey Brass Band sought autonomy. It is conducted by Paul Whyley. At the time, the town lacked a band after Hucknall and Linby Miners' Welfare Band moved out to become Newstead Brass. It plays a parish-church concert every Christmas, and around the local area throughout the year. The Byron Cinema, an Art Deco building designed by the local architect Alfred J Thraves, opened on 2 November 1936. It originally boasted
1508-460: The Robin Hood Line operates a Monday to Saturday service between 05:40 and 22:20. During the day, trains run at half-hourly intervals between Nottingham and Mansfield Woodhouse, with one service an hour continuing to Worksop, and the full journey taking 67 minutes. A Sunday service began on 7 December 2008, with ten trains running between Nottingham and Mansfield Woodhouse between 09:15 and 22:30. Four of those continued to Worksop. The Sunday service
1566-496: The Victorian period. In 1872 a south aisle was added and in 1887 unusually long transepts, while the rest of the building apart from the tower was thoroughly restored. The top tower stage and the south porch are 14th-century. There are 25 stained-glass windows by Charles Eamer Kempe , installed mostly in the 1880s, and a modest memorial to Lord Byron. From 1295 until 1915, the town was known as Hucknall Torkard, taken from Torcard,
1624-571: The airfield for flight tests. During World War II , the aerodrome at Hucknall launched the first flight of a P-51 Mustang fitted with a Rolls-Royce Merlin Engine . The Merlin, replacing the earlier Allison V-1710 engine, allowed the Mustang air frame to reach its full potential and achieve spectacular high-altitude performance. In the early 1950s, the Rolls-Royce site at Hucknall developed
1682-636: The council has comprised 35 councillors representing 23 wards , with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The council is based at the Council Offices on Urban Road in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, completed in 1986 on a site behind the old headquarters (built 1933) of one of the council's predecessors, the Kirkby-in-Ashfield Urban District Council, with
1740-421: The council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: The leaders of the council since 2007 have been: Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was: The next election is due in 2027. Since the last boundary changes in 2015
1798-566: The county of Derbyshire . Passenger services are operated by East Midlands Railway . The line in its present form opened to passengers in stages between 1993 and 1998. Following the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, the line had been freight-only. The cuts had left Mansfield as one of the largest towns in Britain without a railway station. The majority of the current Robin Hood Line re-uses
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1856-727: The devastating loss of the mining industry and large portions of the textile industry. Members of the group include residents, business owners, volunteer workers and councillors. HTRG works with other well-established organisations such as the Hucknall Round Table, the Rotary Club of Hucknall, Hucknall Heritage Society, the Eric Coates Society, St Mary Magdalene Church , Ashfield District Council, Nottinghamshire County Council , Hucknall Library and volunteer organisations, to prevent duplication of work and ensure
1914-538: The existing GNR diversion was kept and a new partly single track stretch of railway built to re-create the missing link between Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Newstead. North of Newstead, at Annesley, both the Great Central Railway (GCR) and the Midland Railway had driven tunnels through the picturesque Robin Hood Hills but, since both lines closed, both tunnels had been filled in. The GCR's tunnel had been at
1972-617: The film The One That Got Away . Framework knitting was once the predominant industry in Hucknall. Among the bigger firms in Hucknall is Doff Portland, one of the UK's largest independent maker of insecticides , weedkillers , pesticides, fertilisers and garden products, sold through garden centres, DIY retailers and retail multiples, and one of Europe's largest producer of premium slug killer pellets. It also offers contract formulating and packing services. The Hucknall and Linby Mining Community Brass Band formed in late 2008 after players from
2030-600: The first in the ADC area of Nottinghamshire, with 69 runners on the inaugural run. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East Midlands and ITV Central . Television signals are received from the Waltham TV transmitter, and the Nottingham relay transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Nottingham on 103.8 FM, Smooth East Midlands on 106.6 FM, Capital East Midlands on 96.2 FM, and Greatest Hits Radio Midlands on 106.6 FM. The Hucknall Dispatch
2088-419: The former Midland Railway (MR) route from Nottingham to Worksop . However, due to rationalisation leading to track removal in order to save the costs of maintaining the tunnel north of Annesley , the through route was severed in the 1970s. Northwards from Nottingham, the freight-only line remained intact as far as Newstead , where it had served the now closed Newstead Colliery. Southwards from Worksop,
2146-614: The foyer. The upstairs balcony became a 404-seat cinema, which re-opened on 31 December 1967 with the James Bond epic " You Only Live Twice ". It finally closed its doors in June 2006 and was bought in October 2018 by an Irish commercial property firm, Melcorpo, for a price believed to be £360,000. The new owners reopened to the public as The Arc Cinema Hucknall. After initially planning to open its doors in October 2019, Melcorpo had to scrap
2204-547: The idea, and met with the rail minister Claire Perry in March 2016 to press for the scheme to be adopted. The new line would be about 6 miles (9.7 km) long, but as much of it is used for driver training, only about 2 miles (3.2 km) of new track would be required, and the infrastructure is still in good condition. A report produced for Nottingham CC in February 2016 suggested that the likely costs of reinstatement, including
2262-648: The latest improvement developed by Western Electric engineers. It will be remembered that Western Electric were the pioneers of talking pictures and Wide Range is their latest scientific achievement." On 13 October 1967, the Byron closed as a single-screen cinema and the building was split. The stalls area was turned into a bingo club that featured in the Shane Meadows film "Once Upon A Time In The Midlands", wherein Kathy Burke and Vanessa Feltz came to blows in
2320-417: The line followed the old MR route as far as Sutton-in-Ashfield . Between Sutton-in-Ashfield and Kirkby-in-Ashfield , the line was diverted in 1972 to take the former Great Northern Railway (GNR) route through the area. This allowed British Rail to sell land right in the centre of Kirkby-in-Ashfield whilst keeping a freight route through the town. After crossing the town on the GNR route, the line re-joined
2378-706: The name Hucknall once referred to a larger area on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border. Two other settlements in the locality are called Hucknall; Hucknall-under-Huthwaite, in Nottinghamshire, (known today as Huthwaite ) and Ault Hucknall in Derbyshire. It is likely that Hucknall Torkard marked the southern boundary of this larger Hucknall Area. In the Domesday Book (1086 CE) the name appears as Hochenale (volume 1, pp. 288–290). The Hucknall Tourism and Regeneration Group has
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2436-593: The name of a dominant landowning family. Signs of the earlier name can be seen on some older buildings. During the 19th and 20th centuries, coal was discovered and mined heavily throughout the Leen Valley , which includes Hucknall. This brought wealth to the town and three railway lines. The first was the Midland Railway (later LMS ) line from Nottingham to Mansfield and Worksop , which closed to passengers on 12 October 1964, though partly remained as
2494-621: The north-west lie Misk Hills and Annesley . To the north-east of the town are the villages of Linby and Papplewick , and beyond these two, Newstead Abbey and its grounds, once the residence of Lord Byron . To the west lies Eastwood , birthplace of D. H. Lawrence and an inspiration for many of his novels and short stories. To the east of the town is Bestwood Country Park. The contiguous settlements of Butler's Hill and Westville often appear as distinct entities on maps, but are generally seen as parts of Hucknall. They belong to its historic and present-day Church of England parish , although
2552-417: The old MR route to Pye Bridge, near Ironville but the connection between Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Newstead was closed and the tunnel filled in. When plans for the Robin Hood Line were drawn up, it was vital in the interest of keeping costs down to make as much use of the existing infrastructure as possible so, rather than trying to buy back the land to rebuild the line through the centre of Kirkby-in-Ashfield,
2610-431: The old building now being known as Ada Lovelace House. The new building was officially opened in October 1986 by Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester . There are just three civil parishes in the district, being Annesley , Felley and Selston . Annesley and Felley share a grouped parish council. The rest of the district, corresponding to the pre-1974 urban districts of Hucknall, Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield,
2668-527: The operator was required to produce a business case for the extension to Ollerton. There are also plans to reinstate passenger trains over the freight-only line from Kirkby-in-Ashfield to the closed Pye Bridge railway station on the Erewash Valley line . The line, which has been named the Maid Marian line, has been championed by Ashfield District Council, as it would greatly improve access to
2726-472: The plans due to delays. Construction and refurbishment were still underway in January 2020. It was scheduled to open in March 2020 as a four-screen, two-floor multiplex cinema. The town's senior football team is Hucknall Town F.C. Founded in 1945 as a colliery team (Hucknall Colliery Welfare FC), it changed its name in 1987 after closure of the pit. It rose steadily through the non-league pyramid, winning
2784-403: The rebuilding of the three stations, would be between £18.9M and £24.5M, with signalling accounting for more than half of that figure. Operating costs were estimated to be some £1.6M per year, with revenue from fares expected to be a little over half of that, and the rest to be found from subsidies. A condition of the awarding of a new East Midlands franchise for operating the line in 2019 was that
2842-489: The shared suffix of two of the towns' names. Ashfield District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Nottinghamshire County Council . Parts of the district are also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. Local party the Ashfield Independents has held a majority of the seats on the council since 2019. The first election to
2900-438: The town is working together. The group seeks opportunities to promote the town through radio interviews, newspaper coverage, street exhibitions, events, leaflets and posters. Heritage trails have been designed, one for the town centre and a 20-mile (32 km) circular trail. To complement these trails, leaflets have been produced and free guided walks/bus tours take place throughout the spring and summer months. The town centre
2958-633: The town itself has no civil parish council . The identity is reinforced by being part of the post town and by being shared wards of Hucknall. Hucknall was once a thriving market town. Its focal point is the Church of St Mary Magdalene , next to the town's market square. The church was built by the Anglo-Saxons and completed after the Norman Conquest, though its medieval chancel, nave, north aisle and tower were much restored and enlarged in
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#17327761540213016-603: 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 moved forward, made a circuit of the area, then demonstrated sideways and backwards movements, before making
3074-787: Was competing in the Nottinghamshire Senior League . Hucknall Cricket Club, founded in 1890, had the 1st, 2nd and 3rd XIs in various sections of the South Notts Cricket League in the 2005 season. Hucknall Sports Youth Club, formed in 1977 as Riden Sports, is one of the largest such clubs in Nottinghamshire. Its Founder President, Derek Day, won the Nottinghamshire FA Community award in 2012 for his contribution to junior football over more than 30 years. Hucknall junior parkrun started on 27 March 2016 at Titchfield Park, as
3132-401: Was extended to Mansfield Woodhouse in 1995, with Kirkby-in-Ashfield station opening in 1996. The through passenger route from Nottingham to Worksop opened in 1998. In 2004 the section between Bulwell and Hucknall was singled to allow space for the new Nottingham Express Transit tramway, which follows the route as far north as Hucknall and opened in March 2004. As of March 2020,
3190-617: Was funded by Derbyshire County Council and Nottinghamshire County Council . An understanding was made with the Department for Transport that, if the patronage reached an agreed threshold after two years, it would consider taking over the service and incorporate it within the East Midlands Trains franchise. However, this service was not a commercial success north of Mansfield Woodhouse , and Nottinghamshire County Council decided to reduce its funding and prioritise running
3248-502: Was pedestrianised in 2017, and an inner relief road opened from Annesley Road through to Station Street. Railway history in Hucknall and the wider Ashfield District involved branch lines and sidings serving the area's collieries and factories. The town's five stations were as follows: The town is the northern terminus for the Nottingham Express Transit tram system and has a station on the Robin Hood Line . There
3306-738: Was previously home to New College Nottingham . Hucknall's Tesco superstore opened in 2003, creating a number of jobs for the town. In 2008, the store was extended to convert it to Tesco Extra. A Tesco Express store was opened in early January 2009 in Annesley Road. Other shop branches in Hucknall include Card Warehouse , Argos , B&M Bargains , Home Bargains , Bird's Bakery , Boots , Peacocks , Specsavers , Iceland , Aldi , Co-Operative Food , and Sainsbury's . Independent local retailers include Branson's DIY store and Aquatic centre, Lawrence Severn and Son Ltd, butchers, and SP Electronics computer services. Lloyds have branch banks in
3364-583: Was the seat of Hucknall Urban District Council. With the abolition of the UDC, local government was transferred to Ashfield. In 1956 the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Hucknall was built to serve western parts of Hucknall. Hucknall was recorded as Hokeuhale (n.d.) and Hokenale (n.d.), suggesting “nook of land of Hōcanere” (a tribe ), from Old English halh ( haugh ). This same tribe's name occurs in Hook Norton , Oxfordshire . It has been suggested that
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