Nunsthorpe
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Nunsthorpe (known locally as 'The Nunny') is a suburb and
housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex, housing development, subdivision (land), subdivision or community) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to count ...
in the western part of
Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...
,
North East Lincolnshire North East Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area with borough status in Lincolnshire, England. It borders the borough of North Lincolnshire and districts of West Lindsey and East Lindsey. The population of the district in the 2011 Census was ...
, England. It is situated between
Laceby Laceby is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A46 road, just outside the western boundary of Grimsby. Laceby's population at the 2001 Census was 2,886, increasing to 3, ...
Road ( A46) and Scartho Road ( A1243), which respectively form its northern and eastern boundaries. The population is listed in the South ward of the North East Lincolnshire Unitary Council. There are over 2,400 homes on the estate, mostly former council properties now owned by the Lincolnshire Housing Partnership. There is a small area belonging to the Havelok/Northern Counties housing associations and a small area of private sector housing. There are a number of privately owned former council houses purchased under the Right to Buy scheme. The pre-Second World War development in the eastern part of the estate is known as Old Nunsthorpe while the post-war development is called New Nunsthorpe. To the west lies the Bradley Park Estate which contains around 430 dwellings, also mostly LHP properties. The combined population of Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park is approximately 8,000. To the north, on the other side of Laceby Road, is the Grange Estate and on the eastern boundary, in Scartho Road, was Grimsby Swimming Pool, which closed and was subsequently demolished. The Scartho Top private housing estate lies to the south. Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park are part of the Grimsby South
ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
of North East Lincolnshire
unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
. The two estates are also within the area served by the South ward neighbourhood team of
Humberside Police Humberside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the East Riding of Yorkshire, including Kingston upon Hull, and northern parts of Lincolnshire, including Grimsby and Scunthorpe. History Humberside Police was created ...
, based at the police station on Laceby Road. In 2010 improvements to Nunsthorpe were acknowledged by the environmental campaign group
Keep Britain Tidy Keep Britain Tidy is a UK-based independent environmental charity. The organisation campaigns to reduce litter, improve local places and prevent waste. It has offices in Wigan and London. History Keep Britain Tidy was originally set up by a conf ...
. A quality mark was awarded after an independent assessment of improvement work undertaken on the estate by Shoreline and partners, Humberside Police and North East Lincolnshire Council, with the assistance of residents.


Origins

Although built in the 20th century, Nunsthorpe takes its name from the
nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...
s who once inhabited the
priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...
of
Saint Leonard Leonard of Noblac (also Leonard of Limoges or Leonard of Noblet; also known as Lienard, Linhart, Lenart, Leonhard, Léonard, Leonardo, Annard; died 559) is a Frankish saint closely associated with the town and abbey of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, ...
. This stood at modern day Nuns Corner, where Scartho Road joins Laceby Road. "Thorpe" was an old word for hamlet or village. The priory was dissolved by
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 Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
in 1539. In later years the land was occupied by Nuns Farm, until its demolition in 1935. In 1944 Grimsby College, now called The Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education, acquired the site. Situated at the southern edge of Grimsby (before the boundary extensions), for centuries the land where Nunsthorpe now stands was farmed using the
open field system The open-field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe during the Middle Ages and lasted into the 20th century in Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Each manor or village had two or three large fields, usually several hundred acr ...
of agriculture. Lying mainly within the town of Grimsby it stretched westward from the priory, as far as the boundary with Bradley parish and southward, beyond the boundary with the parish of Scartho. Under
enclosure Enclosure or inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land", enclosing it, and by doing so depriving commoners of their traditional rights of access and usage. Agreements to enc ...
awards of 1798 (in Scartho) and 1840 (in Grimsby), this land was acquired by successive Lords Yarborough.


Old Nunsthorpe

Following the end of the First World War decent homes were needed for the returning servicemen. House building was started by Grimsby County Borough
Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
in 1920, on land bought from Lord Yarborough. Originally called the Laceby Road Site until 1923 the new Nunsthorpe housing estate, with its modern conveniences and large gardens was, as previously mentioned, also known as Garden City. Most of the streets in this early development, built during the 1920s and 1930s, were named after notable people –
Burns Burns may refer to: Astronomy * 2708 Burns, an asteroid * Burns (crater), on Mercury People * Burns (surname), list of people and characters named Burns ** Burns (musician), Scottish record producer Places in the United States * Burns, ...
,
Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
, Kingsley,
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, Newton, Walton groves; Milton Road and Shelley Avenue. Dame Kendal Grove was named after a Grimsby-born actress while Sutcliffe Avenue was named after Jack Sutcliffe, a previous mayor of Grimsby. Saint Martin's Mission Church, a wooden building, was built during 1922 in Sutcliffe Avenue; this was replaced by a new church in 1937. There is still a structure on this site which is currently the base for Grimsby Judo Club. The first
shop Shop or shopping may refer to: Business and commerce * A casual word for a commercial establishment or for a place of business * Machine shop, a workshop for machining *"In the shop", referring to a car being at an automotive repair shop * Reta ...
s, including a post office, were built in Second Avenue during 1927–28 and a bus service (route 3) was introduced from Grimsby town centre to Nunsthorpe in 1928. In later years this service was extended to
Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England with a population of 29,678 in 2021. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry ...
. Also in 1928 the greater part of Scartho was absorbed by Grimsby, which brought the whole of the present Nunsthorpe area under the control of Grimsby council. At the same time part of Bradley parish was acquired on which the Bradley Park Estate would eventually be built. Nunsthorpe's population was further increased when, resulting from the Housing Act of 1930,
slum clearance Slum clearance, slum eviction or slum removal is an urban renewal strategy used to transform low-income settlements with poor reputation into another type of development or housing. This has long been a strategy for redeveloping urban communities; ...
was carried out in the Grimsby town centre and the residents were moved to new houses on the estate. By 1939 around 700 houses had been built in Nunsthorpe. Nunsthorpe School was opened on Sutcliffe Avenue in 1931; previously children from the estate had been bussed to a school in another part of the town. It was two schools housed within one building, one for junior and one for senior pupils. By 1952 all the senior children had been transferred to a new school in Chelmsford Avenue. During the late 1920s a maternity hospital was established in Second Avenue using converted council houses. This was incorporated into a new building which opened in 1933. In 1943 a number of people were killed and houses were damaged when
butterfly bomb The Butterfly Bomb (or ''Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg'' or SD 2) was a German anti-personnel submunition (or ''bomblet'') used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. It was so named because the thin cylindrical metal outer shell wh ...
s were dropped on the estate during a German air raid on Grimsby.


New Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park

The absorption of Scartho into Grimsby made available more land for house building. The pre-1928 boundary between Grimsby and Scartho ran past the Scartho Road Institution (now part of the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital) to what is the present-day rear gate of the hospital grounds at the end of Second Avenue, next to the resource centre. From there it continued westward through fields that would eventually become part of the New Nunsthorpe council housing development. It ran south of what is now
Redbourne Redbourne is a village and civil parish in the North Lincolnshire district of Lincolnshire, England. The village is situated near the A15 road, and south from Brigg. According to the 2001 Census Redbourne had a population of 386, rising slig ...
Road, crossed
Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
Avenue, ran to the north of Kirkstead Crescent, along
Scawby Scawby is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. It is situated south-west from Brigg, and just east from the A15 road (England), A15 road, and south from the M180 motorway. According to the 2001 United Kingdom census, 2001 ...
Road until it reached Stainton Drive. The amalgamation made this boundary obsolete. In this post-Second World War New Nunsthorpe development the streets were mostly named after
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
villages, with the exception of Winchester Avenue and a few streets in an area of private housing, which were named after historic English towns. The development included the single-storey
prefabricated building A prefabricated building, informally a prefab, is a building that is manufactured and constructed using prefabrication. It consists of factory-made components or units that are transported and assembled on-site to form the complete building. Vario ...
s (prefabs), which were built in 1946 to help alleviate the housing shortage. In 1947 a large wooden hut was purchased and erected in Burwell Drive. This became the estate's earliest
community centre A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...
, opened in 1949, at the same time the Nunsthorpe's first community association was formed. In 1951 saw the Nunsthorpe Nursery School opened, and in 1952 the branch library in Wootton Road was established. In 1963 the Viking Superstore, which had been converted from three smaller shops into one self-service supermarket, was opened in Second Avenue.
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...
stars
Pat Phoenix Patricia Phoenix (born Patricia Frederica Manfield; 26 November 1923 – 17 September 1986) was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role as Elsie Tanner, an original cast member of '' ...
and
Philip Lowrie Colin Philip Lowrie (20 June 1936 – 25 April 2025) was an English stage and television actor. He played Dennis Tanner in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from its inception in 1960 until 1968 and again from 2011 until 20 ...
addressed an estimated crowd of 5,000 people in the open air before the official opening During the late 1970s the Bradley Park Estate was built on land between Stainton Drive and the Bradley Recreation Ground. This land had once been part of Bradley parish. Some place names in Bradley Park, such as
Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...
Way, reflect Grimsby's links with its twin town, although Wymark View was named after the actor who was born in nearby Cleethorpes. Dolby Vale took its name from Sidney Vere Dolby, a long-serving radiologist at Grimsby General Hospital. The development also included Crosby School (now called Woodlands).


Improvement schemes and resident consultation

In 1992, for purposes of resident consultation, Grimsby borough council, then a district of
Humberside County Council Humberside County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Humberside in northern England. History Humberside was a non-metropolitan county governed by Humberside County Council and nine non-metropolitan district councils ...
, divided the area into four neighbourhoods. Because of its size New Nunsthorpe was split into two neighbourhoods – Nunsthorpe Central and Nunsthorpe West, while Old Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park formed the remaining two. Each area had a steering
committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...
. At that time discussions were taking place on the possibility of setting up a
tenant management organisation A tenant management organisations (TMO) is an organisation set up under the UK Government's Housing (Right to Manage) Regulations 1994, which allow residents of council housing or housing association homes in the UK to take over responsibility for ...
in each neighbourhood. Independent housing consultants, Priority Estates Project, were brought in to canvass the views of residents but nothing developed from this idea. In 1994 the Department for the Environment approved multimillion-pound funding for Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park. This Estate Action scheme allowed for internal improvements to council houses and general improvements, such as better
street lighting A street light, light pole, lamp pole, lamppost, streetlamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or path. Similar lights may be found on a railway platform. When urban electric power distribution b ...
, the provision of off-road parking facilities and dropped kerbs for the convenience of wheelchair users. It also included the installation of
traffic calming Traffic calming uses physical design and other measures to improve safety for motorists, car drivers, pedestrians and bicycle-friendly, cyclists. It has become a tool to combat speeding and other unsafe behaviours of drivers. It aims to encour ...
measures. All the prefabs of aluminium construction were renovated and are still in use. However, most of the prefabs containing
asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...
were demolished between 1994 and 1997. Of the original 181 such prefabs only three owner-occupied ones now remain. Local
housing association In Ireland and the United Kingdom, housing associations are private, Non-profit organization, non-profit organisations that provide low-cost "Public housing in the United Kingdom, social housing" for people in need of a home. Any budget surpl ...
, Havelok and the Northern Counties housing association, were allocated part of the vacant prefab land for the construction of properties. Some of the land remained empty, part of it forming the open grassed area situated between Burwell Drive and Winchester Avenue.


Consultative forum

The Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park Consultative Forum, established in 1992 to co-ordinate the neighbourhood steering groups, was reorganised and became directly elected by a postal
ballot A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16th cent ...
of residents at two yearly periods. The reconstituted forum held its inaugural meeting in 1995, with
annual general meeting An annual general meeting (AGM, also known as the annual meeting) is a meeting of the general membership of an organization. These organizations include membership associations and companies with shareholders. These meetings may be required ...
s being held thereafter. In addition to the delegates elected from 13 areas (later reduced to six), ward
councillors A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or regi ...
and council officers also attended meetings of the main committee and sub-committees. The forum was dissolved in 2004. The forum had three sub-committees, one being the Economic, Social and Cultural Development sub-committee (ESCD). Another sub-committee dealt with council tenant issues only, while the third concerned itself with wider estate action improvements, which affected tenants and homeowners. As circumstances changed, these sub-committees were gradually merged with the main committee. Representatives from local churches, schools, the police and other bodies were invited to attend ESCD meetings as observers. Along with various local agencies, the ESCD had delegates on the
project team In a project, a project team or team is defined as "an interdependent collection of individuals who work together towards a common goal and who share responsibility for specific outcomes of their organizations". An additional requirement to the or ...
charged with establishing a resource centre on the estate. When the Sutcliffe
Special School Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual d ...
moved to a new site at Humberston, the empty building in Second Avenue was acquired from the local council at a nominal rent. Resident volunteers helped to clean and decorate the building, transforming it into the new Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park Resource Centre. The project was funded initially from the Single Regeneration Budget, although the aim was for the centre eventually to become self-financing. Two
residents association A neighborhood association (NA) is a group of residents or property owners who advocate to organize activities within a neighborhood. An association may have elected leaders and voluntary dues. Some neighborhood associations in the United State ...
s, Bradley Park and Nunsthorpe Central, which existed between 1993 and 1999, sent voting delegates to the forum. These associations had replaced the steering committees for their respective neighbourhoods. They were also closely involved with the establishment of the resource centre. Previously operating from members' homes, when the centre opened in 1995 the associations were able to establish permanent headquarters there. Attempts to set up resident associations in Old Nunsthorpe and Nunsthorpe West were unsuccessful; however, from 1996 Old Nunsthorpe and Nunsthorpe Central residents began holding joint meetings. A Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park
Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...
Association (now defunct) was established in 1996, supervised by the two adult associations. National Lottery funding enabled this organisation to employ a full-time
youth worker Youth work is a community support activity aimed at older children and adolescents. Depending upon the culture and the community, different services and institutions may exist for this purpose. In general, it provides an environment where young pe ...
based at the resource centre. During 1997, disillusionment among some residents on Bradley Park led to the brief formation of a second association there, in opposition to the existing resident group. Also in that year, some people, who were dissatisfied with the Nunsthorpe Central Association, established the short-lived Nunsthorpe South Association.


Council housing stock transfer

In 2004 tenants in North East Lincolnshire were balloted on whether the
council housing Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council housing or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011, when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in social housing. D ...
stock should be transferred to a housing association. Transfer would release money that was unavailable to the council for improvements to properties. After a "yes" vote the remaining council houses on the two estates (around 1,600), together with the rest of the authority's housing stock, were transferred to the new locally based Shoreline Housing Partnership in March 2005. Shoreline tenants on the estates sent two delegates to the Boroughwide Tenant Assembly. One delegate represented Nunsthorpe East and Nunsthorpe Central while the other represented Nunsthorpe West and Bradley Park. The Assembly was later disbanded. Shoreline undertook a programme of investment in the transferred properties over a period of ten years and is currently in the process of implementing this programme. Planned home improvements include, where necessary, modern kitchens, bathrooms, central heating, decent roofs, security doors and windows, as well as smoke alarms. However, there are still parts of Nunsthorpe where it is difficult to attract tenants and houses remain boarded up.


Community organisations

The Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park Residents and Tenants Association was established in 2005, later changing its name to the Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park Community Trust. It opened a
charity shop A charity shop is a retail establishment run by a charitable organization to raise money. Charity shops are a type of social enterprise. They sell mainly used goods such as clothing, books, music albums, shoes, toys, and furniture donated by ...
in Second Avenue, provided by the neighbouring Co-op shop at a nominal rent and staffed by volunteers from the estate. The shop closed in 2012, with the Trust blaming lack of support from funding organisations as the reason. During its time the premises hosted a single-parent club, photographic club, dancing and bingo. Money was raised to help fund the children's ward at the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital, Nunsthorpe Community School, the Side Door Youth Club (based at Laceby Road Methodist Church), also the Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park Football Club. The Trust received a number of awards and commendations for its charity work. The Nunsthorpe Tenants and Residents Association was formed in 2006 and was involved in combating anti-social behaviour on the estate. It joined the campaign to restore the Nunsthorpe Recreation Ground following damage by vandals. Working with the Saint Martins Action Group (later Nunsthorpe Together) Nunsthorpe TARA provided a float for the 2006 Cleethorpes Carnival. During its existence the organisation arranged various outdoor activities for local children. It disbanded in 2013. The Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park Community Partnership was an umbrella group that included the Nunsthorpe Community Centre, Nunsthorpe TARA, the Respect Funhouse and the Second Avenue Resource Centre. It entered three floats in the 2009 Cleethorpes Carnival, coming second in one section and joint first in another section. In 2003 a quarterly magazine called Livewire was introduced. Livewire gave news and views from around Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park. It incorporated the resource centre newsletter, Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park Matters, which had been regularly distributed to houses in the area since 1995. The magazine relied on funding and this eventually came to an end. The last edition appeared in 2008. The Second Avenue Resource Centre (formerly the Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park Resource Centre) opened in 1995 to provide services and support to the estate's residents. In 2014, the centre relocated and reopened under a new name: Centre4. Centre4 is the largest community organisation in North East Lincolnshire, with over 1,100 people visiting each week. It is described as a 'vibrant community hub' and its management board includes residents of the estate. The centre's services include social prescribing support via its inhouse health and wellbeing team, a specialist advice team who help residents of the entire borough over the phone and in-person, and a not-for-profit employment arm: Ethical Recruitment Agency (ERA). It also hosts dozens of other charities and community organisations, such as Climb4, Creating Positive Opportunity and the local branches of Alzheimers Society and the Red Cross. It is located adjacent to Nunnys Farm, a community farm and charity open to the general public. Inside the venue, there is also the Community Cafe and Community Shop, which sell discounted meals and groceries respectively. On 18 May 2024, the centre reopened its ground floor welcome zone with a new coffee bar, alongside modernised decor, a public living room, contemporary furniture and soundproof booths for confidential conversations. South Ward Partnership, which includes Nunsthorpe, Bradley Park and the Grange Estate, is composed of residents and representatives from various agencies, working to improve conditions on the estates. Membership of the partnership is open to all residents of the ward aged 16 and over. Non-residents with an interest in the area may attend meetings without voting rights. It meets at various venues within the ward area. The Hands Together Youth Group, based on the estate, put together shoe boxes full of essential items and sent them to the children of
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for Christmas 2010. In 2011 they decided to do something for the men and women serving in the armed forces. They handed over 20 shoeboxes full of items such as toothpaste, shampoo and aftershave, to the Pink Berets fundraising group, for the troops in Afghanistan. In 2011 a street party was held on the estate to celebrate the
wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, England. William was second in the line of succession to the British throne at the time, later becoming heir apparent. T ...
. At the event, held in Redbourne Road, youngsters became princes and princesses for a day. Dressed in costumes made by event organiser Mary Stuart, children from the estate recreated the royal wedding ceremony. Nunsthorpe resident, Doreen White, was awarded an MBE in the
Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the King's Official Birthday, reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into Order (honour), national or Dynastic order of knighthood, dy ...
for services to education while working at Franklin College. She had dedicated her working life to the college, first as a cleaner and later as a social area supervisor. The estate's residents put their own mark on the 2012 Olympic celebrations. Local schoolchildren designed a paper version of the
Olympic Torch The Olympic flame is a Olympic symbols, symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece, several months before the Olympic Games. This ceremony s ...
, which was carried through the estate, culminating in a ceremony at Nunsthorpe Community School. ITV screened a programme in its Exposure series. A TV crew rented a house in Nunsthorpe for three months and spent the summer of 2012 filming the positive and negative aspects of life on the estate Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park Community Association is based at a purpose-built community centre in Wootton Road. Activities include bingo and
auctions An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...
. The centre was opened in 1985 by local
snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...
celebrity
Ray Edmonds Earnest Raymond Edmonds (born 25 April 1936 in Grimsby, Lincolnshire), better known as Ray Edmonds, is a former English professional player of English billiards and snooker. He twice won the World Amateur Snooker title, and won the World Profe ...
. In 2007 the association received £14,320 from the
Neighbourhood Renewal Fund Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) is a form of Local Government finance in England, launched by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in July 2000. NRF is allocated to multi-agency Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) in the 88 Local Authority are ...
and Millennium Inorganic Chemicals. The money paid for alterations to the centre's ceiling, repairs to the heating system and the installation of safety glass in the doors and windows. In 2012 the centre was the scene of a disturbance involving local youths. Nunsthorpe Together was composed of representatives from the church, police and North East Lincolnshire Council. In 2008 it took over control of the Respect Funhouse from the Saint Martins Action Group. During its existence the Action Group staged local productions of
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and
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at the Grimsby Auditorium, both involving local children from North East Lincolnshire. Action Group members supported by a local police inspector and the Rector of Grimsby, appeared on the TV show Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway, appealing for funds to turn part of Saint Martin's church into a children's activity centre. The panel awarded them £45,000, while a further £330,000 came from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. The project was officially opened in 2008. The Respect Funhouse had a
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arena, a multi-screen
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and a maze of play areas – tunnels, slides, ball pools and climbing areas – also music rooms and quiet rooms where teenagers and children could do their homework. In 2008 young dancers from the Funhouse performed their fourth show, Musical Mania, at the Auditorium. The dancers stage regular events at the Beachcomber venue in Humberston. In 2009 the
High Sheriff of Lincolnshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilit ...
,
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, handed a Tribune Trust award for £1,000 to the Funhouse. The Trust supports community projects tackling crime, disorder and deprivation. The Funhouse decided to spend the money on T-shirts for its street dance teams. Also in 2009 the
Big Lottery Fund The National Lottery Community Fund, legally named the Big Lottery Fund, is a non-departmental public body responsible for distributing funds raised by the National Lottery for " good causes". It is the largest community funder in the UK and ...
awarded a £444.544 grant to Nunsthorpe Together for a go-carting project called "wheels". In 2010 the Funhouse building was closed until money could be found for repairs, although the neighbouring hall continued to be used for bingo and dance classes. In 2011, following requests from the local community, the church, police and local council representatives resigned and residents took full control of the board after concerns regarding finances were raised by the community. After having all the locks changed in the night a dispute over access to the hall led to a demonstration by some residents outside the Funhouse. In 2012 Nunsthorpe Together put on a show in the Easter and summer school holidays. The summer show was filmed by ITV and shown on national TV. To date, this group has been awarded nine national Home Office awards, one regional award and numerous local awards. In 2013 the
parochial church council A parochial church council (PCC) is the executive committee of a Church of England parish and consists of clergy and churchwardens of the parish, together with representatives of the laity. It has its origins in the vestry committee, which looke ...
took back control of the church hall after a dispute over rental payments. Nunsthorpe Together now holds bingo and dance classes at the Grange Community Centre.


Education

The Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park
Children's A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''child ...
Centre in Sutcliffe Avenue (formed in 2004 by the combination of the
Sure Start Sure Start (named Flying Start in Wales, Best Start in Scotland) is a UK Government area-based initiative, announced in 1998 by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, applying primarily in England with slightly different versions in ...
Centre and Nunsthorpe Nursery School) and the Woodlands Acorns
Daycare Child care, also known as day care, is the care and supervision of one or more children, typically ranging from three months to 18 years old. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(ren), childcare typica ...
Centre on Bradley Park, provide support for the estates' younger children. There is also the Butterflies Day Nursery, which began in 2000 as a creche, based at the resource centre. In 2002 it became a day nursery and in 2008 it relocated to the children's centre. In 2012 the centre received outstanding recognition from the inspection body
Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...
for providing care for children and young people in the area. The Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park Children and Parents Together Group, which can be contacted via the children's centre, aims to promote a spirit of togetherness. The organisation held its first fun day in 2009 and raises money to provide entertainment and day trips for local children and their families. Primary education is provided by the Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe, sometimes known as OAN (formerly Nunsthorpe Community School, situated next to the Children's Centre) and Woodlands Primary School in Pinewood Crescent, Bradley Park. Both schools became the first primary schools in Britain to achieve Centre of Excellence status for their use of
interactive whiteboard An interactive whiteboard (IWB), also known as interactive board, interactive display, interactive digital board or smart board, is a large interactive display board in the form factor of a whiteboard. It can either be a standalone touchscre ...
s. Nunsthorpe Community School (now OAN) was created in 2001 by the merger of the Nunsthorpe infants and
junior school A junior school is a type of school which provides primary education to children, often in the age range from 8 and 13, following attendance at an infant school, which covers the age range 5–7. Since both infant and junior schools provide pri ...
s. In 2010 Nunsthorpe Community School (now OAN) pupils baked and sold more than 500 cakes, raising £333.60 for their chosen charity
Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs), focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. It began as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief ...
In 2012 Nunsthorpe Community School was placed into the
special measures Special measures is a status applied by regulators of public services in Britain to providers who fall short of acceptable standards. In education (England and Wales) Ofsted, the schools inspection agency for England and some British Overseas Ter ...
category, for failing schools, by Ofsted. At the same time the school's governing body confirmed that the school would receive
academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
status under the leadership of
Oasis Community Learning Oasis Charitable Trust, commonly known as Oasis, is a United Kingdom-based Christian registered charity. It was founded by the Reverend Steve Chalke in September of 1985. Chalke had been assistant minister at Tonbridge Baptist Church, Kent, for f ...
(changing its name to Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe). The school has since largely improved, and in November 2021 was awarded 'Good' in all areas, and 'Outstanding' in Personal Development, after previously being rated at 'Requires Improvement' by
Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...
in 2018. The estate is also close to Oasis Academy Wintringham, a secondary education provider, of which many children on the estate attend. It is also close to schools
Ormiston Maritime Academy Ormiston Maritime Academy (formerly known as Hereford Technology School) is a secondary school with Academy (English school), academy status in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. The school has an intake of 1048 pupils, aged 11 to 16. ...
and Tollbar Academy. In 1990 the Crosby
first First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
and
middle Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ...
schools changed their name to Bradley Park first and middle. During the 1995 summer holiday a fire, caused by a wiring fault, badly damaged some of the classrooms, making them unusable. Temporary mobile classrooms were brought in for the new term until the fire damage could be repaired. In 1999 the two schools amalgamated, undergoing another change of name to Woodlands Primary School. It was the first school in the country to introduce the five-term year. In 2011 Woodlands was North East Lincolnshire's winner in the regional stages of Dance Challenge. A group of children from the school travelled to London for the Dance Challenge UK finals. Dance Challenge is a national competition that challenges and rewards young dancers on any dance style. A number of sponsored events were held to fund travel and accommodation costs. Also in 2011 Woodlands submitted plans to demolish its current building and erect a new two-storey facility in its place. The new school will be a more compact environment than the current building and is expected to be open by the September term of 2012. Saint Mary's Catholic High School (established 1966) was located in Wootton Road. Saint Mary's agreed to merge with Matthew Humberstone Church of England School, Cleethorpes to form a new joint church school. In 2009 the council's planning committee supported the outline application to build a completely new school, called Saint Andrew's College, on the Matthew Humberstone site. Saint Mary's closed in July 2010 and the pupils were moved to an existing site at Matthew Humberston to begin the new term in September 2010, pending the completion of the new school building. Various proposals have been put forward by residents on what should be done with the empty school building. The Second Avenue Resource Centre is applying for funding so that it can move into the building, which is three times the size of the present resource centre. It is hoped that the larger premises will attract more social enterprise groups, alternative sports groups, a stage for theatrical productions and a conference facility. Three educational professionals also applied to open a free school on the premises, to be called the Lighthouse Community School, catering for excluded children and those who struggle with mainstream education. While there was some public support for the project the application was rejected by the
Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for child protection, child services, education in England, educati ...
because it did not meet the published criteria. In 2004 The Grimsby Institute bought and renovated a disused part of the Nunsthorpe school complex in Sutcliffe Avenue. In 2006 this opened as the institute's Nunsthorpe Community Campus which houses animal care,
building construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...
and horticulture courses. Its leisure facilities are available for public use. The Nunsthorpe branch library was relocated and its facilities are now based at the Sutcliffe Avenue college site, under a partnership arrangement between the Institute and North East Lincolnshire Council (the old library building is now occupied by the Primal community gymnasium). As well as holding academic stock for students, there is a selection of novels, non-fiction and talking books available for all ages. The library also has an internet cafe for public use. There is also an ongoing local history project where members of the public are encouraged to donate photographs of Nunsthorpe to the library's collection. The estate was the home of educationalist and poet, the late Charles Brian Cox, founder and director of the literary journal Critical Quarterly; also Irish national poet laureate and
Forward Prize The Forward Prizes for Poetry are major British awards for poetry, presented annually at a public ceremony in London. They were founded in 1992 by William Sieghart with the aim of celebrating excellence in poetry and increasing its audience. The ...
winner Sam Gardiner. The estate has an active poetry group.


Religion

Between 1988 and 2008 estate churches Saint Martin's, (
consecrate Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...
d in 1937),
Saint Mark Mark the Evangelist ( Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark ( Koinē Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' Aramaic'': ܝܘܚܢܢ, romanized: Yōḥannān'') or Saint Ma ...
's (1959), both
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
and Laceby Road
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
(1970), together with Saint
Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
Church on the Grange Estate, co-operated to provide a weekly 'pop-in' club at the Nunsthorpe Community Centre. Apart from the social aspects of the club large sums of money were raised for various charities. In 2008 this facility was taken over by the community centre itself. Another church, Grimsby
Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
(1960) is sited on Laceby Road and there is a Jewish cemetery situated near First Avenue and Cornwell Close. This was consecrated in 1896 thus pre-dating the estate. Laceby Road Methodist Church closed in 2010 due to dwindling numbers attending and vandalism, although the Side Door Church, which shares the premises, continues to work with young people in the area


Facilities

The Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital borders Nunsthorpe. In 2004 the maternity hospital in Second Avenue closed and its facilities were transferred to new premises in the hospital grounds. The vacated building was demolished and in 2008 Orchard Care Homes opened two residential units, one specialising in dementia care, on the site. The Grimsby Community Clinic is in Kingsley Grove. There are shopping areas in Second Avenue, Sutcliffe Avenue and Bradley Park. The Nunsthorpe Business Units are in Winchester Avenue; these were built in 1994 to help residents set up their own enterprises. There is a
public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
called the Nunsthorpe
Tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...
and a recreation ground, both in Sutcliffe Avenue. The Nunsthorpe Recreation Ground has been improved with new play equipment being installed, some being accessible to wheelchair users. Bus route number 12 operates from Bradley Park to Grimsby town centre, Cleethorpes and
New Waltham New Waltham is a village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is situated just south of Grimsby and Cleethorpes, close to the A16 ( Louth Road), and between the villages of Waltham and Humberston. The village originates f ...
, while route 3 runs from Bradley Cross Roads through Nunsthorpe, linking it with Grimsby town centre and Cleethorpes. Both services are provided by
Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes is a subdivision of Stagecoach East Midlands that operates buses in and around North East Lincolnshire, England, serving a population of over 150,000. It runs town services in its main hubs of Grimsby and Cleethorp ...
. Adjacent to Bradley Park is the Bradley Recreation Ground, with its state-of-the-art community sports stadium, home to amateur sides Grimsby Borough and Cleethorpes Town football clubs. Residents in neighbouring Bradley village expressed concern that the facility could turn into a huge stadium when plans were announced to extend the car park and install a speaker system.Residents raise concern over plans for £3 million sports stadium
''This is Grimsby'' (27 May 2011). Nearby are the Local Nature Reserves of Dixon and Bradley Wood. According to legend the latter is haunted by the Black Lady of Bradley Woods.


References

*North East Lincolnshire Library Service *''Grimsby Telegraph'' *''Livewire'' magazine *Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park Forum minutes *Old Nunsthorpe, The 'Garden City' Dream, by Margaret Gerrish, () *A History of Grimsby, by Edward Gillett, () *The Book of Grimsby, by David Kaye, () *The Enclosures of Scartho & Grimsby, by E. E. Gillett, R. C. Russell, E.H. Trevitt *The Streets of Grimsby and Cleethorpes, by R. J. Brooks


External links


Nunsthorpe Garden City History Group Oasis Academy NunsthorpeSecond Avenue Resource CentreWoodlands Primary School
*South Community website (south.inandaround.org.uk) – link to local groups
South Ward (including Nunsthorpe) policing team
{{North East Lincolnshire (district) , state=collapsed Geography of Grimsby Borough of North East Lincolnshire