Recently about 100 people gathered at the Baptist Church Hall, to hear Tony Ward give a talk for the Preservation Society about Calverton during the 1920s & 1930s.
Tony began by describing how most homes and business buildings were grouped along the Main Street, going on to mention the effect of the First World War. Around 1 in 10 families lost a member and at least twice as many were injured. This also influenced local agriculture and the hosiery industry.
Mains water in the village was restricted, and most families relied on communal taps or even nearby wells, paraffin lighting was usual before domestic electricity was slowly introduced during the 30s.
A bus service to Arnold and later to Nottingham was begun in the 1920s by W E Ward but was soon taken over by the Barton Bus Company.
The pace of change increased rapidly during the 1930s. Around 30 new houses were built including several by Basford Council. The most important event at the time was the construction by 1939 of a colliery shaft to provide access for miners and extra ventilation for Bestwood Colliery. No coal was brought up until 1953 when Calverton had become a colliery in its own right.
As a result of all the development, Calverton’s population increased from about 1,000 in 1921 to 1,300 in 1951 before reaching 5,700 by 1961.
After the talk an exhibition of various items linked to the origin of the Colliery including photos, newspaper cuttings and even 300million year old fossils were on display!
If you would like further information about the Preservation Society, please email [email protected] or ring 0115 965 4843
Compiled by Chris Peck, Secretary, Calverton Preservation & History Society