Street view of Mr Straw's House, Nottinghamshire — Street view of Mr Straw's House | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Nottinghamshire & Lincolnshire

Worksop walk from Mr Straw's House

The Straw Family were heavily involved in the local community and the town. Every Sunday the brothers, William Jr and Walter took a turn through this market town, to check on the places they owned, the business and to get a bit of fresh air. Take a walk in their footsteps and discover some of the fascinating history of this small town.

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Total steps: 14

Start point

Mr Straw's House, 5–7 Blyth Grove, Worksop S81 0JG. Grid ref: SK589802

Step 1

With your back to Mr Straw's House turn right, head down Blyth Grove and turn left at the bottom onto Blyth Road. Continue along the road, crossing the end of Shepherd's Avenue and coming to a halt opposite North Nottinghamshire College.

North Nottinghamshire College

Originally known as the County Technical College, this college was built in the 1930s at the cost of £29,000. Almost half of that money came from the Miners' Welfare Fund, who wanted to help provide opportunities for the youth of Worksop. As a result it had labs across the ground floor for the teaching of chemistry, physics and geology –sciences that helped train people for work in the mining industry. There's a strong tie here with the Straw family: Walter taught classes relating to the skills of the grocery trade. Walter learnt much from his father but was also educated and, like his father before him, was certified as a master tea blender. It's interesting that Walter passed such skills on to younger generations – his brother William wasn't the only teacher it seems. The sprawling patch of land opposite the college was the location of Worksop's Maltings. After the introduction of the railway in the mid-1800s, goods could be brought into the town, meaning it was no longer so reliant on agriculture and people diversified into other industries. Grain for the maltings could be brought in by train too and Worksop was well suited to growing other things required in the brewing trade too.

Step 2

Continue down the road, keeping left at the bottom and pausing by the fenced patch of open ground. Continue round to the left and head downhill on Carlton Road. You'll see the train station on the right-hand side. Cross over the road and you'll be in a good position to view the station.

Worksop Station

Built in 1849, this rather grand Jacobean-style station leads nicely into the history of the nearby Ducal estates. You may have seen on your way into town the signs proclaiming Worksop to be the 'gateway to the dukeries'. With Sherwood Forest being crown land, much of it was carved up and handed out as royal favours to various individuals as a reward for loyalty or service. This led to there being a concentration of Ducal estates in the area, such as the Dukes of Newcastle at Clumber Park, and the Dukes of Portland at Welbeck. As these aristocrats would be using the station it needed to be an impressive affair and the beautiful Steetley stone gives it an almost marble-like appearance. Originally it had a glass roof covering the tracks to keep passengers dry. Unfortunately it also trapped all the smoke, which made it unpleasant inside and quickly dirtied the glass, so it was removed. In the mid-1800s many people were fascinated by the Dukes and their houses and people flooded into Worksop by train to stay at the local inns and take trips to tour the estates.

Step 3

Cross the railway tracks and continue down the hill into town. On your right-hand side you'll see a road called Overend Road – turn down it. On the left-hand side and towards the bottom of the road you'll see a gap through the buildings that offers a good view of St John's Church. Continue to the bottom of the road, turn left onto Gateford Road and you'll find yourself in front of the church.

St John's Church

William and Walter worshipped at St John's, an unusual move in many ways given their parents worshipped at the priory and they followed their parents so closely in terms of their wishes with the house and business. They preferred to move away from the High Church ways of the priory and William even got involved when St John's decided to add more candlesticks, saying, 'The candlesticks I must and will fight against as a return to superstitious mediaeval use and an offence against the tradition of my Parish Church.' William also wrote a book about the history of St John's in order to celebrate its centenary. Many copies of it can be found at Mr Straw's House as it sadly doesn't seem to have been a big seller. A letter from William reveals that he unfortunately didn't enjoy writing it either. Walter was also involved with St John's, worshipping there with his brother and serving as Church Warden.

Step 4

Continuing along with St John's on your left-hand side, follow the road into town. Pause when you get to the end of the road and you should find yourself on a triangular section with a large tree.

Step 5

You'll now be at Victoria Square. Originally called Common End, the Square was later renamed for the Queen's Jubilee in 1887.

Step 6

Continue along the pavement, cross over at the lights, passing the Golden Ball on your right. Cross over the canal. Ahead you should see the pedestrian zone – this is the beginning of Bridge Street. Cross the small road that curves around in front of you and head up the pedestrian zone.

The Golden Ball and the Chesterfield Canal

The Golden Ball was one of the inns that belonged to the DPPA and had tours running from it. Its other claim to fame ties in with the canal that runs down the side of it. The first discussions about getting permission for a canal were held here and when permission was granted in 1772 the bells rang for four days in celebration. By the time it was completed in 1777 it stretched 45 miles and went through 65 locks. It allowed Worksop to import and export more easily, giving people the freedom to move away from agriculture. To the left of the Golden Ball is the canal and Cuckoo Wharf. The story goes that the name comes from the Trent boatmen who weren't familiar with the narrow boats that made use of the canal. They called these imposter boats 'cuckoos in the nest', cuckoos being birds that lay their eggs in the nests of other birds leaving them to raise the chick as their own. Another legend tells of boats buried beneath the tarmac when they built up round the canal. The canal is 45 miles (72km) long, running from west Stockwell to Chesterfield.

Step 7

Continue up Bridge Street until the pedestrian zone is bisected by the road. On your right you should see Barclays Bank and a clock. Cross the road and turn around to face the way you came, looking towards the bank. Turn around and with your back to Barclays continue up the hill to the top, where the pedestrian zone ends. Cross the road and stand on the open paved area, the place where the shop of Mr Winks the butcher once stood. You've arrived at the edge of what was once Market Place, the spot to see and be seen, surrounded by interesting buildings.

Bridge Street and Liquorice Gardens

As you head up Bridge Street there are a few things to keep an eye out for. First of all, look upwards from time to time. Though the ground floor of the shops may have been altered and branded, the upper storeys remain the same and you can see some really nice examples of 18th- and 19th-century buildings. As well as looking up, have a glance down at the ground. In the cobbles you can see the coats of arms of the ducal estates in the surrounding area, a nod to the heritage of the town, as is the planting of three gingko biloba trees, whose prehistoric ancestors turned into the coal seam beneath Worksop. The River Ryton runs underground across Bridge Street near Newcastle Avenue. This area would have been marshland where liquorice was originally grown. This is why the public house is called Liquorice Gardens. The Straw family lived and worked at W. Straw, Grocer and Seed Merchant before moving to 7 Blyth Grove in 1923. You can see a photograph of what the shop looked like a century ago in the visitor reception at Mr Straw's House.

Step 8

Turn around and look back towards the pedestrian zone. On the left-hand side of it you should see the Lion Hotel. Look along the rows of shops to the left of the Lion Hotel and pause when you spot Piccolo Espresso Bar.

Market Place and the Lion Hotel

Up here you can see the Saxon origins of the town. You paid by the width of your shop so shop fronts were designed to be narrow, though the building sprawled far behind. With this being such a fine part of town there was a pillared walkway to protect people from the elements. Only a few of the pillars remain but you can see several outside the Lion Hotel. This was one of the places that wealthier tourists might choose to stay when touring the local estates. You can see the rut in the ground, worn by carriages and wagons. Though the railway and canal brought goods into Worksop they still had to be distributed locally by wagons and 22 different carriers made use of six of the inns in Worksop, including the Lion.

Step 9

Turn around until your back is to the Straws' old shop. You're now facing the Corn Exchange. Turn away from the Savoy cinema, and walk towards the left-hand corner of the corn exchange. Turn right onto Potter Street, walk past the French Horn pub and continue on until you reach The Priory Gatehouse on left-hand side.

Step 10

If you fancy a stroll over to the graves then head to the left of the priory main entrance and you'll see a wall with small windows in it. Head through the gateway in the wall and continue going straight ahead until you reach the wall on the far side of the graveyard. When you reach the wall follow it along to the right and you'll reach the Straws' graves, located in a secluded spot on the boundary. Return across the graveyard and back out the small gateway. Ahead of you and slightly to the right you'll see a park – cross the road and head through the gates. Continue along and almost immediately on your left you'll see a paved garden area with rose bushes and the remains of a mill.

Worksop Priory

As you'd expect with a building dating back to 1103, Worksop Priory has a lot of stories to tell and it's well worth a visit on one of its open days. There are some impressive graves and poignant lines and crosses carved into the interior stonework by knights heading off to the Crusades. Before they left they'd scratch in one line, if they made it back alive they'd complete the cross. William Sr and Mr David Winks, the brothers' maternal grandfather, were church wardens at the priory. Florence and William Sr married here in 1896 and he, Florence, David, William and Walter are buried in the priory graveyard.

Step 11

Keeping the old mill on your left continue along the path that follows the course of the water that once powered it. On the opposite bank you can see the rear of the old library.

Canch Old Pump House

The pump house served the corn mill opposite the priory, which was originally a monastery. It was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This is the site of the Priory Mill, originally a corn mill, it was repurposed to make Windsor chairs before it burnt down. Worksop was well known for its Windsor chair industry, a small example of which can be seen in William's Bedroom at Mr Straw's House, a child's rocker given to Florence by her grandmother.

Step 12

Continue along the path and follow it as it bears slightly to the right and crosses a small bridge. Continue along this road a short way until you see the old gas works ahead of you.

Step 13

Follow the curve of the Fishermans Arms round to the left and continue along Church Walk. This will take you back towards Cuckoo Wharf. Cross onto the right side of the road. At the junction turn right and follow the pavement across in front of Matalan. Victoria Square will now be on your left. Cross over at the lights and make your way uphill on the road that runs up the right-hand side of Victoria Square, Carlton Road, back in the direction of Mr Straw's House.

Step 14

Continue up Carlton Road and you'll see another tiled pub called The Vine and the building that used to be the cinema, both on the left-hand side of the road. There are also nice examples of Worksop's terraced housing. Make your way up past the railway station and bear right at the traffic lights, following the road up past the end of Shepherd's Avenue. You'll now be retracing your steps from earlier and should see Blyth Grove appear on your right. Continue back to Mr Straw's House, and take some time to look inside, if you haven't already. Booking is required to visit the house.

Mr Straw's House

William and Florence Straw married in 1896 after meeting when William set up a grocery across the road from Florence's father's butcher's shop. This grocery was to be the family business. Initially living at the shop, the Straws had three children, William (1898), Walter (1899) and David (1901), who unfortunately died aged only 17 months. They grew up at the shop before eldest son William went off to London to be a teacher and Walter and his parents moved into Blyth Grove in 1923. They redecorated lavishly but when William Sr died in 1932 Florence wanted everything to stay as it was. Her sons continued this pattern after her death in 1939; William moved home to keep house for his brother while Walter ran the shop. Little changed in 7 Blyth Grove and when William Jr, the last Straw, died in 1990, Mr Straw's House came into the care of the National Trust and the unusual family home was opened to the public.

End point

Mr Straw's House, 5–7 Blyth Grove, Worksop S81 0JG. Grid ref: SK589802

Trail map

Map of the Worksop walk from Mr Straw's House | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey

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5-7 Blyth Grove, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S81 0JG

03442491895

mrstrawshouse@nationaltrust.org.uk

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Total steps: 14

Total steps: 14

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