Duke's Place, Hockley, Nottingham 1

Image: © David Hallam-Jones Taken: 2 Jan 2017

The furthest building was originally a Baptist Chapel with a piece of land in front of it - the size of a couple of tennis courts - was part of the Barker Gate Burial Ground. These burial grounds were created to respond to the need for burial plots for C19th cholera victims. At a later date (date unknown) this area in front of the old Baptist Chapel became known as known as The Bellar Rest Garden. It seems likely that this burial site was part of the nearby Barker Gate Burial Ground behind this building. After ceasing to be used for this purpose it became a rest garden and later (date unknown). More recently, perhaps for the past 10 years or so, it has been an asphalted car park without any consideration of the fact that it was the last resting place of the bones of a good number of local people. In 1883 authorisation was granted to take down two of the burial ground walls to allow for an extension of St Mary’s School. It seems likely that the building nearest the photographer was the part of the school designed and converted by the well known local architect Thomas Chambers Hine in 1886. Vehicles using the busy A60 can be seen passing the front of the former chapel. In fact the buildings seen here are one joined to each other beyond the arched doorway, i.e. "The Boys' Entrance".

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