Coloured artist's impression of the proposed University Boulevard and Highfields Park, Nottingham, by W.H. Radford and Son, civil engineers of Nottingham, c.1920

The drawing is an artists' impression of 'Sir Jesse Boot's Gift to the City of Nottingham', looking south-west from high above the new road [modern University Boulevard]. Running parallel to each other from the left hand side of the drawing are the road, a tree-lined pavement, a tramway, and a further tree-lined pavement. The park and boating lake are to their right, and a hill [the site of the current University Park] is at the far right of the drawing.

The drawing is in pen and ink, and has been coloured in watercolour by H.W. Grummett. It is framed.

Size (including frame): 21.5 cm x 14 cm

William Henry Radford first appears in Nottingham trade directories about 1879. At that time he worked for Nottingham Borough engineer's office. In the early 1890s, Radford set up his own civil engineering company in Angel Row, Nottingham and a trade directory for 1920 records his details as follows: Radford, William Henry A.M. Inst.C.E., A.R.I.B.A., civil engineer, Albion Chambers, 32 King Street [Nottingham]. By 1922, the firm had become W.H. Radford and Son, civil engineers and retained this identity until at least 1956. The firm had ceased to exist by 1979.

In 1921, W.H. Radford and Son was contracted to build a boulevard from Lenton to Beeston (now University Boulevard) and to excavate a boating lake on the Highfields Estate. The estate had been purchased by Sir Jesse Boot after the First World War. In 1920 he gave almost 200 acres to the City of Nottingham as a public amenity, and a further 35 acres to University College, Nottingham (now the University Park campus of the University of Nottingham). The boating lake and its surrounding parkland are still run by Nottingham City Council as Highfields Park.

No archival arrangement has been necessary.

Accessible to all registered readers.

This description is the only finding aid available for the drawing. Copyright on the description belongs to The University of Nottingham.

Good

Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposes only, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.

Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Keeper of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk).

The drawing was acquired by The University of Nottingham's Department of Manuscripts in May 1981.