Bulwell
Encyclopedia : B : BU : BUL : Bulwell
Bulwell lies approximately 4.5 miles northwest of Nottingham City Centre, England.
History
Bulwell is a market town that was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The original "Market Place" location, used for generations, still houses a bustling market on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with a large variety of produce and merchandise available. It was a town in its own right until a boundary change in the 1890s, made it a part of the City of Nottingham. The old town hall is now a retail outlet. Bulwell has expanded outwards rapidly over the past century with the creation of housing estates such as Crabtree Farm, Snape Wood, Highbury Vale and Hempshill Vale.
Geography
The centre of Bulwell is located in a valley next to the banks of the River Leen. The area beside the Leen, has been known for over 900 years as "Bulwell Bogs," [link] has long been set aside as a place where children can play, paddle and fish. The facilities here have been upgraded to produce a bigger play-park, a safer paddling pool and a cleaner feel. As well as the Bogs, there is an area about a mile upstream which historically attracted children from miles around to play. This led to the nickname "Bulwell-on-Sea" being applied by other Nottingham residents. [[Citing sources citation needed]]
Transport
Bulwell is now a transportation hub for the area. There are three stations on the Nottingham Express Transit tram system, Bulwell, Bulwell Forest and Moor Bridge. These provide access to Nottingham and Hucknall. [link] Bulwell tram station is also on the Robin Hood Line, a railway line that links Nottingham to Worksop. [link]
There is also a large bus station, a taxi rank, and two taxi firms based in Bulwell.
Life in Bulwell
In Bulwell, there are no nightclubs, high class eateries or indeed any of the more metropolitan outlets or establishments, but there is a library, a swimming pool, churches, and several fast food restaurants. There are also many chip shops, a youth club, a police station and an area built in the style of a Tudor shopping arcade hidden off the Market Place. There are a number of pubs in Bulwell, one of which (the Market Place) was featured in a television programme entitled "The Ten Hardest Pubs in Britain". Fights were regularly held after closing time here until the 1960s. Spectators formed a ring around the pugilists, who would fight to the knockout. Betting, challenging (i.e. money offered to any man who can knock down the "hero"), and "purses" offered by crowds were regular sidelines to the fights.
Crime levels are relatively high in the area [[Citing sources citation needed]], and the local schools have historically been among the worst in the UK. In 2003, PC Ged Walker was killed in the line of duty in Bulwell. Bulwell resident David Parfitt was sentenced to 13 years for his manslaughter [link]. The whole area was recently included in an "Education Action Zone," which is raising its educational standards at a remarkable rate. [link]
Pronunciation
Locals pronounce "Bulwell" as "bwu-wu," with the "u" said as a flattened "or" sound or as the "a" sound in "ball". It can also be pronounced as "ball-wu," with a glottal stop in place of the "l" sound and glottal stop at the end.
External Links
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