THEN AND NOW WB #7 Multi Bridgford Gateway
Up until the end of the 19th century, West Bridgford was still a small village. The population in 1881 was still only 293. This was due to the land being mainly in the ownership of one family, the Chaworth-Musters who also owned land at Colwick and lived at Colwick Hall.
From 1881 onwards the land was rapidly developed starting with the land in the north of the district including Musters Road and Bridgford Road. By 1891 the population had increased to 2,502 and by 1901, 7,018.
The OS map dating from c1875 shows the beginnings of this development with three pairs of semi-detached houses on Loughborough Road (since demolished and replaced with the car showrooms ). Bridgford Road existed, as did the top end of Musters Road, but there were no buildings on either road. Trent Bridge Cricket Ground had been established in the 1830’s as the home of the Nottinghamshire Cricket Club and the old pavilion at the south western corner of the site is shown on this map.By 1887 the semi-detached properties on Musters Road and Bridgford Road had been constructed and a new curved stand and pavilion had been erected at the south western end of the cricket ground adjacent to Bridgford Road. At this time the land at the corner of Bridgford Road and Musters Road was undeveloped and the OS map shows a small Fire Station on the site of the public conveniences. The former Midland Bank at 8 Bridgford Road was built in the early 1900’s.
The War Memorial was not built until 1921.The Memorial was built between September 1920 and March 1921 at a cost of £600, including the boundary walls, gates and paving. The unveiling was performed by the Chaplin to the local regiment the Sherwood , the Rev Hayman,on 5th June 1921.
WEST BRIDGFORD TIMELINE around here
1768 Work started on the building of West Bridgford Hall by the Lord of the Manor, Mundy Musters Jnr. 1774 West Bridgford Hall completed by Mundy’s son John Musters. 1827 Jack Musters became Lord of the Manor of West Bridgford. Jack had married Mary Chaworth, the heiress to the Annesley, Wiverton and Edwalton estates, in 1805.
1838 Cricket ground at Trent Bridge Inn opened by William Clarke who organised and captained the first Notts County team.
1840 West Bridgford Hall let to Lewis Heymann, a wealthy Nottingham lace manufacturer.
1849 John Chaworth Musters inherited the West Bridgford Estate on the death of his grandfather Jack Musters.
1851 Census shows 258 people living in 51 houses in West Bridgford.
1880 Official opening of Midland Railway’s line from Nottingham to Melton Mowbray. The line had taken 7 years to build following an authorising Act of Parliament in 1872.
1880 The first plots of West Bridgford Estate land are offered for housing development by John Chaworth Musters.
1881 Census showed 293 people living in 55 houses in West Bridgford.
1883 West Bridgford Hall and grounds together with 19 acres of land was sold by John Chaworth Musters to Albert Heymann, a wealthy Nottingham banker.
1885 New Trent Bridge Inn built behind the old one before the latter was demolished.
1887 John Patricius Musters inherited the remains of the West Bridgford Estate on the death of his father.
1889 (June) The Lordship of West Bridgford and the remaining estate lands were sold by John Patricius Musters to Col Horatio Davies of Wateringbury Place, Kent
1891 Census shows 2502 people living in 519 houses in West Bridgford.
1894 An elected West Bridgford Urban District Council replaced the West Bridgford Local Board.
1897 West Bridgford Defence Association set up solely to oppose all applications for licensed premises.
1901 Census shows 7018 people living in 1559 houses in West Bridgford.
1903 First West Bridgford Fire Bigade was set up with a fire station at junction of Musters and Bridgford Roads.
1907 New WBUDC offices opened at 8 Bridgford Road.
1911 Census showed 11632 people living in 2864 houses in West Bridgford.
1914 WBUDC started its own bus service with maroon and cream buses. The service was sold to Nottingham Corporation in 1968.
1923 West Bridgford Hall and Park sold for £14,000 by Albert Heymann to WBUDC for their offices.
1926 Trent Bridge widened to take four lanes of traffic.
1931 Census shows 17821 people living in 5065 houses in West Bridgford.
1935 Edwalton and Wilford incorporated into West Bridgford Urban District.
1937 Nottinghamshire County Hall opened at Trent Bridge. 1937 For the first time ever, Nottinghamshire County Magistrates Court granted licences for two public houses in West Bridgford, “The Rushcliffe” in Gordon Square (name changed to “The Test Match” before it opened) and “The Wolds” in Loughborough Road.
1952 Land west of the LNER railway line (including Wilford village) was transferred to Nottingham City Council and land south of the Trent was transferred to West Bridgford UDC. For the first time County Hall and Forest Football Ground became part of West Bridgford.
1968 WBUDC sold its bus service to Nottingham Corporation.
1968 Trains ceased to run between Nottingham and Melton on the Midlands Railway line. Part of the line between Melton and Boundary Roads became the Green Line.
1974 Rushcliffe Borough Council replaced West Bridgford UDC. New temporary council offices were built on Bridgford Road between Park Av and Stratford Road. 1978 Rushcliffe Borough Council occupied The Bridgford Hotel at Trent Bridge to use as its council offices. The site of their old offices became a Coop supermarket.
2008 The new Bridgford Road stand and ‘lollypop’ floodlights were completed at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground.
The given coordinates are not the location of the cache. There are 4 waypoints.
To find the cache, solve the following:- N52 AB.CDE W001 07.FGH
Starting at Waypoint STAGE 1 at N52 56.188 W001 08.020 the Then and Now photos show this. The old gateway into Bridgford Westminster Bank
(A) - At the Blue "end of bus lane" sign the number on the back BL?
AT THE SAME waypoint at the bus stop it mentions "Txt ? times" ? x 2 -1 = (D)
Waypoint STAGE 2 at N52 56.151 W001 07.969 Then and Now shows
(B)= How many surnames on the memorial for WW1 on the lower part beginning with the letter A + 1 = (B)
Waypoint STAGE 3 at N52 56.147 W001 07.929 The Then and Now photo shows the Old Midlands Bank across the road from the Cricket Ground.
There are two plaques/bronze panels which are set in the stone work either side of the gates of the Cricket Ground entrance. Facing the Cricket Ground, the plaque on your left hand side shows information about J A Dixon. He was a member of the Nottinghamshire County Eleven in ???? -???? and Captain 1889-1899. From the missing information (C) is the 7th digit and (E) is the 2nd digit.
Stay here for (F) - on the other plaque the 2nd digit of the year the Ground opened.
Waypoint STAGE 4 at N52 56.086 W001 07.829 The then and now photos show the old railway bridge crossing Bridgford Road.
before the road was wider.
1937.
At the yellow H marker there are 4 numbers (G) -the bottom two numbers added together -2
(H) the number of this Multi in the series of "WB - Then and Now"
Bonus picture to show how rapid things change.
Da Vinci no longer there, was the Monkey Tree Now Gusto
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.