Stapleford - Part 6 - Body and Soul
w/e 28 December 2008
All this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490
Stapleford Town Trail title image

Our walk around Stapleford so far has shown how much it has altered over the years and in this sixth part we shall see further examples of this. I had thought of titling this section "Old and New" or even "Ancient and Modern" but settled on "Body and Soul" as both are well catered for in this part of the town.

Albert Street

We pick up the route on Nottingham Road and turn right into Albert Street where a block of flats now stands on the left hand side. Previously this side of the street was occupied by the store and offices of the Sandiacre and Stapleford Co-operative Society with transport and coal depots behind. There was also a library, a large public hall, educational and recreational facilities all provided by the Co-op. At the far end Albert Streetof the street the new building that was only completed and opened recently is the Stapleford Care Centre which contains two GP practices, a pharmacy, a walk-in centre, a café and also caters for a wide range of community health services. So both in the past and today the wellbeing of the "bodies" of the Stapleford population is looked after here.

On the opposite side of the street (right) it is the "souls" that are the priority with the Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah's Witnesses standing next to the Stapleford Baptist Chapel.
Old Cross PubA right turn at the bottom of Albert Street leads almost immediately to a building that caters more for the body than the soul - the Old Cross pub (left). The pub however whilst not specifically significant historically does take its name from the old Saxon Cross that now stands opposite in the churchyard of St Helen's Church. The Stapleford Care Centre may be one of the newest constructions in Stapleford but the Saxon Cross is is believed to be the oldest Christian memorial not only in the town but also in the county of Nottinghamshire. It pre-dates the church and may have been responsible for the name of the town which means "a post near a ford".

Saxon Cross

The information board at the foot of the cross reveals some of its chequered history which briefly is as follows:
It was erected between 680 and 780AD to mark the establishment of a new Christian settlement but between 1200 and 1760 it was dismantled and lay neglected in the churchyard during which time it lost its transverse arms. In 1760 it was re-erected on a stepped base outside the churchyard, the base being replaced in 1820 with the stone plinth on which it still stands. Lightning struck and dislodged the stone ball breaking it into pieces during a severe storm in 1916 and the increasing traffic in 1928 resulted in the Cross being moved to its present position in 1928. Following a public campaign a new stone ball was added at the turn of the millennium.

Several old photos exist showing the Cross in its former position at the junction of Church Street and Church Lane and these are available for viewing at the Picture The Past website. These links below are to just three of them but there are more available by using the search facility on the Picture The Past site.
View along Church Street showing the pub on the extreme right.
Church Lane and Church Street with old cottage behind circa 1900.
View along Church Lane with cottage and church behind circa 1913.

The Cross is now a Grade 1 listed ancient monument of national importance.
Wrought Iron Gates

Two of the linked images show an old cottage at the corner of Church Lane and Church Street but this had gone by 1920s when the wrought iron gates from the former Wellington College were erected at the entrance to the churchyard. The banner currently strung across the gates is advertising an Alpha Course.
St Helen's Church

The church itself dates from the thirteenth century but there have been many alterations and additions since. In fact when we walked the route as a precursor to starting this series, the building was shrouded with scaffolding and builder's vehicles were parked nearby.
Work In Progress

The external work on the church now looks to be complete but internally refurbishment work is still ongoing. It is anticipated that this will be ended by March 2009 when services that are presently held elsewhere will return. Underfloor heating is being installed and a light coloured stone floor being laid to replace the existing wooden one. Audio-visual systems, electrical rewiring and new lighting will also bring the church building into the twenty first century and provide a refurbished venue for use by the whole community for a variety of purposes in addition to the usual church activities. The two images above show the main body of the church on the left and the memorial chapel on the right which was added at the same time as the wrought iron gates in the 1920s.
Church Lane Cottages

As we leave the church to return to Church Street for the final leg of our walk back to The Roach, a couple of cottages are apparent on the far side of Church Lane. Previously there were more cottages like these nearby and it was in one of them that another famous name from Stapleford, Arthur Mee was born. The journalist founded the Children's Newspaper, was the author of the Children's Encyclopaedia and had in excess of eighty other books published. Perhaps I should have included "the mind" as well as "body and soul" in the title of this part.
Back To Part 5
 Stapleford Index
Forward to Part 7

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