Local housebuilder Harron Homes has started work on the fourth phase of its Sandlands Park development in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire.
Soon to be a collection of four and five-bedroom homes, the land was once used as an airfield vital to war efforts in the twentieth century, while the surrounding area has seen a diverse history, from textiles, to coalmining, to romantic poets and computer programmers.
Hucknall was originally a smaller country village dating at least 950 years back, when it was recorded in the 1066 Domesday book. Records for the next several hundred years are few and far between, until the 18th century, when Hucknall gradually developed into a small town, achieving considerable prosperity as the trade of framework knitting began to blossom there.
But in the first half of the 19th century, depression struck the textiles trade and unemployment skyrocketed. During the 1860s, the arrival of the coal mining industry in Hucknall brought massive employment opportunities for the town’s displaced workers. Rows of new houses were constructed, and from 1861-1891 the population quadrupled, while the town’s prosperity increased.
Notable people buried in the town include the Byrons, who were once the town’s predominant land owners and resided in the nearby Newstead Abbey.
The family were buried in their vault within the Hucknall St. Mary Magdalene Parish Church, a popular pilgrimage destination for modern tourists.
Most of these pilgrims are drawn there by two famous intellectuals buried in the vault: the sixth Lord Byron, a famous Romantic poet who died in the Greek War of Independence, and his daughter Ada Lovelace, renowned as the world’s first computer programmer. Hucknall was also the childhood home of English champion boxer Ben Caunt. Legend has it that the famous Westminster bell ‘Big Ben’ was named after him; the churchyard contains his grave.
Another major use of the aerodrome in the latter half of the twentieth century was by the Merlin Flying Club, which hosted airshows every June and August, drawing many locals and tourists to each show.
From 2010 onwards the RAF even returned on an annual basis for a public open day every September run by the 1803 (Hucknall) Squadron of the Air Training Corps.
In 2015, Harron Homes received planning permission to build its first phase of the Sandlands Park development on the site. Harron built 99 new homes there, and its first residents moved in on October 16th of that year.
Now, in 2024, the fourth phase of Sandlands Park is underway, and the development’s first residents are due to move in this Spring. A stunning collection of expertly designed four and five-bedroom homes, Sandlands Park has prices starting from £366,995. The development is surrounded by open countryside, giving residents a combination of peaceful rural living and city convenience. Only a short drive away you can find the beautiful Newstead Abbey and Wollaton Hall, and there is easy access to Nottingham city centre via the tram, as well as the nearby M1’s excellent commuter links to Nottingham, Leicester and Sheffield.
Natalie Griffiths, Sales and Marketing Director for Harron Homes North Midlands, said: “At Harron Homes, we are proud to affirm our commitment to handpicking the perfect locations for our developments. Our approach to building homes is one that prioritises the preservation of an area’s local character while celebrating both its history and its heritage. Part of this is ensuring that we contribute towards regeneration projects in the local area, while supporting the communities who live there in a variety of ways.”
The Sandlands Park showhomes can be found on Lovesey Avenue, Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, NG15 6XA
