Forest Fields

Geography

Forest Fields is slightly north of the city centre just past to Forest recreation ground. The area consists of 31 roads from Noel Street (Asda), to Nottingham Road (NCN Claredon, Sherwood Rise practitioners, Djanogly Sixth Form) and from Gregory Boulevard to Gladstone Street (Basford factories). The areas that surround Forest Fields are New Basford, Sherwood Rise, Hyson Green and Radford.

Local attractions

Berridge Road in Forest Fields is one of the main streets in Nottinghamshire for Asian shopping. The main shops on Berridge Road include The Seehra Saree Centre, Eastern Fashions, Adnans Sweet Centre, Mizan Book Store, The Gift Shop (1986-1991) which is now a Grocery Store, The Vegan/Vegetarian Bakery called The Screaming Carrot and many more. It is also home to the Djanogly City Academy on the site of the former Forest Comprehensive School. There is also NCN Clarendon, run by New College Nottingham. there is also a couple of primary schools such as Scotholme Primary and Forest Fields Primary School. It used to be Forest Fields Grammar School, and previous to 1954 it was High Pavement Grammar School. Along Noel Street is a charitable organisation called Asian Women's Project. On Gladstone street is the Sumac Centre, a co-operatively owned, non-hierarchical social centre.

Community groups

There are a number of community groups in Forest Fields including a residents group Forest Fields Improvement Association, NG7 Food bank and since 2012 the Nottingham Solidarity Network. Past groups include a Transition initiative called Transition Forest Fields.

The Sumac Centre is home to a number of groups including the Forest Fields Social Club and Veggies http://www.veggies.org.uk/sumac/map.html Catering Campaign. The centre also has a weekly people's kitchen, a bike repair shop, a free shop, a library and a book shop. As well as being the base for the Sumac Youth Club a group formed by the Robin Hood Solidarity Group to work with 10- to 15-year-olds in the local area.

History

The local church is St Andrews on Mansfield Road.

Popular culture

Forest Fields is listed in Mixmag as being one of the places to be in the 90s due to the massive amounts of warehouse and squat parties that took place. A lot of these parties were organised by people Such as DIY, SMOKESCREEN, DSF etc.

A number of early releases by Tindersticks were recorded in Forest Fields.

Although mainly set in the Radford part of the City, a lot of Alan Sillitoe's books mention streets from Forest Fields.