Arnold, Nottinghamshire

Etymology

Arnold was referred to as ‘Ernehale’ in the Domesday Book of 1068; this former name meant ‘place frequented by eagles’ or ‘the valley of eagles’.

‘A History of Arnold’ (1913) by Rev. Rupert W. King and Rev. James Russell explains the etymology of Arnold’s name thus:

‘Heron-hald’, meaning the corner of the forest where Herons (large birds) live. Which becomes over the centuries since 500 A.D. by ‘lazy’ pronunciation, Eron-ald, thence Ern-old and Arn-old.

Due to the local topography Arnold can never have been a haunt of eagles, because they inhabit areas of rocky outcrops, which have formed cliffs; the nearest such location being Creswell Crags, some 20 miles (32 km) north-west as the eagle flies, although the fish-eating White-tailed Eagle (also known as the ‘Erne’) could have caught fish in the River Trent, which lies 4 miles (6.4 km) south-east of Arnold, on the other side of the Mapperley Plains ridge. These eagles would then have flown north-west in the evenings to roost in the ancient woodland area now known as Arnold. The Anglo-Saxon migrant-invaders, when they arrived along the River Trent from the Humber Estuary c. 500 A.D., would certainly have seen these eagles—which measure 66–94 cm (26–37 in) in length with a 1.78–2.45 m (5.8–8.0 ft) wingspan—flying northwest in the evenings and appropriately named this roosting location ‘Erne-Halh’ or ‘Erne-Haugh’, meaning ‘Eagle’s nook’ or ‘Eagle’s corner’.

Arnold is surrounded by a circular ridge from the north-west around to the south-east and raised ground to the west. The town’s bowl-like topography may have given it the etymological feature ‘-Halh’ or ‘-Haugh’.

Home Brewery

The town’s most notable landmark is probably the Home Brewery Company Ltd. building in Daybrook, usually referred to as ‘Home Ales’ in reference to the Robinson family’s Bestwood Home Farm, located on Oxclose Lane. Founded in 1875 by John Robinson, the brewery was famous for its trademark Robin Hood logo on beermats. The brewery remained independent until 1986, when the family owners sold it (along with 450 public houses owned by the brewery) to Scottish & Newcastle for £123million. Scottish & Newcastle gradually ran down production, by subcontracting it's brewing to Mansfield Brewery, resulting in the eventual closure of the Daybrook building in 1996.

Dating from 1936, the current Home Brewery Company Ltd. building is now officially known as ‘Sir John Robinson House’ and houses more than 30,000 square feet (2,800 m²) worth of county council offices. It is located at the junction between the A60 (Mansfield Road) and Sir John Robinson Way, and its architect was Thomas Cecil Howitt. The Grade II listed building’s illuminated ‘Home of the Best Ales’ sign was altered to remove the word ‘Ales’ and to include the logo of Nottinghamshire County Council. The three-storey building has an unusual ‘putti frieze’ by sculptor Charles L J Doman along the front wall which depicts groups of putti involved in the brewing of beer. Three designs are repeated in an ABCABC / CBACBA pattern. The reliefs are in a 2:3 proportion and are white casts. ‘A’ depicts a drinking table; ‘B’ shows barrel-making; and ‘C’ illustrates the stirring of the brew—all allegories of the brewing process. The famed decorative ironwork gates and railings are contemporaneous and form part of the listed building.

In 1950 the Home Brewery Company Ltd gave the land for Arnold’s King George V Park, a permanent memorial to King George V and guaranteed for free public access in perpetuity for recreation. The Charity Commission held an enquiry that closed in December 2005 into restricted public access. Due to this ruling, Arnold Town F.C. have relocated away from the town centre to another ground in Arnold, known as Eagle Valley. In July 2014, a skatepark costing £110,000 was opened at the playing field.

Home Brewery Company Ltd was incorporated at company House in 29 August 1890, followed by name changes Home Brewery PLC and now Home Brewery Limited, it is still owned by Scottish and Newcastle with Heineken UK today. Home Brewery Company Ltd is currently not functioning with a status at Companies House that is Active but classified as a Non-trading Company.

Framework knitting industry

Arnold was a centre of the framework knitting industry in the 19th century. It was the site of the first framebreaking incidents of the Luddite riots, on 11 March 1811, when 63 frames were smashed. The Luddite riots were a workers’ response to decreasing pay, standard of living and conditions of employment in the industry as a result of changing fashions decreasing demand for their style of hosiery.

Railway

Arnold once had a railway station known as ‘Daybrook and Arnold’ or simply ‘Daybrook railway station’. It was closed along with the rest of the line on 4 April 1960. The station was located on Mansfield Road (A60) on what is now a retail park. There is still evidence of the line in the form of remnants of the embankments on Arnot Hill Park (just behind GO Outdoors). The Line was the Great Northern Main Line later nicknamed ‘the back route’, with trains to Gedling and Netherfield with the terminus being Nottingham Victoria. Just after those embankments a later built railway—the Nottingham Suburban Railway—joined it and ran over Thackerays Lane on a bridge on its way to Woodthorpe Park and beyond.

Market

1968 saw the opening of Arnold Market in the town centre. Market days are on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with a flea market being held on Wednesdays. Being a private market, it is not run by Gedling Borough Council.

Churches

St. Mary’s Church, of the Church of England, is believed to date from 1176. It is located on Church Lane and is a Grade II* listed building.

The Grade II* listed Roman Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd’s current building on Thackerays Lane was built in 1964, its modern architecture – featuring a detached spire-cum-belfry – winning an award from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1966.

The King’s Church, formed in 1987 as Kingswell Christian Fellowship by attendants of Cornerstone Church, meets at The King’s Centre, which is located on Shirley Drive. Originally, the congregation met in a local school and then a day centre for adults with learning disabilities. The church changed its name to The King’s Church in 1996. The church purchased, refurbished and extended the former St. Gilbert’s Catholic Church building, and the King’s Church moved into The King’s Centre in 2002.

Designed by Nottingham-based architect William Herbert Higginbottom, Cross Street Baptist Church was opened in 1909, replacing a previous building – dating from 1825 – on the same site. It is situated on Cross Street, hence its name.

St. Mark’s Church in Woodthorpe belongs to the Church of England and consists of around 8,500 parishioners. It was built in 1961 and consecrated in June 1962. It is located on De Vere Gardens.

Arnoldarmy is a Salvation Army corps based on High Street, which runs a second-hand shop called Sally’s on Front Street.

Eagle’s Nest Church meets on Sundays and is located in Redhill Academy on Redhill Road.

Arnold’s Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses is located on Furlong Street.

Arnold Methodist Church – ‘amc’ – is situated on Front Street.

Emmanuel Pentecostal Church is located on Furlong Avenue.

Arnold United Reformed Church is situated on Calverton Road.

Arnold Wesleyan Reform Church is located on Burford Street.

The Church of St. Paul and St. Timothy in Daybrook was designed 1892–1896 by John Loughborough Pearson and its construction started in May 1893. In December 1895 the church was completed—except for the 150 feet (46 m)-tall spire and tower, which were added in 1897. The church was originally consecrated in February 1896 in honour of Paul the Apostle, but in 1993 it was re-dedicated as St. Paul’s and St. Timothy’s when the latter, a daughter church, was opened in Byron Street to replace Cecil Hall (which had long been used as an annexe of St Paul’s). The Church of St. Paul and St. Timothy is now a Grade II* listed building and is located on Mansfield Road.

Daybrook Baptist Church is situated on Mansfield Road. Its current building, completed in 1912, was designed by William Herbert Higginbottom.

Shopping

Arnold town centre has a diverse range of restaurants and bars and a choice of shops including supermarkets such as Asda, Sainsbury's and Iceland as well as small independent businesses. There are Aldi and Lidl supermarkets in Daybrook. As a market town, Arnold hosts a market on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with a flea market on Wednesdays.

Recreation

Arnold Leisure Centre, located on High Street at the heart of the town centre, contains a swimming pool and a theatre—called the Bonington Theatre—which was named after the landscape painter Richard Parkes Bonington. The leisure centre’s most recent refurbishment took place in 2014 at a cost of £1.2 million and include the installation of a canopy outside the main entrance, improvements to the Bonington Theatre and bar area as well as major redesigns of the reception area and the changing rooms of the swimming pool.

Connected to Arnold Leisure Centre is Arnold Library, whose most recent refurbishment cost £300,000 and occurred in 2015, improving the library through: the addition of solar panels; the installation of LED lighting; the replacement of windows, heating and ventilation; new shelving; and enhancements to the children’s library.

Healthcare

Highcroft Medical Centre is situated on High Street.

Stenhouse Medical Centre is located on Furlong Street. The practice’s first doctor was Dr Daniel Stenhouse, who in 1886 became a general practitioner in Arnold and practised until 1897 from Ebenezer House, which was the old farmhouse at the bottom of Worrall Avenue. Following this, Dr Stenhouse moved to live and practise from Arnold House on Church Street until his death in 1916. Before Drs Graham, Jacobs and Lobb formed a partnership due to the expansion of the practice in the 1950s, there had been a succession of independent GPs. The practice remained at Arnold House until 1970, when it moved into Arnold Health Centre. April 1991 saw the practice moving into its current building on Furlong Street, on the site of what was called ‘The Flying Horse Yard’, named after a nearby pub, The Flying Horse, which closed in April 2015 and is now a steakhouse called ‘Sprinters’. The practice now has six partners and 12,000 patients.

Daybrook Medical Practice can be found on Salop Street.

Education

Schools in the town include: Arnbrook Primary School; Arnold Hill Academy; Arnold Mill Primary School; Arnold View Primary School; Arno Vale Junior School; Burford Primary and Nursery School; Christ the King Catholic Voluntary Academy; Coppice Farm Primary School; Good Shepherd Primary Catholic Academy; Redhill Academy; Richard Bonington Primary School; and Robert Mellors Primary and Nursery School.

Arnold has a University of the Third Age (U3A) that meets at Arnold Methodist Church.

Notable people

Bus services