St Ann's, Nottingham

St. Ann's is a large urban area of Nottingham, UK, with a population of around 15,000 people (2005 figures).

History

The area was originally common land. The Enclosure Act of 1845 allowed the city to take 1,068 acres (4.3 km²) of the Clay fields. The idea was to ease the overcrowding in the St. Mary's ward, brought about by the boom in lace making. There was some industry and occupation before this time - brown earthenware such as Toby jugs, christening bowls, and punch bowls were made as early as the 1750s by Charles Morley, but it was almost another century before St. Ann's proper was created.

The area was not just given over to slums to rehouse the lower classes. Although 10,000 standard back to back terraced houses were created, these were a great improvement on dwellings common elsewhere in the city at the time. A psychiatric hospital, parks, and a water reservoir were also built, the latter affording a panoramic view of Nottingham. There were even plans for an astronomical observatory. For the well off - doctors, solicitors, and factory owners - there was a grand tree lined recreation walk lined with larger houses. Twenty-five Public houses, plus the later addition of a London and North-eastern urban railway link, horse drawn and then electric trams, and three cinemas, helps complete the picture of a thriving area.

In 1969, the area was looking impoverished, with many of the shops and houses 100 years old or more. A local Housing Act raised legal standards for houses being 'fit for human habitation'. Clearance of some of the land began in December of that year, although building of new houses didn't start until 1973 and continued into the 1980s. However, the open plan layout with interlocking footpaths, coupled with poor street lighting, actually brought about an increase in crime. This renovation included the relocation of many residents to The Meadows area of the city, which has contributed to some of the gang related crimes (see below) in the city.

The 1970s and 1980s layout of St Ann's was a relatively rare layout of that era, with Kates Hill some 60 miles away in Dudley being a comparable example. The preponderance of alleyways has also made it harder for police to catch criminals, particularly those on motorcycles. Nottingham film-maker Shane Meadows caught some of this in scenes from This Is England filmed in St. Ann's.

St Ann's Today

St Ann's today is dominated by Council housing, that is a legacy of the slum clearance at the end of the Sixties. The damp, crumbling Victorian terraces were replaced with better quality housing but despite this the Radburn style footways have contributed to anti-social behaviour. There have been a series of measures, such as gating, to reduce problems caused by the network of footpaths as well as improving the appearance of the housing stock. There are longer term plans to introduce more significant changes. Currently the Stonebridge Estate is undergoing a transformation that is selectively removing problem pockets but refreshing most of the estate and building some modern homes.

In common with other parts of the City, the largely working class population is still affected by the collapse of manufacturing industry and much of the area scores badly on government measures of deprivation. Taking those factors into consideration there is much to recommend the area. The area is ethnically mixed with a strong sense of community. St Ann's is a short walk from the City centre and has some high quality green space: you would be hard pushed to find a better park than Heskey Park and other parks are on the mend. The Chase Neighbourhood Centre has struggled a bit recently but is a fine example of a community centre rising out of community ambition.

Stonebridge City Farm, created in 1982, allows school children to experience a small working farm with real animals in the heart of the city, and which holds open days and fetes for the local community.

Allotments

If you wander up the Wells Road you will get short of breath on some of the incline but views back across the City open up. The St. Ann's Allotments is the oldest and largest allotment site in England, created in the 1830s and now Grade 2* listed as being of "Special Historic Interest".

The allotments were recently granted £5 million of National Lottery funding for restoration, and were featured on the BBC's The One Show.

Churches

See St. Ann with Emmanuel, Nottingham

Transport

Nottingham City Transport

• 40: Nottingham - St Anns - Sherwood - City Hospital.
• 41: Nottingham - St Anns (Direct).
• 42: Nottingham - Abbotsford Drive - St Anns.

Premiere Travel

• S11: St Anns - Thorneywood - Carlton - Netherfield - Victoria Park.

External links

• STAA - St. Ann's Allotments
• Stonebridge City Farm
• WEA AREA 6 ICT Community education project
• Ecoworks - community organisation based on St Ann's Allotments

References

• "Latest Nottingham population figures (October 2004)". Document showing the population of Nottingham broken down into areas. http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/2004_nottingham_population_figures.doc. Retrieved October 7, 2005. 
• "BBC Inside Out - Gun Crime". The BBC's "Inside Out" investigates how one group in the St Ann's neighbourhood are doing their bit to fight in the battle against crime. http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/eastmidlands/series7/gun_crime.shtml. Retrieved October 7, 2005. 
• "St Ann's Under Construction". Local history page charting the creation of the St. Ann's area. http://beehive.thisisnottingham.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=SiteHome&ID=7909&PageID=42360. Retrieved October 7, 2005. 

Coordinates: 52°57′43″N 1°08′13″W / 52.962°N 1.137°W / 52.962; -1.137