Bulwell
"Bulwell, situated in the vale of the Leen, four miles N.N.W. of Nottingham, is a scattered populous village and parish, containing 3,785 inhabitants, and 1,210 acres of land, including 140 acres of unenclosed forest. The Rev. Alfred Padley is the principal owner and lord of the manor, who resides at Bulwell Hall, and pleasant mansion embowered in trees, about a mile N.W. of the village, and five files from Nottingham. This estate was purchased by the worthly owner in 1827, of the assignees of Godfrey Wentworth Esq. Bulwell lime is considered to be the best in the county for all purposes.
The church was an ancient edifice, dedicated to St Mary, and stood upon a steep declivity. The rectory, valued in the King's Books at £5 5s 10d, now at £238, is in the gift of the Rev. Alfred Padley. The Rev. J.W. Armytage is the incumbent, and the Rev. Samuel Rogers is the curate, and resides at the rectory, an old edifice near the church. A handsome new edifice with a tower was erected of stone at a cost of £3,000, near the site of the old one, in 1850, by subscription, aided by a grant of £400 from the London and Nottingham Church Building Societies. The Rev. A. Padley gave £600, and Mrs Bolton of Bulwell Hall gave £300. The same lady has (May 1852) furnished the church with a spledid organ which cost £600. The Wesleyan, New Connexion and Primitive Methodists, the Baptists and the New Testament Disciples, have each a chapel in the village. Here is a neat station on the Nottingham and Mansfield Railway.
The Free-school was erected in 1668 by George Strelley Esq., who endowed it with land and buildings now worth £30 per annum, for which the master teached eight free scholars. John Dams, in 1788, left seven acres now worth ten guineas per annum, for the preaching of nine lectures yearly in the church, viz: on the last Tuesday in every month, except July, August and November. These lectures have not been given since 1817. The interest of £50, vested in the Nottingham Flood Road, and left by George Robinson in 1798, is distributed amongst the poor at Christmas."
[White's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]
- The parish was in the Hucknall Torkard sub-district of the Basford Registration District:
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1841 |
H.O. 107 / 856 |
| 1851 |
H.O. 107 / 2127 |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2441 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2672 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin and All Saints. Locally it is known as St. Mary's Church.
- Some Directories of the 1800s give the dedication to Saint Margaret, but I believe that was just an error that kept being repeated in later copies.
- The church was built in 1850 on the site of the original Bulwell church, which was erected in the 13th century. The older church was severly damaged by weather in 1843.
- There is a rather dark photograph of St. Mary's Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2008.
- A new church was built in 1885 on Quarry road and dedicated to Saint John the Devine. Construction continued on this church until 1890.
- There is a history of St. John's church at the Southwell Church History Project website.
- There is a photograph of St. John's Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2008.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1621 for baptisms and burials, and from 1702 for marriages.
- The church was in the No. 1 deanery of Nottingham.
- The new deanery of Bulwell was created in 1888.
- The Baptists, Primitive Methodists and Methodist New Connection had chapels here by 1869. The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel here by 1881.
- The parish was in the Hucknall Torkard sub-district of the Basford Registration District:
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
This village and parish are on the River Leen 4 miles north-west of Nottingham city and 133 miles north of London.
If you are planning a visit:
- Note: Locals call the place "Bool".
- Take a look at the bus schedules in Greater Nottingham.
- The bus should take you to the Bus Station. Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph on Geo-graph, taken in 2009.
- Check the bus and coach schedule at Carlberry Co.
- The earliest settlements in the parish have been dated back to 800 AD.
- Bulwell ("Buleuuelle") is mentioned as a village in the Domesday Book of 1086 AD.
- In the 1800s most of the working population were frame-work knitters. Others were bootmakers and limestone burners.
- The village feast was held on the Sunday after the 5th of November.
- The national grid reference is SK 5345.
- You'll want an Ordinance Survey Explorer map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- In 1869, the Robin Hood Rifle corps (1st Nottinghamshire Volunteer Rifles) was stationed at Bulwell Hall; major Samuel Thomas COOPER, commanding.
- Bulwell Hall was a World War II Italian Prisoner of War camp.
- Bulwell Hall was demolished in 1958.
- There is a photograph of the Bulwell War Memorial just outside St. Mary's Church on the Traces of War website.
- There is a 2nd photograph of the Bulwell War Memorial on Flickr, taken in 2010.
- This place was an ancient parish in Nottingham county.
- This parish was in the north division of the Broxtowe Hundred or Wapentake.
- This parish has become part of the conurbation of Nottingham city and was offically made a part of the city and Civil Parish in April, 1899.
- After the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, this parish became part of the Basford Poor Law Union.
- In 1798, George ROBINSON left £50 and the interest was distributed to the parish poor.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1801 |
1,585 |
| 1841 |
3,157 |
| 1851 |
3,786 |
| 1861 |
3,660 |
| 1871 |
4,276 |
| 1881 |
8,574 |
| 1891 |
11,481 |
- The free school was founded and endowed in 1688 by George STRELLEY. This school was closed in 1881.
- National Schools with separate rooms for boys and girls were built in 1867, with Samuel Thomas COOPER the primary contributor. It could hol 518 children. It is now knowsn as the C of E primary school.
- The primary school is Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, tele: (0115) 913 5007.
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[Last updated: 25-February-2013 - Louis R. Mills]
