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Chestnut Grove, NOTTINGHAM, NG3 5AE

The Robert Wilkinson Smith Homes are situated off Chestnut Grove. When the second Lord Rancliff of Bunny Park Hall died he left his entire estate to his housekeeper, Mrs Burt, who subsequently married a certain Mr Alexander Forteath. At some point after their wedding Mrs. Forteath (formerly Burt) made the decision that following her death the estate should be returned to the descendants of Lord Rancliffe’s family. Notwithstanding this however, this former housekeeper simultaneously arranged for Arabella Hawksley, her niece, to benefit from the entire estate for the remainder of her life. Arabella married a certain Mr Robert Wilkinson Smith, a successful Nottingham lace manufacturer but under previously agreed arrangements, when Mrs Wilkinson Smith (as she had become) died in 1909 the Bunny and Bradmore estates including assets in Costock, East Leake, Keyworth, Ruddington and Wysall were returned to a next in line family member - Sir Richard Levinge, of Knockdrin Castle, Ireland. Not however, before the founders and trustees of Robert Wilkinson Smith Charity funded the building of this small housing complex in 1910 at a cost of £1,310. Robert Wilkinson Smith, who died c.1910, left property (houses) of his own in Lister Gate, Long Row, Clumber Street and South Parade.

Who was the Robert Wilkinson Smith who funded the building of these endowed houses off Chestnut Grove? When the second Lord Rancliff of Bunny Park Hall, died he left his entire estate to a certain Mrs Burt, his housekeeper, who subsequently married a Mr Alexander Forteath. At some point after their wedding Mrs. Forteath (formerly Burt) made a decision that following her death the estate should be returned to the descendants of Lord Rancliffe’s family. Simultaneously however, she arranged that her niece, Arabella Hawksley, should enjoy the estates for the duration of her life. It seems that Arabella married a certain Mr Robert Wilkinson Smith late on in her life. Mrs Wilkinson Smith, (as she became) died in 1909 and the Bunny and Bradmore estates, which included Costock, East Leake, Keyworth, Ruddington and Wysall, were left to Sir Richard Levinge, of Knockdrin Castle, Ireland. At some point though Mr Robert Wilkinson Smith (or his wife's estate) funded this small housing complex.

Chestnut Grove is now a cul-de-sac created by these gates, whereas the drive beyond the gates actually links to Berkeley Avenue. These gates act to secure one of the entrances/exits to Forest House, a property-with-grounds that has served several masters in the past. The domestic-sized house behind the gates may have been a gate lodge and a porter's lodge in the past. The extensive premises themselves (not visible here) were once the home of Thomas Isaac Birkin, of the lace making dynasty. When he became the 1st Baronet of Ruddington Grange and moved to Ruddington he gave the property away for conversion into a Children's Hospital. It functioned as such (with extensions) until the early 1980s when it became the HQ of Nottinghamshire Area Health Authority and later on the base of Nottingham Health Authority.

A tennis court in front of a part of the former Nottingham Children's Hospital, as viewed from the Chestnut Grove entrance/exit. This section may be a part of the extensions funded by John Dane Player in 1939? The oldest part of the complex was once the home of Sir Thomas Isaac Birkin, the lace manufacturer, who donated the house and grounds for conversion into a paediatric hospital in 1905 when he was created 1st Baronet of Ruddington Grange. It served as a children's hospital until the early 1980s, after which it became the HQ for Nottinghamshire Health Authority and subsequently the HQ of the Nottingham Health Authority. It is now owned and used by an Islamic Trust.

A domed entrance leading into the "Player Wing", an extension of the former Nottingham Children's Hospital that presumably was constructed to provide a focal point in this hallway connecting various wings of the complex. The premises on the left were originally the home of Sir Thomas Isaac Birkin (1831-1922), the Nottingham lace manufacturer who was created 1st Baronet of Ruddington Grange in 1905. When he took up residence in Ruddington he donated the property for conversion into paediatric hospital and it continued to function in this vein (with substantial extensions funded by John Dane Player in 1939) until the early 1980s. The premises were then used as a HQ of the Nottinghamshire Health Authority and later as the base for the Nottingham Health Authority. It is now owned and used by an Islamic Trust.

This sloping alleyway links St Andrew's Road (in the distance) with the closed end of the Chestnut Grove cul-de-sac. As a result, residents living in the Robert Wilkinson Smith Homes would see this passageway straight ahead once having passed through the entrance gate that serves their residential complex. Mansfield Road is 2-3 minutes walk from the lower end of this path.

A view along the drive that forms an arc around the front of the former Nottingham Children's Hospital (c.1905-1980), as seen from a former lodge house situated at the Chestnut Grove entry to the site. The gate posts on the left bear the words "Children's" and "Hospital" but the fact that the space between them would permit nothing larger than a medium size dog to pass through them and the fact that there is nothing at all of note beyond them seems to suggest that they have simply been placed there as reminders of the past.

David Hallam-Jones's Image] shows the top end of this leafy twitchel.

Part of the former Nottingham Children's Hospital as seen from the front drive. Originally this part of the complex was the former home of Sir Thomas Isaac Birkin of the lace-making dynasty, 1st Baronet Birkin of Ruddington Grange. He donated the house and grounds for conversion into a paediatric hospital in 1905. In 1939 John Dane Player, of the tobacco company, funded major extensions behind the house. The premises became the HQ of the Nottinghamshire Area Health Authority in the early 1980s and later the base of the Nottingham Health Authority. It is now owned and used by an Islamic Trust.

Ordnance Survey cut mark benchmark described on the Bench Mark Database at http://www.bench-marks.org.uk/bm47856