BY RIVER AND CANAL.
Nottingham's facilities for water carriage, which are clearly shown in the sketch map opposite, largely explain its position as a great distributing centre. The River Trent affords access to Newark, Gainsborough and the four Humber ports already named, through which an enormous tonnage is cleared every year, Hull ranking third among English ports.
There is a regular daily service between the Humber ports and Newark, Nottingham and the adjacent district. The Trent Navigation Company carried out important works below Newark prior to the War, as a result of which the service between the Humber and Newark is highly efficient, and goods are transported between those places in the minimum of time and at the least possible cost.
The river between Newark and Nottingham has not hitherto been in a thoroughly efficient state, and the Corporation of Nottingham, since the War, have taken over from the Company the power to construct works on that length of river, and are themselves pushing forward these works with the utmost possible energy at a cost to the city of £500,000. The new locks and weirs are now open for traffic, a large portion of the dredging has already been done, and it is anticipated that it will be completed during 1927. The whole scheme, when fully carried out, will make the Trent navigable at all seasons of the year right from Nottingham to the sea.
In addition to the river service with the Humber ports, there is a canal service via Leicester and the Grand Junction Canal between Nottingham and London, and also services between Nottingham and Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, etc. The service is mainly by steam or motor barges, and the canal carriers have first-class accommodation for the storage and handling of traffic.
The Trent Navigation Transfer Act, promoted by the Nottingham Corporation, received the Royal Assent on the 29th July, 1915. This Act provides that from and after 1st January, 1917, or such other date as may be arranged, the portion of the Trent Navigation lying between Nottingham and Newark is transferred to the Corporation, which then acquired the rights to the tolls on this transferred portion. The powers of the Company to construct new locks at Stoke Bardolph, Gunthorpe, Hazleford, and Holme Pierrepont are extended, and are now being exercised by the Corporation, which is empowered also to construct warehouses, storehouses, and other buildings and appliances for the use of the Navigation. The Corporation are empowered to spend on the Navigation the sum of over £400,000. (See pages A14, A16 and A49.)
Sketch map showing Nottingham's excellent facilities for transport of goods by river and canal.
TRAMWAYS.
Nottingham Corporation electric tramways traverse all the main thoroughfares of the City and in two directions extend some miles into the surrounding districts. The total number of miles of track is 44½.
From the Market Place a route runs south to Trent Bridge by way of Albert Street, Lister Gate, Carrington Street and Arkwright Street, passing the L.M. & S. Railway Station. At Lister Gate another line branches off through Greyfriars down Castle Boulevard, south of the residential district known as The Peak, while north of it a route from the Market Place through Chapel Bar and Derby Road is to be continued for a further half-mile to Wollaton Park gates. South-west of the city cars run along Colwick Road to the Racecourse, and, by way of Fisher Gate, to Trent Bridge. The Mansfield Road route, leading to the Golf course, passes the L. & N.E. railway station. Other routes serve the east and north-east portion of the town by way of Woodborough Road, St. Ann's Well Road and Carlton Road.
The new Exchange building: reception hall.
A new and spacious Tramway depot, which will be the largest in the city, is in course of erection in the Carter Gate area. It will comprise offices for the management and staff and a number of shops on the Southwell Road frontage.
The Corporation have recently instituted a service of Railless Cars on certain routes. These are giving general satisfaction.