IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Victoria Market, NOTTINGHAM, NG1 3PT

View northward from the south end of the Up main island platform. With three trains in sight, giving an indication of the variety to be seen at this busy station. It was jointly built and owned by the GCR and GNR in May 1900 but closed in February 1967, tracks for through freight remaining until May 1968. It was completely obliterated - apart from the clock-tower, to be replaced by the Victoria Shopping Centre. Here, in June 1957, left to right are: Gresley V2 2-6-2 no. 60982 (built 6/44 as no. 3694 (1946 no. 982), withdrawn 10/64) on an Up main line freight; Thompson B1 4-6-0 no. 61063 (built 8/46, withdrawn 4/62) on the 09.25 local to Leicester Central; Ivatt J6 0-6-0 no. 64178 (built 11/1911 as GN no. 529, LNE no. 3529, 1946 no. 4178, withdrawn 4/60) on the 09.37 local to Grantham.

'Hoodwinked: a twist on the tale' was a city-wide art project that ran from July 7th to September 30th, with 33 large plastic robins placed around the city on a walking trail. Each bird was decorated with a particular theme relating to where they were placed and the businesses sponsoring them. The theme of robins was chosen due to the city's famous connection with the legendary outlaw, Robin Hood. This bird was titled 'R2 Tweet2', was sponsored by Nottingham Markets and was designed by Mik Richardson. It was designed to look like the droid R2-D2 from the popular Star Wars films.

Standing on one of the through lines in the middle of the station is ex-GCR Robinson class 9N (LNER class A5/1) No. 69825, which was built just after Grouping in 4/23 as GCR No. 46, soon to be LNER No. 5046, renumbered 9825 in 1946, so BR No. 69825, withdrawn 11/59 - just eight months after this photograph.

This is scanned from a low-grade Kodak Brownie shot, but may be of interest in showing what once lay underneath the Victoria shopping centre. This is the south end of the platforms, just north of Parliament Street, with the blue-brick retaining walls supporting Glasshouse Street in the background. The three-storey building with the curved corner still exists, but the Shipstone's pub to its right does not. The coal train, hauled by BR 9F 2-10-0 92068 is one of the famous "Windcutter" fast freights which ran (if possible) non-stop from the yards at Annesley, just north of Nottingham, to Woodford Halse in Northamptonshire, for forwarding to the south and west via Banbury. Despite only having brakes on the engine and the guard's van, these long "loose-coupled" trains ran at surprisingly high speeds and were remarkably efficient. They were also very exciting to schoolboy railway enthusiasts. For more on Nottingham Victoria see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham_Victoria_railway_station

B1 Class 61251 "Oliver Bury" about to depart from Platform 7. The engine's shedplate, 34F, shows it was at that time based at Grantham. Above the locomotive is the station's huge overall roof and to the left of it, at road level, the rear of the Victoria Station Hotel (as it then was) and the distinctive clock tower, which is all that remains of Victoria Station. The Victoria shopping centre now occupies the site, with underground car parks at what from 1899-1968 was platform level. I hope historical interest may make up for the poor quality of this scan of a Kodak Brownie print taken when I was eleven.

An element of the large shopping complex of 1965-72 by Arthur Swift & Partners was flats, the profile of the blocks rather resembling a ziggurat. The towers are the climax.

View northward, towards Sheffield on the ex-Great Central main line, also Derby on the ex-Great Northern. The Up iron ore empties train is probably from Stanton Ironworks and heading for the ironfields south of Grantham: the locomotive is a Thompson O4/8 2-8-0 No. 63873. On the right is a local for Grantham with a Stanier 2-6-4T.

This building is currently being completely renovated into student accommodation.

Seen across Glasshouse Street, the A60. The property for sale is a salon and four residential flats. Next door on the right are water heating specialists.