Lenton is an area of the city of

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

, in the Nottingham district, in the ceremonial county of

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

, England. Most of Lenton is situated in the electoral ward of 'Dunkirk and Lenton', with a small part in 'Wollaton East and Lenton Park'. Originally a separate agricultural village, Lenton became part of the town of Nottingham in 1877, when the town's boundaries were enlarged. Nottingham became a city as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria in 1897.

History

The name ''Lenton'' derives from the River Leen, which runs nearby. Lenton and its mills on the Leen get a mention in the Domesday Book in the late 11th century: "In Lentune 4 sochmen and 4 bordars have two ploughs and a mill."

Lenton Priory

Lenton Priory was founded in the village by

William Peverel William Peverel (died 28 January 1114), Latinised to Gulielmus Piperellus), was a Norman knight granted lands in England following the Norman Conquest. Origins Little is known of the origin of the William Peverel the Elder. Of his immediat ...

at the beginning of the 12th century. A

Cluniac Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter, Saints Peter and Saint Paul, Paul. The abbey was constructed ...

monastery, the priory was home to mostly French monks until the late 14th-century when it was freed from the control of its French mother-house,

Cluny Abbey Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. The abbey was constructed in the Romanesque architectural style, with t ...

. From the 13th-century, the priory struggled financially and was noted for "its poverty and indebtedness". The priory was dissolved in 1538, as part of

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...

's dissolution of the monasteries. Following dissolution, the priory was demolished and its lands passed through private hands. The Priory Church of St. Anthony is thought to incorporate elements of the chapel of the priory's hospital. In 2005, Lenton celebrated the 900th anniversary of the foundation of the Priory. The centrepiece of the celebrations was a special festival held in the grounds of the Priory Church of St. Anthony, on 21 May 2005.

Lenton Fair

King Henry II granted permission for the priory to hold an annual fair on The Feast of Saint Martin: 11 November. Lenton Fair originally ran for 8 days before being extended to 12 days. The fair caused numerous disputes with the mayor and burgesses of the town of Nottingham as no markets could be held within Nottingham during the period in the Lenton fair. In return, the people of Nottingham were given special rates to hire booths at the fair. The Fair continued after the demise of the Priory, though its length was gradually reduced. Its emphasis slowly changed and, in 1584, it was described as a horse-fair when servants of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

attended. By the 17th century, the Fair had acquired a reputation as a great fair for all sorts of horses. In the 19th century, it was largely frequented by farmers and horse dealers. The Fair finally ceased operating at the beginning of the 20th century.

16th-20th centuries

From the closure of the priory in 1538 until the late 18th century, Lenton was primarily a rural agricultural village. In the 1790s, the

Nottingham Canal The Nottingham Canal is a canal in the English counties of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. As built, it comprised a long main line between the River Trent just downstream of Trent Bridge in Nottingham and Langley Mill in Derbyshire. At the sam ...

was constructed, passing through the village. This led to industrialisation and population growth, with a number of factories built and the population increasing from 893 to 3077 between 1801 and 1831. The area known as ''New Lenton'' was developed on agricultural land separate from the village, to accommodate the expanding residential and industrial needs both from the village and the neighbouring town Nottingham. As with many other villages surrounding Nottingham, many of the residents were involved in the manufacture and trade of

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

. Originally a separate village, Lenton became part of the town of Nottingham in 1877, when the town's boundaries were enlarged. Nottingham became a city as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria in 1897. Both the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

and

Queen's Medical Centre The Queen's Medical Centre (popularly known as QMC, Queen's Med or Queen's) is a teaching hospital situated in Nottingham, England. Until February 2012, when it was surpassed by the Royal London Hospital, it was the largest hospital in the Unit ...

are within Lenton. This has increased the amount of student accommodation available, hence making the location heavily populated with students.

Civil parish

In 1891 the parish had a population of 10,957. On 26 March 1897 the parish was abolished and merged with Nottingham.

Geography

Administratively, Lenton falls within the Nottingham South constituency. Most of the area lies within the electoral ward of Dunkirk and Lenton. The "Lenton Triangle" area (bounded by Derby, Faraday and Ilkeston Roads) is considered by most residents to be part of Lenton, due to its similar character; it falls into a neighbouring ward ''Radford and Park''. Lenton is largely a residential area and is popular with students at the nearby

who choose to live off-campus. Indeed, the high proportion of students has led some local residents in recent years to campaign against what they perceive as the studentification of the area.

Neighbouring areas

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

to the south and west * Radford to the north *

The Park Estate The Park Estate is a private residential housing estate to the west of Nottingham city centre, England. It is noted for its Victorian architecture, although many of the houses have been altered, extended or converted into Apartment, flats. The e ...

to the east

Notable buildings

Marcus Garvey Ballroom

The Marcus Garvey Ballroom is a local

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED''), the term ''West Indian'' in 1597 described the indigenous inhabitants of the West In ...

community centre managed by West Indian Cavaliers, and located on Lenton Boulevard. Named after Marcus Mosiah Garvey, this venue is famous for its large music hall, the Ballroom, which has a capacity of around 1000. Events include clubnights run by students from the universities, including Firefly, Detonate, Misst, and also specialises in live acts, it also houses the legendary C.P.H sound system. The Marcus Garvey Day Care Centre also hosts day care facilities for African Caribbean elders, with a wide range of activities including bingo, raffle, needlework, dominoes, arts and crafts and a prayer meeting held on Friday mornings. Fresh meals are available for a small charge. The centre has a library, an organ, music system, TV and video facilities. The building is wheelchair accessible. This building was formerly part of the

Raleigh bicycle company The Raleigh Bicycle Company is a British bicycle manufacturer based in Nottingham, England and founded by Woodhead and Angois in 1885. Using Raleigh as their brand name, it is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. After being acquir ...

's development in Lenton, now largely demolished to make way for a new

campus. For much of the twentieth century, it was the largest bicycle factory in the world.

The Lenton Centre

The Lenton Centre in Willoughby Street is a local community centre with gym and swimming pool. Previously a council facility, it was bought by local residents in 2004 for £10 when it was threatened by closure.

Other institutions

*Lenton is home to the

, one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe. * Holy Trinity Church, Lenton * Priory Church of St. Anthony, Lenton * William Woodsend Memorial Homes *

Albert Ball Memorial Homes The Albert Ball Memorial Homes were erected in 1922 in Lenton, Nottingham, England. Alderman Albert Ball commissioned the building of the Albert Ball Memorial Homes in Lenton to house the families of local servicemen killed in action, in memo ...

* Lenton Methodist Church * Savoy Cinema, Nottingham

Notable residents

Albert Ball Albert Ball, (14 August 1896 – 7 May 1917) was a British fighter pilot during the First World War. At the time of his death he was the United Kingdom's leading flying ace, with 44 victories, and remained its fourth-highest scorer b ...

VC (1896 –1917), Britain's first and probably still its best known 'Air Ace' was born at 32 Lenton Boulevard and went to school at the Lenton Church School. The

in Church Street are a striking and lasting monument to the brief life of Albert Ball. After a series of moves to houses throughout Lenton, his family settled at 43 Lenton Road. His father

Sir Albert Ball Sir Albert Ball (20 July 1863 – 27 March 1946) was Mayor of Nottingham and Lord Mayor of Nottingham, and the father of the famous Great War air ace Captain Albert Ball (1896–1917), a recipient of the Victoria Cross. Ball started life as a p ...

, rose in status from a plumber to become Lord Mayor of Nottingham. Helen Kirkpatrick Watts (1881 – 18 August 1972) was brought up in Lenton where her father was the vicar. She achieved local notoriety when she was first arrested for protesting about

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

outside the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

in 1909.