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Rowley Drive, NOTTINGHAM, NG5 1GD

New houses on Rowley Drive, “Burlington Place,” Sherwood, NG5 on the site of the old Sara Lee/Courtaulds textile-factory and the side elevation of the converted swimming baths that existed for employees until the factory closed in 2006. The "baths" premises are currently in use as a soft play centre.

Houses on Rowley Drive, Sherwood, NG5 with the Courtauld’s Factory Shop on Haydn Rd in the distance (although the latter is inaccessible from this “Burlington Place” estate). This new-build development is on the site of the old Sara Lee/Courtaulds textile-factory and the side elevation of the now-converted swimming baths for employees can also be seen.

Deep within a new-build development (off Hucknall Rd, NG5), referred to by Peveril Homes plc as "Burlington Place, Sherwood", is this converted swimming baths that was built for the benefit of employees who worked on the Sara Lee/Courtaulds textile-factory site that existed around it.

The main entrance into the old swimming baths that were provided for the use of Sara Lee/Courtaulds factory employees (now known as "Rowley Drive, Sherwood, NG5"). The swimming pool still exists but is now boarded over allowing the premises to be used as a commercially operated soft play centre. The building previously functioned as The Nottingham Climbing Centre.

The rear-end elevation of a converted swimming baths that existed for employees of the Sara Lee/Courtaulds textile-factory that operated in this location until 2006. A block of new-build apartments can be seen to its right. The older building was subsequently used by the Nottingham Climbing Centre but is currently in use as a soft play centre. The photo was taken standing in the closed end of the Rowley Drive cul de sac.

A view of the Djanogly City Academy sports complex taken from the car park that belongs to the soft play centre now occupying the ex-Sara Lee/Courtaulds Factory swimming baths (at the bottom end of Rowley Drive, NG5). Djanogly City Academy replaced both the oversubscribed Nottingham City Technology College and Forest Comprehensive School in 2003. Beyond the sports pavilion the Courtauld's Factory Shop on Haydn Rd can also be seen, although it cannot be reached through the Academy's service road that exists at the foot of Rowley Drive.

Basford Waterworks was located at the junction of Haydn Road and Hucknall Road at the site now occupied by the Severn Trent Water Authority. It comprised two engine houses housing three rotary beam engines. This photo is of the cylinders and valve gear to the No. 2 engine. It was built by Hawthorns in 1858. These engines are now in the industrial museum at Wollaton Hall. I've been in there and seen them but they don't recreate the noise, the heat and the smell of steam, oil and brasso when the engines were fully working.

New housing on a previous industrial site.

Not obvious at first glance, but in fact these are two separately named roads on either side of the median strip - this side is Henley Rise, the further is Glendon Drive. The median strip appears to act as an elongated roundabout, judging by the bollard and the road markings, but there is no No Entry sign on Henley Rise. One wonders what the detailed traffic regulation orders are! At the end, the two roads go their separate ways as normal roads before joining again, at which point only Glendon Drive continues.

Basford Waterworks was located at the junction of Haydn Road and Hucknall Road at the site now occupied by the Severn Trent Water Authority. The reservoir wasn't used for the storage of drinking water but I believe for cooling of the water heated to drive the four steam beam engines on the site. These beam engines are now in the industrial museum at Wollaton Hall. The building on the right is the Nos. 1 and 2 Engine House and the one of the left is No. 3 Engine House. My father, rowing the boat, was one of the superintendents at the works. The reservoir was occasionally drained and cleaned and I remember on one such occasion a revolver was discovered on the bottom. My mother would have taken the photo using my dad's camera and the child in the boat was me.