Issue 14      February 2006

 

 

INFLATION INCREASE ON COUNCIL TAX FIGURE

The parish council are to limit the increase in the parish council tax precept to one of inflation- just three per cent. For the past two years the figure has been the same - £4410. For the coming 2006-2007 financial year the figure has been increased by the rate of inflation taking it to £4542 for the 12 month period. The council expect to start the financial year on April 1^st with around £8000 in balances and expect to spend some £5400 in the coming year. Councils are advised by their auditors to maintain a balance of at least 12 months expenditure.

‘CAKED’ MUD IN ROAD GUTTERS

Notts County Council have been urged by the parish council to remove areas of ‘caked’ mud that have been allowed over the years to accumulate in roadside gutters in Stanton on the Wolds, and in particular alongside the A606 Melton Road.

LAND OWNERSHIP CHECK

A check is being made by the parish council in respect of the ownership of a strip of land alongside Thurlby Lane. Notts County Council and the Land Registry are being asked to verify who owns the piece of land in question.

A46 ROAD SCHEME – MORE DELAYS

More delays are likely in progress on a scheme to dual A46 road from Newark to Widmerpool. The £250m project has been taken out of the National road building programme and placed in the East Midlands Regional one, a move likely to cause delays to it being put into operation. Protests are being made to the Government in regard to the ‘move’ and a deputation including Rushcliffe Borough Council leader Coun. Neil Clark is asking to be able to visit London to put the case for reinstatement into the national programme.

Parishioners through the ages

Stanton on the Wolds Local History Group now holds lists of all known baptisms, weddings and interments that have taken place at All Saints Church, Stanton on the Wolds between the years 1627 and 1903. In addition they have a complete set of Census returns for the village for each Census from 1841 to 1901. Anyone in the village researching their family history and wishing to check names, dates or events may send requests for ‘lookups’ to the Group at stantonlhg@yahoo.co.uk

NO ONE FOR KEYWORTH SHOPPING TRIP

 An attempt by the parish council to introduce a Thursday morning shopping trip from Stanton to Keyworth has not met with support. The council had been offered the availability of the service as part of the existing run organised by the Keyworth Community care Service. The idea has now been dropped.

HISTORY BOOK IDEA MAKING GOOD PROGRESS

Plans to produce a village history book for Stanton on the Wolds are proceeding well and a £500 anonymous donation has been offered to the parish council to help meet its cost. A search is on for someone to undertake the work of editing the material that will go into the book and discussions are ongoing to finalise arrangements for this. Anyone interested is being asked to contact the council chairman Coun. Dennis Hackett. A large amount of photographs and material has already been collected and the first task will be to decide what goes into the publication. Unlike many parishes in the county there is currently no ‘stand-alone’ publication on the history of the village and it is hoped that the proposed booklet would have chapters on all aspects of parish life including the village, the church and the golf club, itself celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year.

PUBLIC INVITED TO PLAY A PART

The parish council are anxious to encourage participation by the public in their meetings and include an item on every agenda which gives the opportunity to make comments. Clerk, Mike Elliott, says that more and more councils now make regular provision for residents to take part in the meetings and at Stanton they are pleased to echo this effort to increase interest in their work.

MOBILE LIBRARY SERVICE FOR STANTON

The Mobile Library Service gives Stanton residents access to the stocks of Nottinghamshire County Library and Nottingham City Library. Mobile libraries are equipped with automatic step lifts accessible to a person in a wheelchair or with mobility problem. Stops outside The Wolds Nursery, Browns Lane on alternate Fridays from 11:05 until 11:35am.

PLANNING DECISIONS BY THE BOROUGH COUNCIL

05/01295/FUL : Mrs MacFarlane; single storey and two storey extensions (to include annexe accommodation) at 136 Browns Lane. Grant permission.

05/01351/FUL: Mr Lamb; side extension to form carport, erect double garage (following demolition of carport, sheds and garage) at 182 Melton Road. Grant permission.

05/01483/FUL: Mr & Mrs Kirk; single storey extension to form sunroom linking the house to the garage; Stanton Lodge, Thurlby Lane. Grant permission.

05/01606/FUL: Mrs Healy; single storey rear extension at 1 Stanton Mews, Browns Lane. Grant permission.

Bits and bobs

Used stamps are being saved by the parish church at Keyworth for the Leprosy Mission. They can be left in the collecting box at the back of the church.

An upgraded annual report is being planned by parish council chairman Coun. Dennis Hackett for handing to residents at this years Parish Meeting on May 10^th.

During the interregnum at the parish church, the churchwardens are responsible for all legal and admin. Matters. They are Mr Bill Dargue (tel 937 3467) and Ann Rodgers (tel 937 2218).

A donation of £25 50p was agreed by the parish council to the Royal British legion in respect of the annual Poppy Appeal.

Advice Centre sessions are held at the Methodist Church on Selby Lane at Keyworth each Friday from 2pm to 4pm and Mondays 7pm to 9pm when free confidential advice is available. Phone number is 937 4000

YOUR LOCAL CHURCHES

Stanton on the Wolds Parish Church: associate Priest-Rev Trevor Kirkman, tel 01664 822270.

Catholic Church, Willowbrook: Fr Gregory Tobin, tel 0115 981 4271.

Methodists: Rev Peter Green, tel 0115 921 2146.

Baptists: Rev Neil Brighton, tel 0115 914 7449.

United Reformed: Rev Chris Ford, tel 0115 937 5086.

Thanks Jim

Parish council member Coun. Jim Goodman has been given a vote of thanks by members of the council for maintenance work on the village sign and finger post direction signs in the village.

The coming and 'going' of the railway

                                                  By the Stanton Local History Group

With the announcement in November 2005 of the closure of the 'Test track' it seems appropriate to record some of the items of village history associated with this railway line. Two Private Bills, "The Midland Railway (Nottingham & Saxby Lines), Act of 1872" and "The Midland Railway (Additional Powers) Act of 1873" gave permission for the building of a new line from Nottingham London Road Station to a junction just north of Melton Mowbray. Locally there would be stations at Plumtree and Widmerpool. The 17 mile run had 5 tunnels including the Stanton Tunnel at 1330 yards long. Construction work began late in 1874 and the Stanton Tunnel was finished in 1878. In 1875 1,395 men were employed however the building of the line was hindered by bad weather and fell behind schedule. The number of labourers was increased to 2,215 men, with 210 horses, stationary engines and a steam powered excavator also being used. This large number of workers and their families were accommodated along the route by three sets of temporary housing that included the 'Railway Huts' at Stanton. The families living in the 'Huts' in Stanton must have met and associated with the local villagers as three of the lads married local girls. The Parish Registers record 13 marriages between February 1875 and November 1881 where the grooms gave their occupations as rail labourer, excavator, engineer, engine driver or railway official. The Stanton rectors recorded the baptisms of 30 children with 12 being baptised on the same day. There must have been quite a party in the village that night.

The Registers also record tragedies. The first incident prompted a coroner's  inquest, the result of which was reported in the local press:- The Nottingham Journal, Saturday 25th September 1875 printed the following  "Mr Heath, the county coroner, held an inquest at Stanton on the Wolds on Thursday 23rd September, on the body  of  a  man 30 years of age, named William  Eagle. The deceased was employed at the tunnel which is being made for the railway at the above village, and it was shown in evidence that on Wednesday the 22nd September he fell down the tunnel shaft, the poor fellow receiving such injuries as to cause instantaneous death. The verdict of the jury was 'Accidental Death'. A second accident was reported in The Nottingham and Midland Counties Daily Express, for Monday 31st July 1876 where a column headline read "Shocking and fatal accident to a navvy near Nottingham". Apparently a young man of 25 years, Benjamin Webb, became entangled in a brick making machine and was shockingly mutilated. The coroner's inquest held at Stanton on the 29th recorded 'Accidental death' from being crushed.

The Parish Registers list another 11 internments of people living in the 'Huts'. Five were of adults and six were of infants. The deaths of the adults, 4 men and 1 woman, are all recorded as dying between February and July 1876. The cause of the deaths of the woman and one infant of 11 weeks is given as bronchitis. There are rumours that an epidemic, possibly Cholera, occurred in the Stanton 'Huts', presumably due to the poor sanitary conditions, although that disease was actually fairly widespread in Nottinghamshire at this time anyway. An unknown number of corpses were said to have been buried late at night in a mass grave close to the Church.

Anyone wishing a fuller history of the line should read  "The Nottingham and Melton Railway 1872-1990" written and published by Colin Aldworth of Keyworth in 1990

CALLING ALL READERS

We would welcome an input into this newsletter from any resident in the parish. Items for inclusion can be Emailed to elliottnews@btconnect.com

Thought of the month

Lose an hour in the morning and you will spend all day looking for it