Suggestions are again invited for names of areas of the Park for inclusion in a new visitors' map.

Two areas: "The Quarry" and "The Pit Tip" have the potential for more descriptive names.

Please make suggestions - or suggest to keep these. A poll would eventually be the best way forward.

Keep both as they are. Here are my reasons:

• Locals, especially birders will continue use these names anyway
• These names reflect why the landscape is shaped as it is.
• Re-branding them will just be confusing when reviewing previously-published wildlife reports in the future.

I'm all for naming/defining unknown or less-well known named areas, but don't think we should change any that are already widely used.

I agree with Ben.M
Both 'the quarry' and the 'the pit tip' are entirely descriptive as names that are well known as such locally.They are what they are!

The new visitor map and leaflet has now been printed.

There are copies at Alexandra Lodge, and at the Lodge Hotel for those wanting to find out how the Park's bits have been re-named.

Following some information from John L about old field names, and last year's 200th aniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, I was very keen on seeing the quarry re-branded as "Botany Quarry" as this also spoke about the present/future. It hasn't been...

Whilst name minor changes on a map will have an insignificant effect upon regular visitors to the Park, "rebranding" is an accpeted procedure for attracting new customers.

I have to ask the questions: would new people be interested in walking around the "quarry", or "the pit tip"? Especially when these names, whilst locally accepted, do not reflect the true nature of these areas. Pit tips are a mix of coal waste black and sulphur yellow, with barbed wire and pools of deep filthy water with warning signs, the public are excluded and wildlife has few opportunituies. Quarrys have heavy machinery, sirens, conveyors, steep long falls, barbed wire and warning signs, the public are not welcome and wildlife has only a few opportunities.

The names we use amongst ourselves do not make selling the Park to a bigger audience an easy prospect.

I'll end for now with this question, if it's just a pit tip, why bother cleaning up your dog mess?

Point taken.Maybe we aught to be a little more romantic in our descriptions.I have known this area very well for over 40 years and at some time or other have trodden vitually every inch. I knew it as a pit-top with machinery and a very dangerous
slurry pond in the middle where the plantatation is now with its ploughed ridges.We have had to 'fish-out' one or two inquisitive youngsters in the past.The tip was much higher then.Why not call this top area of L2 as 'Duke's Reserve' and the grassed top L1 as 'Dukes Hights'- after all it "were the Dukes of St Albans who left us this legacy. One of the best and least known views of Nottingham looking South on a fine day with skylarks on high!!

Although I think “Dukes Reserve” and “Dukes Heights” sound very good names, I still think whatever you call it; it’s still a pit tip. The whole area has been shaped by industry and farming; why deny it?
The pit tip is a result of countless hours of hard labour by men working underground in dirty and dangerous conditions and should stand as a monument to their toil and sacrifice. Coal miners provided the fuel that powered the Industrial Revolution and built an Empire. We should be eternally grateful to them and celebrate their achievement not hide it. Would we change the name of the newly restored Winding House to Nell Gwynne’s Tower so that people won’t think it’s dangerous? I don’t think so.
If increasing visitor numbers is the objective, then I’d suggest building a toilet block and café in the vicinity of the Winding House, would have a greater effect than any renaming of the Park’s areas. Toilets would mean that families could stay longer and a café would provide much needed income.
It doesn’t matter what names you choose, the people that don’t clean up after their dogs, still wont clean up after their dogs!
I agree with Ben; name the places that don’t already have names but leave the rest as they are.

On the contrary.

We are ensuring the heritage of the site is remembered with the Winding Engine House and Dynamo House. There are no plans to soften the nature of this building by altering the name.

This morning I had discussions with the architect and project manager, and we've agreed not to landscape the entire interior of the fenced complex. This way, we'll have areas to develop as meadows and picnic spots, and a seperate area left to look like an industrial waste land.

I don't think the term "romantic" about names is entirely accurate either. My initial posting - keep in mind the leaflet is now printed and will stay as it is for the next few years, and this thread is acadamic - was a call for something positive and current. I refer to my previous posting as to how references to pit tips and quarries may not be percieved as either.

To take up Alan's point though, regarding attracting new visitors to Bestwood. A number of studies had been undertaken prior to the current development, and it was not considered feasible to construct a permanent catering outlet.

Admittedly, the basics most "visitors", as opposed to "locals", want from a countryside facility, is recognised as A Pee and A Tea. The Dynamo House has a toilet and will have a coffee machine.

Great news about the coffee machine and toilet. I’m sure they will be well used by bird watchers, cyclists and dog walkers. It should provide plenty of opportunity to talk to other park users and hear what other people call different areas of the park, instead of the usual “mornin’ cold again isn’t it” greeting as we pass in opposite directions.
If there is only one toilet and one coffee machine, I think they will be used mainly by locals and regulars, as a machine coffee and a long queue for the toilet will send most families heading for Wollaton, Rufford, Attenborough or Cromford. It’s a shame a proper café was considered not feasible, because with the current financial climate we’re not likely to get one for quite a few years to come. Still it's a lot better than nothing, and I'm really looking forward to my first visit.
Is there any chance it will be open at dawn, so that Ben can get a nice warm drink on his way to the bird feeders?

Alan,

It's going off thread a little - I'll do a dedicated posting pretty soon - but the Dynamo House facility will not be open 7 days a week. This is just a heads up: so keep bringing your flasks.

More news to follow about the WEH complex.

I've been following this thread with interest but haven't chipped in, until now that is. On naming the areas of the Park I take the view that "if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and swims like a duck - it's a duck." Therefore, if looks like a pit tip / quarry etc then lets' call the places what they are. I don't go with the re-branding; the furthest I would go would be to call them the Quarry Conservation Area and Pit Tip Conservation Area.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a cafe and a place to chew the fat? Yup, it would. We won't get it in the WEH and Dynamo House but there maybe a bigger prize in the longer term. Jack Ashworth is putting a lot of work into the develpment of a Village Plan for Bestwood and it would be very surprising if the Bestwood Hotel didn't figure in it somewhere. As this process gathers momentum we could lobby for the old Hotel to become a community resource with a cafe. The building itself is part of the mining heritage of the area, so there could be another strand to remembering the rich mining heritage of the area.

On the matter of mining communities there was a magnificent programme on Radio 2 last week which can be heard here but only for two more days after the date of this posting. Everone who wants to understand more about what it meant to be a miner, policeman or a member of a mining community during the miners strike should listen to it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00r33b2 If anyone is interested in hearing it I do have a copy in my possession which of course I couldn't possibly copy for anyone because of copyright reasons