Not West Bridgford No. 9

Hardly surprisingly, not only are minor stylistic and atmospheric similarities detectable between West Bridgford and other suburban areas throughout the UK, and indeed across the world, but they are very evident in other parts of Nottingham. Several districts of the city, including Beeston, Wollaton, Sherwood and Arnold,  include specimens of domestic vernacular design, shopping parades, street furniture, and subjectively perceived atmosphere, which are strongly reminiscent of West Bridgford. Most of the west side of Nottingham is not at all like this, however, being composed mainly of interwar council estates which sprawl from Bilborough to Strelley, Aspley, Bells Lane and Broxtowe and have very different, and strong, design characteristics of their own.

So what is surprising is that, in the middle of this sprawl is a curious enclave of detached housing centred on Aspley Park Drive, a short distance from one of the main distributor roads, Aspley Lane. Long ago, a schoolfriend of mine lived in Aspley Park Drive, and I remember nothing of his house except that it was large, detached, well appointed, and that his maternal grandmother, who lived with the family and liked to smoke in bed, had set fire to her  bedroom  Little damage was done except to an already frosty relationship between the grandmother and my friend’s dad.

 
Be that as it may, the photograph shows an easterly view down Aspley Park Drive, which to my mind shows a strong resemblance to the upper reaches of Musters Road, that immensely long and dead straight thoroughfare which bisects West Bridgford from top to bottom, from the Trent Bridge cricket ground to the hint of countryside at Boundary Road. So, it’s “not Musters Road” – with its schools, medical practices, and retirement homes - but Aspley Park Drive.