Digital Hearing Aids Kirkby-in-Ashfield – Nottinghamshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Kirkby-in-Ashfield – Nottinghamshire Digital Hearing Aids 

Kirkby-in-Ashfield lies just a few miles – 5 or 6 – from Mansfield and just over 2 from Sutton-in-Ashfield.  Its origin is Danish as it was where invading Danes first settled in the area.  Kirkby translates as Church Town and has grown from a series of villages including Old Kirkby, The Folly or East Kirkby, Kirkby Woodhouse and Nuncargate.

Although there’s nothing overly remarkable about Kirkby, it still has an interesting history.  It was mentioned in the Domesday Book, and has a statue of the cricketer Harold Larwood in the Market Place.  It also has two churches, St Winifred’s and St Thomas’, the former in a conservation area and donated park land, Portland Park.

Harold Larwood
Harold Larwood was a local boy born in Nuncargate to a miner and his wife.  Harold himself started life in the mines at the age of 14, but was picked to play for Nottinghamshire after doing well in ‘club cricket’.  He went on to play for England too.

He was a fast and accurate bowler.  In attempts to regain the Ashes in 1932-33, the fast leg or bodyline style of bowling was developed.  With Larwood’s bowling skills, his captain (Douglas Jardine) recommended that this technique be employed by the team and in particular, Larwood, when playing the Australians.  It was hoped this would give them a chance against their killer batsman Bradman.  In fact the Australians weren’t happy with England’s new bowling style, calling it unsportsmanlike.

Despite attempts to improve relationships between the two countries over the next few years, Larwood refused to apologise as he claimed he was only following his captain’s instructions.  He continued to play cricket at County level but not for England again.

Ironically Larwood retired from cricket and emigrated to Australia where he often gave cricket commentaries.  Years later in 1993, two years before his death, he was honoured with an MBE.

Loud and clear?
How do you get on with listening to the sports’ commentaries on radio or TV?  If you have any trouble hearing them or hearing anything else, why not let us test your hearing for you?  We can get you tested by a professional audiologist.  He will be able to tell the severity of your condition and advise the best treatment.  Give us a call on 01782 698090 or take a look here.

Kirkby now and then
Although mainly a commuter town for Nottingham now, at one time Kirkby thrived on the coal mining industry like many other towns in the area.  There were three coal mines in the surrounding area, but these all closed in the 1980s and 1990s.  Of course with coal being mined here it was necessary for transport, so the railways soon came.

The Mansfield and Pinxton Railway
One of the first railways to come through Kirkby was this railway line.  It was built to move coal from the mines in the area, including those in Kirkby, to Mansfield.  It was a horse-drawn railway.  Basically where there weren’t canals to transport the coal, mine owners had built wagonways to transport it.  The wagon ways used ‘plateways’, an early type of iron rail gauge that the wagon wheels rolled on.

These were developed by Derbyshire man Benjamin Outram who was a civil engineer.  His company Benjamin Outram and Company was responsible for many canals – Nottingham, Derby, Nutbrook – aqueducts and tramways.

The wagonway plateways weren’t strong enough for the railway rolling stock once these ‘came to town’ and the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway couldn’t find the investment needed for the changes.  Eventually with funding from Yorkshire and Lancashire, they became the Midland Railway.  Many adjustments had to be made and the track relaid, which then bypassed Kirkby!  Eventually even the destination Mansfield was bypassed, though today Mansfield Station is Grade II listed and serves on the Robin Hood line.

The Robin Hood Line
The Beeching railway cuts in the 1960s meant that many earlier lines were closed.  They were deemed financially unsustainable by both the outgoing Conservative government under Harold MacMillan and Harold Wilson’s incoming Labour government.  The Midland Railway was one line which fell foul to these cuts.

It was 30 years later when the Robin Hood Line opened up.  It used much of the old Midland Line tracks and brought a line back to Mansfield and Kirkby.  The Robin Hood Line travels from Nottingham to Worksop where it joins the Sheffield and Lincoln Line.

Kirkby’s buildings of interest
St Wilfred’s Church was a medieval church mentioned in the Domesday Book, but which burnt down at the beginning of the 20th Century.  Most of it had to be completely rebuilt in Gothic style.  It is Grade II listed and stands in a conservation area.  It has been a religious site since Saxon times.

Kirkby Cross can be found in this conservation area too.  This stone structure is thought to date back to the 1200s prior to Kirkby being granted a market charter.  The cross is both Grade II listed and a noted Ancient Monument.

Many of the houses in Church and Chapel Street are also listed.  Most were old farm cottages.  In Chapel Street even the 1935 red telephone box is listed!

Portland Park
This parkland was donated to the local council by the 7th Duke of Portland on his Silver Wedding Anniversary and his son’s 21st birthday in 1914.  The parkland is open to the public and served by a visitor centre.  It is a nature reserve.

Famous faces from Kirkby
·         The current 12th Earl of Portland is the actor Tim Bentnick.  He is best known as the voice of David Archer in Radio 4’s The Archers.

·         Parolympian swimmer Sam Hynd, who won a gold medal in last year’s Olympics and one in the 2008 Olympics, comes from here.

·         Retired England football player, Dave Thomas was born in Kirkby.  He played for QPR, Everton, Portsmouth and Wolves during his career.

·         Footballer Stuart Boam comes from Kirkby.  He played for Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Mansfield and later managed Mansfield.

·         Snooker player Gary Wilkinson also hails from these parts.

·         As does landscape artist Bill Mackinson.

·         Actor Ian Peck, who has appeared in many TV series including A Touch of Frost, Silent Witness, The Bill, Foyle’s War and Casualty, comes from Kirkby.


Don’t forget
If you’re from the Kirkby area and have concerns about your hearing, don’t forget Digital Hearing Aids can help.  Give us a call on 01782 698090 for more information.

Digital Hearing Aids Matlock – Derbyshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Matlock – Derbyshire Digital Hearing Aids 

Matlock in Derbyshire has a relatively small population of just over 10,600, but is the County Town for the area.  Set on the River Derwent on the edge of the Peak District, Matlock has an interesting history.

Thermal spring and hydros
Even smaller is the village to the south of Matlock, Matlock Bath a spa town at one time.  In fact Matlock was once a series of villages – Matlock Town, Matlock Green, Matlock Bridge and Matlock Bath.  Then the thermal springs were discovered right at the end of the 17th Century.

The son of one of the mill owners, John Smedley, was responsible for building the biggest hydrotherapy spa in Matlock about 50 years after the thermal spring discovery.  Smedley built it at Matlock Bank.  The Smedley’s Hydro Spa became world famous and people of note such as author Robert Louis Stevenson, English Philharmonic conductor Sir Thomas Beecham , Welsh composer Ivor Novello, boxer Jimmy Wilde and cricketer Gilbert Jessop, came to benefit from its warm, healing waters.

Smedley built the hydro, the biggest in the area, after successfully ‘taking the waters’ himself in Yorkshire and Cheltenham.  In the 1950s the hydro closed and it is now Derbyshire County Council’s HQ.

The Mills
Because of the River Derwent and also the tributary Bentley Brook, mills also sprang up along their banks.  The Smedley family – four generations of John Smedleys – ran Lea Mills near Matlock.  The mill had been built by Peter Nightingale, the more famous Florence’s brother.  He had also been Richard Arkwright’s accountant.  Arkwright was responsible for the invention of the Spinning Frame and also had mills in the area.

Lea Mills produced muslin and spinning cotton which was used in the cottage industry of spinning.  Eventually their work included knitting and hosiery production and they are thought to be responsible for the origin of Long Johns.

The Masson Mill
The Masson Mill in Matlock Bath is now a World Heritage site and a working textile museum.  Arkwright bought the old paper mill and used his cotton Spinning Frame (powered by water) for the production of cotton.  The mill worked continuously manufacturing cotton from 1763 until 1991 when it closed.  It continues working as a textile museum today and is open for all to see.  You can watch the huge looms working in the weaving shed in twice daily demonstrations.

Cromford Mill
Arkwright also had a mill at Cromford.  The building is now Grade I listed and also a World Heritage site.  Visitors can tour the mill and exhibition, as well as the village of Cromford built for the mill workers by Arkwright.

The noise of the looms
If you’re a tad hard of hearing, not feeling the full impact of the noise of the looms could be a blessing!  Of course working in these conditions may well have caused some people hearing problems.  If you would like to hear more clearly, why not look at Digital Hearing Aid’s website to see how we can help?  Give us a call on 01782 698090 if you would like more information.

Riber Castle
Staying with John Smedley, the Gothic Riber Castle in Riber, close to Matlock was the home he built for himself.  It was constructed using locally quarried gritstone which was transported to the top of the hill by a series of pulleys.  Unfortunately getting water up there wasn’t as easy.

Smedley’s wife lived there until her death, when the castle was sold off and became a boys’ school.  When that became unsustainable it was bought and used as a wildlife park and zoo.  This finally closed in 2000 and not without controversy about the way the animals were cared for.  Developers are now trying to convert this Grade II listed Castle into apartments.

The Peak District
Matlock sits right on the edge of the beautiful Peak District national park.  Its rolling hills and peaks offer great views and countryside to explore.  Some of the ‘high’ points from Matlock include the Heights of Abraham.

The Heights of Abraham sit on top of Masson Hill, once only accessible if you could make the climb.  Since 1984 a cable car has made it accessible to a wider audience.  Once at the top, there are woodlands and gardens to roam; there’s a gift shop and a rock shop, as well as two or three establishments selling refreshments.  The Tavern is half way up the hill on the Matlock Bath side and is where climbers in the 19th Century would have stopped for a rest.  Now you can enjoy refreshments and catch some sun here!

The rich and famous of Matlock
Apart from the spa visitors mentioned above, Matlock has connections with a number of famous people.

·         Christopher Green, hailed as ‘an entertainment maverick’ by The Guardian, is known for his performances as female characters Tina C and Ida Barr.  Green was born in Matlock.

·         Comedian and actress Isy Suttie grew up in Matlock.  She is best known for her role as Dobby in Peep Show.

·         Singer-songwriter Ben Ottewell went to school in Matlock.  He is one of three singers with the band Gomez.

·         Matt Chandler (guitar) and Tom Marriott (trombone) play in the funk band Pest.  Both are from Matlock.

·         Simon Groom, former Blue Peter presenter, runs a farm nearby with his wife.

·         DJs Matt Rhythm and Art Plate are known as Rhythm Plate who regularly remix and produce music.  They both hail from Matlock.


Matlock is also popular as a film and TV location.

·         Part of Derbyshire County Council Building, once Smedley’s Hydro, was used in Ken Russell’s film Women in Love which won an Oscar back in 1969.  In the film, sisters Gudrun & Ursula Brangwen’s home was a house in New Street and St Giles’ Church was where Laura Crich got married.

·         Director Shane Meadows used Riber Castle as one of the locations for his 2004 film, Dead Men’s Shoes.

·         Peak Practice has used locations in and around the town, including Highfields School.

·         Coming Down the Mountain, the 2007 BBC film was set in Matlock but not filmed there.

·         Sky 1’s Starlings was set in Matlock.

·         The Matlock Mercury editor Don Hale’s campaign to free Stephen Downing was dramatised as In Denial of Murder.


Local stories
There is so much to see and hear about this relatively small town that it would be a shame to miss any of it.  If you can’t hear as well as you once could, don’t be scared to contact us to see how we can help.  You can telephone us on 01782 698090 or if you are worried you won’t be able to hear us, why not fill in the online form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Digital Hearing Sutton-in-Ashfield – Nottinghamshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Sutton-in-Ashfield – Nottinghamshire Digital Hearing Aids 

First settled in Saxon times, Sutton-in-Ashfield has had several names over the centuries.  Its origin seems to be the place where Gerard the son of Walter de Sutton had a small piece of land.  The suffix of ‘ton’ on a place name shows the Saxon connection and means ‘an enclosure or a fenced in clearing’.  When mentioned in the Domesday Book Sutton appeared as Sutone.

It can be assumed from its origin that Sutton started life as an agricultural area, as after all, that was how most people survived in the early days.  Farming however small, provided food and/or currency.  In more recent times, coal mining and the textile industry, mainly hosiery were the mainstays of Sutton.

Coal mining
Sutton Colliery was just outside the town at Stanton Hill and was known as the Brierley Pit or the ‘Bread and Herring’ pit, because of its poor conditions.  The Stanton Iron and Coal Company sunk two small shafts here, 183 metres down, in 1874.  These were later widened and sunk further to 425 metres.  It remained a working mine until closure in 1989 when the coal seams were exhausted.

Like many mines, whilst they brought work to the area, they also brought hazards and disasters.  In 1957 there was an explosion at the pit when 25 men were injured and suffered burns.  Five men died because of their injuries.

Brierley Colliery today has been transformed into Brierley Forest Park.  This nature reserve opened 10 years after the colliery closed and holds a Green Flag Award, which is a benchmark for parks and green spaces.

Pretty Polly
The other main industry in Sutton-in-Ashfield was textiles and in particular hosiery.  Pretty Polly wasn’t the name of a favourite pet bird, but a hosiery firm which manufactured products in Sutton from the 1920s until 2005.  Though the company was originally named after a winning race horse of that name, the Pretty Polly logo was depicted with a parrot right up until the 1960s!

The name was a good bet for many years.  The brand was the second best-selling in the stockings and tights market in the UK by 1957, when it was added to the empire of Thomas Tilling.  He also owned the Ballerina Hosiery brand as part of the Walton Hosiery Company.  A few years later these companies merged as Pretty Polly Holdings Ltd.

The team at Pretty Polly were great innovators.  They introduced a number of things we take for granted today, such as seam-free stockings and tights and ‘hold-ups’, stockings which don’t need the help of suspender belts to stay up.  Their ‘holds-ups’ were even shown on the TV program Tomorrow’s World.

The company was bought out by Courtaulds and the factory closed and moved some 14 miles to Belper in 2005.  Pretty Polly has been advertised by some well known models, including Eva Herzigova (better known for her Wonder bra ads, also made by Courtaulds), Sara Cox and Rachel Stevens (bras).

Did you hear right?
Are you wondering if you heard that right?  Was it something about a parrot or a horse wearing tights in Sutton-in-Ashfield?!  If you have problems catching all of a conversation without requesting constant repeats, give Digital Hearing Aids a call.  We can help!  There are many causes for hearing problems too and we can test both ears for severity and then advise.  Give us a call today on 01782 698090.

Catching the sun
Nottinghamshire may not be the first place you think of for catching the sun, but they certainly have the means to see where the sun is.  Right in the middle of Portland Square is a huge sundial which claims to be the biggest in Europe.  A sundial tells the time of day by where the sun is positioned in the sky.  The earliest forms of sundials date back to 3500 BC.  Sutton’s sundial isn’t that old!

The Observatory
Sutton is home to the Mansfield and Sutton Observatory also known as the Sherwood Observatory.  It is owned and run by the Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society and is where they host meetings, lectures and more.  The dome houses a 0.61 Newtonian Reflecting telescope.

Famous faces of Sutton-in-Ashfield
·         Henry II spent a night at Kings Mill in Sutton

·         Actor Chris Gasgoyne was born here.  He is best known for playing Peter Barlow in Coronation Street

·         Former English cricketer Pascal Broadley comes from here too

·         Trevor Ashmore had a business in Sutton called Period Coins where he produced replica coins

·         Local solder Michael Willetts was one of the first soldiers to lose his life in ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland.  He was one of a number of soldiers and civilians injured by an IRA blast bomb.  Willetts died and was posthumously award the George Cross

·         Sutton is also linked to several football players including Jimmy Walker who is currently playing in goal for Walsall, Alex Baptiste, captain for Blackpool, Steve Origzovac and Wayne Bullimore, both now retired

·         Andrew Lewis is a composer of acousmatic music which is a form of electro-acoustic music.  He comes from Sutton and studied music at Birmingham University.  Acousmatic music is specifically composed to be played through loud speakers


Do you need a loudspeaker when you’re listening to music or the TV?  Take a look here to see how we can help and then get in contact, either by telephone on 01782 698090 or via our online form.  We are here to help you with your hearing needs.

Digital Hearing Aids Mansfield – Nottinghamshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Mansfield – Nottinghamshire Digital Hearing Aids 

On the face of it there is nothing out of the ordinary about Mansfield.  It’s a market town in Nottinghamshire literally just up the road, some 16 miles from Nottingham.  Having received its market charter back in the 13th Century, Mansfield has one of the largest open-air markets in the country although in recent times it has reduced in size.  Like many other markets around the UK, it has a Buttercross in the dedicated Market Square.

The town is thought to date back to Roman times and several relics, mainly coins, from that period have been found here.  It got a mention in the Domesday Book; much of the land surrounding Mansfield was owned by the Crown.  Being so close to Nottingham, Sherwood Forest is nearby which was owned by the King and used by Royal Shooting parties.

Most of the remaining surrounding areas were agricultural but when industry came, it came big time to Mansfield.  Coal mining and textiles making the biggest impressions followed by brewing.  Whilst all of the collieries in the Mansfield area are closed, the Coal Authority is still based here and is responsible for licensing all coal mining operations.  Mansfield is also home to Mansfield Mine Rescue Services, a company which provides Health & Safety training for mining in Nottinghamshire.

Mansfield Brewery
Mansfield Brewery was the largest independent brewery in the country and not surprisingly, the area’s largest employer, brewing Mansfield Beers.  The brewery opened in 1855 and was finally closed in 2002.  It was actually bought out by what is now Marstons and brewing of their famous Mansfield Beer was moved to Wolverhampton.  Locals say the beer doesn’t taste the same now that it is brewed with different water!

Mansfield Bitter had a very noticeable and successful advertising campaign using a picture of Ronald Reagan, then President of the USA.  The strap line read ‘He may be the president of the most powerful nation on Earth, but he’s never had a pint of Mansfield’.  Another popular slogan for the beer was ‘Not much matches Mansfield’.

Scottish drinks company A G Barr used the Mansfield Brewery site as their Irn-Bru factory right up until January 2011 when it was closed for good.  It has since been demolished.  Irn-Bru is the most popular fizzy non-alcoholic drink in Scotland.

Charting Mansfield’s history
Thanks to local collector William Edward Baily, Mansfield Museum came into being in 1903 when he not only offered his collections, but also a building to house them.  Now the Museum, which has moved and expanded over the years, charts Mansfield’s social and industrial history.  There are also permanent exhibitions of local artist Albert Sorby Buxton’s watercolours of the area, dating back to the early 1900s, and a collection of 18th Century porcelain including pieces from Derby and Mansfield.

There is also a new interactive area called XplorActive.  Here kids can find their way around with the help of a robot called Eco-Dude, which is made entirely from recycled materials.

Natural Beauty
Mansfield has many parks and nearby natural attractions too.  As we’ve mentioned it is close to Sherwood Forest which has existed since the Ice Age.  Being close to the Derbyshire border, the Peak District National Park is not far away either.

If you’re feeling as ‘old as the hills’ and your hearing is suffering, don’t rest on your laurels!  Take a look here to learn about the causes of hearing loss and also ways that we can help you to hear more clearly.

People of Mansfield
Albert Sorby Buxton was a watercolour artist.  He had good credentials having trained at Mansfield School of Art and The Slade in London.  He returned to Mansfield where he became head of his old school.  He captured much of the changing nature of old Mansfield in watercolours; his widow donated many of his paintings to the museum in the 1930s.  The museum’s collection amounts to 130 paintings by this local artist.

William Edward Baily was the son of one of the men who established Mansfield Brewery which made him a very rich young man.  Over 27 years Baily gathered a huge Natural History collection of around 35,000 specimens.  These included animals, reptiles, fish both freshwater and sea, birds and their nests, butterflies and moths, crustaceans, shells, coral, plants and scientific instruments.  Just before his death he bequeathed the whole collection to Mansfield Borough Council.

John Higginbottom known as Jack was a coal miner at the Mansfield Colliery from 1921 – 1926.  After this time he joined the Royal Artillery and trained as a Physical Instructor.  He spent 20 years in the services travelling all over the world.  When he left the army he took the role of Remedial Gymnast at Pinderfield Hospital, retiring in 1969.  He joined the Royal Chelsea Pensioners in 1986 and remained there until his death in 1995.

The actor Stephen Critchlow was brought up in Mansfield and it is the home town of Richard Bacon, once a Blue Peter presenter.

A number of footballers have connections with the town including Robert Kozluk, James Perch, Kris Commons, Craig Disley and Liam Lawrence who played for Mansfield Town FC.

Singer Alvin Stardust grew up in Mansfield though he was better known then as Bernard Jewry.  He was a roadie for an unknown band, Shane Fenton and the Fentones.  When their lead singer died of Rheumatic Fever he was co-opted as the lead singer, taking the same stage name, Shane Fenton, for an audition.  Later in his career he was reinvented as Alvin Stardust and went on to have a successful solo singing career and chart successes.

The pianist John Ogdon was born in the nearby village of Mansfield Woodhall.  He attended music college in Manchester and went on to win prizes for his abilities.  He memorised a vast canon of classical works so that he could play them without a music score.  He composed more than 200 works of his own including 4 operas, 2 full orchestra pieces, 3 cantatas and 2 piano solos.

Musicians Ric Lee and Leo Lyons hail from Mansfield.  They both joined the blues band the Jaytones in the 1960s which later became Ten Years After.  Lyons still plays with the reformed Ten Years After, whilst Lee has gone on to form and play with Ric Lee’s Natural Born Swingers.

Joe L Mills from Mansfield formed Green Date a tribute band to Green Day and Joel Peat, the drummer from Lawson, also comes from Mansfield.

If you’re concerned that your hearing won’t allow you to enjoy the likes of Mansfield’s finest singers and bands at their best, contact Digital Hearing Aids to see how we can help.  Don’t suffer in silence, give us a call today on 01782 698090 or contact us online here.

Digital Hearing Aids Hucknall – Nottinghamshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Hucknall – Nottinghamshire Digital Hearing Aids 

Just 7 miles north of Nottingham, you’ll find Hucknall a small town which was originally known for framework knitting much like Nottingham and also mining.  For much of its history Hucknall was known as Hucknall Torkard taken from one of the local landowning families, Torcard.  At the beginning of the 20th Century the Torkard was dropped.

Coal mining was a big part of life in Hucknall in the 19th & 20th Centuries though there is no sign of this now.  In fact a Tesco Superstore is built where one of Hucknall’s two collieries once stood.

Full steam ahead
The discovery and mining of coal in the area brought three railway lines to Hucknall.  The first was Midland Railway some of which is now the Robin Hood Line running from Nottingham to Worksop passing through Hucknall.  The Great Northern Railway line was actually closed to passengers back in 1931 although continued as a freight line for another 30 years or so.  The third line was The Great Central Railway which closed in the 1960s.

Church of interest
The Grade II listed Church of St Mary Magdalene is one of Hucknall’s parish churches and probably the most important.  The original church was built in Saxon times and has had bits added right up until the Victorian era.  In addition to its interesting architecture, this church holds interest for many as it is home to the family burial vault of the Byron Family.

This church also proudly boasts 25 stained glass windows by Victorian artist Charles Eamer Kempe.  Famously he has intricate stained glass windows in a number of English cathedrals including Chester, Gloucester, Hereford, Lichfield, Wells, Winchester and York.

Test flights
RAF Hucknall was used regularly by Rolls Royce for test flights including for their Merlin engines.  But it’s perhaps best known for being the site to test the first vertical take-off jet.  This Rolls Royce invention became known as the ‘Flying Bedstead’ due to its shape and was first tested in August 1954.  The Thrust Measuring Rig to give it its original name rose about 50ft in the air and demonstrated its forward and backwards movements to onlookers.

There are pubs in Hucknall named after this event – The Flying Bedstead – and also one named The Harrier.

Despite the closure of the test centre, Rolls Royce continued testing engines here until 2008.  Some engine parts are still manufactured in Hucknall.

The noise from those fighter jets taking off for testing must have been phenomenal.  No wonder you always see ground staff wearing ear mufflers.  If your hearing has been damaged or you fear it has through any of your experiences, get in touch with Digital Hearing Aids to see how they can help you.  You can call them on 01782 698090 or message them via an online form.

Newstead Abbey, family home of the poet Byron
Byron’s family home is just 4 miles north of Hucknall.  It was originally a priory founded by Henry II and is thought to be one of the penances he paid for the death of Thomas Beckett.

It wasn’t until the 18th Century that the Byron family took over the Abbey by then no longer an acting priory.  By the time the poet was Baron, the house was not making enough money to support it and he tried to sell the property on several occasions.  He had hoped to be buried in the grounds where his faithful dog had been buried but as we know his fate was to end in the family vault in St Mary Magdalene’s.

Misk Hills
To the north of Hucknall you will also find the Misk Hills.  These softly rolling hills are recognised locally as the start of the Pennines.  The views southward over Hucknall and Nottingham are legendary.

The Misk Hills inspired two of the local poet’s words for The Dream and The Hills of Annesley.

Famous people with connections to Hucknall
You’d think the first one would be Mick but the Simply Red lead singer actually hails from Denton in Greater Manchester, miles from Hucknall.  Some that can claim connections to Hucknall though are:

·         Lord Byron – poet lived nearby and is buried in the parish church

·         Ada Lovelace – a mathematician and the daughter of Byron, not that they saw ‘eye to eye’

·         Eric Coates – composer who wrote the Dam Busters and the introduction music for Desert Island Discs, ‘Sleepy Lagoon’

·         Architect Thomas Cecil Howitt who designed Nottingham Council House

·         Ben Caunt – 19th Century bare knuckle prize fighter known as the Torkard Giant and in some stories the man that Big Ben was named after

·         Sam Weller Widdowson was a man of all sports.  He played for Nottingham Forest FC and was also an England player and invented football shin pads way back in the 19th Century.  He also showed his prowess at Cricket by playing for Nottinghamshire.

If you’d have trouble hearing a recitation of Hucknall’s most famous poet, take a look to see how Digital Hearing Aids can help you here.  Making hearing easier ensures you lead a life to the full so don’t hesitate to get in contact on 01782 698090.

Digital Hearing Aids Nottingham –Nottinghamshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Nottingham –  Nottinghamshire Digital Hearing Aids

Nottingham is probably best known for its connection with the legendary Robin Hood and all his adventures or its textile industry particularly the manufacture of lace.

Of course there is much more to this Midlands city.  It was granted its city charter during the year of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee more than 100 years ago.  It’s also one of the ‘big eight’, the English Core Cities Group which includes Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle and Bristol.  This group promotes the role of cities particularly in economic growth.

Nottingham certainly sets a good example with a thriving economy, as a tourist magnet and centre of sports.  It has a National Ice Centre and a National Water Sports Centre, Trent Bridge - a Test Cricket Ground and two Football teams, Nottingham Forest and Notts County.

Snotingham, the beginnings of a name
In Saxon times, the settlement in what is now known as the Lace Market was literally the place of Snot’s people, Snotingham.  Snot was the Saxon chieftain!

Nottingham is built on sandstone which is incredibly soft.  As a result beneath many of Nottingham’s buildings there are man-made caves.  These have been used periodically over the centuries as places of work, homes for the poor and air-raid shelters in World War II.  Now they are preserved and open to the public so that visitors can see an old tannery and more.

The Lace Market
Nottingham became well known for its lace manufacture.  Lace net frames, initially in homes, were operated by hand usually by the man of the house whilst women and children did the finishing and the embroidery.  Later factories were built to house steam driven machines.

The Grade II listed Adams Building in Nottingham at the heart of the Lace Market was a lace warehouse and showroom.  Here buyers came to see lace brought in from surrounding factories.  Much of the lace was also finished here.  The building is now part of New College, Nottingham.

Image the noise of the machines in those factories.  That continuous noisy environment must have affected the hearing of many of the workers.  If you find yourself in a similar modern-day environment where noise is or has affected your hearing, find out how Digital Hearing Aids can help by reading the information here or calling them on 01782 698090.

The legend of the good robber
You can’t think of Nottingham without thinking of Robin Hood and his Merry Men.  It is difficult to say whether Robin Hood actually existed. He is certainly mentioned in early ballads dating back to the 12th Century but ballads are handed-down, word-of-mouth history and often mix-up several stories.  Regardless the story of do-gooder Robin Hood is associated with Nottingham not least because of the Sherriff of Nottingham and Sherwood Forest which play parts in the legend.

It’s a good story to be associated with, an ordinary man or a gentleman of land whose lands have been confiscated steeling from the rich to give to the poor.

Nottingham Castle
There has been a castle in Nottingham since Saxon times although subsequent ruling bodies and kings have made changes to the castle.  Probably the first stone castle was built in the reign of Edward II.  The 2nd Duke of Newcastle in the reign of Charles II started the building of the current mansion that replaced all previous structures at the castle.  Several Kings and Queens used it as their main home, King John whilst his brother Richard II was away at the Crusades, Edward III, Queen Joan wife of Henry IV and so on.

Perhaps it is still best known from the Robin Hood legends as the place where the Sherriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood met to sort their differences at the end of many of the tales.  You can visit the museum at the castle now to learn about Nottingham’s historic past.

Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood’s ‘home’
Today Sherwood Forest is a National Nature Reserve; once it was part of a huge Royal hunting park.  Now it isn’t noblemen riding through the forest for sport but tourists who are the most prolific visitors.  Up to 500,000 visitors come to see this forest mainly as a tribute to Robin Hood!

It is of course home to the ‘Major Oak’ renowned as the hang out of Robin and his gang of green-clad followers.  The Park hosts an annual Robin Hood Festival and right in the heart of the forest there is an Arts & Crafts Centre with art studios and a programme of year-round events too.

Famous faces of Nottingham

·         Robin Hood and the Sherriff of Nottingham – from the legends of Robin Hood

·         D H Lawrence – prolific author and poet with works recognised as part of England’s ‘canon’ of literature

·         Alan Sillitoe – author, poet and essayist who wrote Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and the Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

·         Olympic gold medallist skaters Christopher Dean and Jane Torvil – now hosting Dancing on Ice

·         Peter Taylor – Football player and manager best known for his partnership with Brian Clough

·         Jay McGuiness – from boy-band The Wanted

·         Ian Paice – drummer with Deep Purple

·         Bruce Dickinson – lead singer with Iron Maiden

·         Stereo MCs – founders Nick Hallam & Robert Birch came from Nottingham

·         Paul Smith – fashion designer

·         Ed Balls - MP


The Film Mecca of Nottingham
Nottingham has become a favourite setting for films and TV.  Some well known celluloid adaptations have used this destination including

The 1960’s
·         Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

·         The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner


The 2000’s
·         This is England

·         Control – about Joy Division’s lead singer Ian Curtis

·         We Need to Talk about Kevin

·         The Dark Knight Rises – Wayne Manor is actually Wollaton Hall

If you are put off going to the cinema because of your difficulties hearing, you should look at how Digital Hearing Aids can help you.  No need to miss out on all the cultural fun especially when it has links to your home town.  Give them a call on 01782 698090 or contact them online today.