Calverton – Then and Now!!
The village of Calverton is located three miles north of Arnold, a suburb of greater Nottingham. The parish consists of the village of Calverton including land stretching west to the A614.
Calverton lies in a wide valley surrounded by ancient earthworks, and possibly an early settlement existed here: two hoards of Roman coins have been found, and it has been conjectured that the mint of origin of several of them was close by, perhaps in Calverton itself. The village was one of five original villages of Sherwood Forest mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086. Its name is of Saxon origin, being the place where calves were kept. Calverton’s most famous son is without doubt William Lee. He invented the stocking machine in 1589 and this invention changed Calverton and many other villages in the area. Another Calvertonian, John Roe, founded a religious sect in the late 18th century that advocated the choosing of a partner by casting lots. Baptisms were held in a pool in his back garden (Burnor Pool). He also gave us the John Roe plum, which is still grown locally. The Calverton Preservation Society supports a small museum dedicated to the rich history of the village.
Until the 1950’s Calverton was an agricultural village with a stable population of around 1,000 people. With the development of mining it rapidly expanded to 6,000, a large number of miners and their families immigrating to Calverton from the north-east of England. Two major estates developed providing colliery and council housing (mostly semi-detached homes). In the late 1980’s a commuter belt of private housing (of mostly detached homes) developed around the mining estates and the old village. Small-scale developments of luxury homes continue.
The pit eventually closed in 1999. However, a Wrangler factory, a recycling plant and a small industrial estate continue to provide local employment. Colonel Frank Seely Secondary Comprehensive, a well-regarded county school also brings significant income to the local economy.
Calverton’s cultural mix consists of: 10% Old village, 30% Middle class commuter, 60%Traditional working class.
The population of Calverton at the 2001 census was 6,903. When compared with England and Wales (E&W) there is a lower proportion of single, separated and divorced persons and higher proportion of married or remarried in Calverton.
The village is now a thriving community with a variety of local shops and amenities including a library (with internet access) post office, health centre, pharmacy, hairdressers and beauty establishments, two small supermarkets, butcher, grocer, delicatessen, florists and a variety of chip shops and take-aways. There are also places to eat out including a highly regarded Chinese restaurant, Springwater. Calverton has four public houses (The Admiral Rodney, The Cherry Tree, The White Lion and The Gleaners) and two clubs: Calverton Miners Welfare (the ‘Top Club’) and Calverton Working Men’s Club (the ‘Geordie Club’). (The Miners Welfare has been used on several occasions for special church events and the Working Men’s Club has supported the church in the raising of funds for the PA system.) A local estate agents, Gascoines, is also an agency for the Halifax providing banking services and there is a cash machine in the St. Wilfrid’s Square Precinct. The village has a local petrol station and two garages.
Calverton has its own leisure centre with sports, gymnasium and swimming facilities. (These are used by the church once a month for Sunday Sports.) There are two golf clubs: Ramsdale and Springwater. The village has a cricket team and there is a local riding school. The surroundings of Calverton provide ample opportunities for walking and there are plans to develop the area further for leisure with the reclamation of the pit site. The small Village Hall provides a venue for the local Drama Group productions and arts and crafts groups. There is also a popular local arts centre at Patching’s Farm.
