Thackeray's Lane in Arnold is named after a local manufacturer and politician John Lawson Thackeray.
John Lawson Thackeray born 27th September 1811 in Saddleworth, West Riding of Yorkshire to John and Ellen Thackeray. He married his wife Eliza Wilde in 1842. He built a lace factory called Forest Mills at Radford in 1840's and produced products of a very high quality. At the 1851 Great Exhibition in London his lace thread was awarded a Gold Medal and subsequently gained world wide reputation for excellence, with these high honours it soon lead to a full order books from his clients.
Around this time he took on a partner a Thomas Hickling then trading as Thackeray and Hickling.
A man who was mindful of his civic responsibilities Thackeray became involved in local politics joining the Radford Board of Health, the forerunner of the local council, and became its chairman having been elected to represent Nottingham Park Ward in 1853
When Radford became part of the city of Nottingham he was elected to the council and became an Alderman. He was made Mayor of Nottingham in 1854 and again in 1866.
As his business continued to grow he also expanded his other interests and in 1858 he became a director and trustee of one of the first building societies the Nottingham and Midland Counties Permanent Benefit Building Society.
About this time he acquired land in Arnold at Arno Vale and built Arno Vale House in the the triangle between the present Arno Vale Road, Saville Road and Thackerays Lane, this originally being the drive which lead to the house.
By 1870 Thackeray and Hickling decided to part and the partnership was dissolved with Thackeray taking over the assets of the company.
The business continued to prosper and in 1876 and 1878 two patents were issued for the design of machinery for the doubling of cotton and other threads.
Thackeray died on the 4th of September 1886 and his death was reported in the Nottingham Post on Mon 6 September
“ J. L. THACKERAY, J.P. It is with regret we announce the death of Mr. John Lawson Thackeray, J.P., which occurred at his residence, Arnot Vale, near Arnold, on Saturday evening. Mr. Thackeray, who was 74 years of age, had not enjoyed good health during the last few years."
He left a personal estate of £30,721 5s. with the surviving executors being his Widow Eliza and his son-in-law Horace Fisher Lace Manufacturer.
Within 3 years of Thackerays death the Nottingham Suburban Railway was completed in 1889 with a station at Daybrook and the line crossing over a bridge on Thackeray's lane. Near to the site of Arno Vale House.
In 1950 Thackeray & Sons , the company that John had formed at Forest Mills closed as the demand for lace declined and a failure to upgrade equipment to modern standards. The mill buildings unlike Arno Vale House still exists. The Arno Vale House was pulled down when the estate was sold with the area now being covered in housing.
Thanks to Arnold Local History Group for some of this information.