Drew Family Diaries

Drew Family Diaries provides details of the Drew and Parkin families by providing notes on diaries kept by Sheila Drew nee Parkin and her father Charles Gordon Parkin

Four Lane Ends

Four Roads End

We are at Four Lane Ends which grandad referred to as Four Roads End, for example, when an accident occurred there in 1952 and when traffic lights were installed there in 1959.

Extract from grandad’s diary which referred to an accident at “4 roads end” on 2 February 1952
Extracts from grandad’s diaries of 16 (above) and 19 (below) March 1959 which relate to traffic lights being installed at “the four roads end“
News cutting posted by Christine Evans on Kirkby Living Memory Facebook Group, This was at the time of the end of the first world war. Reference us made to “four-road ends”

Referring to Four Lane Ends

At the time of the second world war, this was where Station Street joined Diamond Avenue with Lowmoor Road to the left and Kingsway to the right. In his book “Christmas Pigs and a Summer Donkey” (p26), Mark Ashfield calls it “four-lane ends“. In her book(let) “I Also Remember“, Edith Searson does not use the term but refers to going “round the Bank corner” to get from Station Street into Kingsway.

This aerial photo is from Annesley OC Heritage Extra. I had added an arrow to show the location of Four Lane Ends

Photographs of Four Lane Ends

A Brief History of Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Portland Park

There are two photographs of Four Lane Ends in “A Brief History of Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Portland Park” (pages 14-15) published by Kirkby and District Conservation Society. The first is dated about 1940 and the second 1928, but see below.

Kirkby-in-Ashfield: Yesterday Remembered

In his book “Kirkby-in-Ashfield: Yesterday Remembered”, Gerald Lee includes a photograph of The Four Lane Ends (p17) which is looking down Low Moor Road from Kingsway with the Nag’s Head on the left. The photograph above that on p17 is also in the same area, looking down Low Moor Road with the Regent cinema in the distance. That photograph must be after 1959 as it shows the traffic lights in place.

Kirkby & District in Old Photographs

In their book “Kirkby & District in Old Photographs”, Frank Ashley, Sylvia Sinfield and Gerald Lee have one photograph (p72) of Low Moor Road looking towards the Four Lane Ends and another (p90) which centres on the Nag’s Head and which they date as 1928, but see below, and which also appears in Bill Clay-Dove’s book “Kirkby-in-Ashfield: An Interesting Township”  (p42).

Kirkby & District: A Second Selection

In their other book “Kirkby & District: A Second Selection”, Frank Ashley, Sylvia Sinfield and Gerald Lee have a photograph of the Four Lane Ends (p102) from the 1940s. This features the Regent cinema to the left and is looking down Kingsway. They note that this photograph precedes the installation of traffic lights at the junction. It is the same photo as the one I have from an official guide from 1950.

Postcard of Four Lane Ends. This picture appears in a number of places including on p14 of “A Brief History of Kirkby-in Ashfield and Portland Park” published by Kirkby and District Conservation Society, on p90 of “Kirkby & District in Old Photographs” by Frank Ashley, Sylvia Sinfield and Gerald Lee and on p42 of Bill Clay-Dove’s book “Kirkby-in-Ashfield: An Interesting Township”. All these date the image to 1928. However, the postcard I have is postmarked for 1925 so this photo must be from 1925 or earlier
Cutting from official guide of 1950. This shows a picture of Four Lane Ends and some historical background. Note that this explanation of the origin of the name “folly” is also included in the 1969 Kirkby-in-Ashfield Directory and in Bill Clay-Dove’s book “Kirkby-in-Ashfield: An Interesting Township” (p41). However, in the latter book, this is only one of two possible explanations, the other being that construction of an inn began but the folly was not having enough capital to finish it. I am grateful to Helen Jay for giving me this official guide

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