Some History of the Trust and its Property
(Italics indicate extracts from the Minutes of Trust meetings)
The Trust
Originally known as The Nottingham Derby Road British School Exhibition Fund, it was established to encourage the education of young people in the City.
The British School was a Quaker School on Derby Road, before its current development after the Inclosure Act of 1857.
The land on which the school was built transferred to the City Council and the ownership of the new property (now 96-98 Derby Rd) became the responsibility of the Trust. It was leased and the monies from rent of the building became the funds to allow young people to be educated. To begin with the Trust supported young people likely to progress to Secondary Education and beyond.
Upto 1952 when national financial assistance for university students became law, the Trust supported young people through Secondary Education going into Higher Education, particularly University College, Nottingham, which later became the University of Nottingham.
As funding for education became statutory, the Trustees re-focussed their bursary awards to young people pursuing worthwhile activities outside of mainstream education.
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Some past Trustees
The Charity requires 5 City Councillors to be members of the Trust, not because they represent the Council, but because they represent the people of the City of Nottingham, for whom the Trust was intended to benefit, especially in terms of education.
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John Thomas Mallet/Malet (1840 Nottingham -1919 Devon) A lace manufacturer, he was Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce on 8th Oct 1880 (Nottingham Guardian). He was also on the Nottingham School Board and lived at Redcliffe Crescent (Road?).
In 1889 at the meeting of the School Board he was appointed Trustee of the Derby Rd.Exhibition Fund by Order in Council.
At the 23 January 1912 Meeting "a former Trustee Mr J.T. Mallet...wished to place a sum of "£11:9:8 at the disposal of the Trustees of the Derby Road British School to be used at their personal & absolute discretion for educational purposes"
Had left Nottingham by 1901 so this must have been a reflective gift. On his death he left very little so maybe lost his business at some point. Son Cuthbert worked in rubber in Malaya/Malaysia.
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Thomas Wright, of 16 Patterson Road, Hyson Green, Secretary to the Lacemakers Society, appointed as Trustee by Order in Council at meeting of the School Board 1889
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Cllr. W.E. Morris re-appointed a Trustee in 1910
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Ald. Richard Fitzhugh JP is Chair of Trustees Jan.1912. Pharmaceutical Chemist Fitzhugh and Carr - lived in The Park and was Mayor of the Borough 1891-2. His son Dr. Richard T. Fitzhugh from Guy’s Hospital died of typhoid in the Boer War, S. Africa in 1900, aged 28.
Cllr. Cecil Edward Reginald Fraser, (? - 1945) was a solicitor and lived on Cavendish Crescent North, The Park. He was elected to to the Council as a Liberal in 1912 for Sherwood Ward, when he became a Trustee. He served in WW1. His Father Sir Edward Fraser was four times Mayor.
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Cllr. Edward Harlow JP (1857 Burton-on-Trent -1931) Lived at Clydesdale, Villiers Rd, Woodthorpe. A Banker and accountant from 1887-1897 lectured in commercial law at University College. 1902 he was elected as a Liberal City Councillor and from at least 1912 until 1914 was a Trustee. In 1919 became an Alderman. He was also Hon. treasurer of Samaritan Hospital for Women. This was originally at 63 Long Row, now a Tesco Express and later on Raleigh Street.
Cllr. Frederick Richardson Radford JP (1844-1936) Sheriff 1896-7, Mayor of the City 1900-1901
Leader of Liberals after Sir Edward Fraser. Lived at Cedar Lodge, Tunnel Road, The Park (now set of modern flats)
Sir Bernard Swanick Wright 1876-1961 a solicitor at 23 Low Pavement, was Secretary/Clerk to the Trustees from at least 1912 until 1920. Lived at Haddon House, Cavendish Crescent North, The Park. Given Freedom of the City of Nottingham 1948.
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Prof. William Haslam. Heaton, Principal University College, Nottingham. (1856-1941)
M.A., M.I.E.E., Principal, Univ. College, Nottingham; son of late R. Heaton, Bolton, Lancashire. Ed. Manchester Grammar School, Brasenose College, Oxford (1st Classes Math. Mods. 1876; Math. Final School, 1878 i Natural Science School, i88o). Demonstrator in Physics, Clarendon Lab., Oxford, 1881-84. Address: 19, Lenton Road. Trustee from at least 1912 - ?
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Sir Albert Ball (1863-1946) Sir Albert Ball JP was Mayor of Nottingham and Lord Mayor of Nottingham, and the father of the famous First World War air ace Captain Albert Ball (1896–1917), a recipient of the Victoria Cross.
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The Beneficiaries
There have also been some very interesting beneficiaries over the years. If you know someone who had a bursary from the Trust we would welcome news of them.
20th February 1912 The Trust gave the sum of ten guineas to Arthur Elijah Trueman of 398 Berridge Road, who wished to attend Manchester University "to make a special study of Zoology". One of the trustees, Prof. W.H. Heaton advised him on the benefits of attending University College, Nottingham. Read what became of Sir Arthur Elijah Trueman by clicking the button on the right.
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At the same meeting, there was an application from Cyril Ernest Newham, who had won an Exhibition at Jesus College Cambridge. However, "owing to the small sum at the disposal of the Trustees, any grant which they would be able to make would be so trifling as to be of no material assistance in this case." C.E. Newham, son of William "Bill" Henry Newham and Kathleen Mary Dowling of Nottingham, became a Second Lieutenant in the Officer Training Corps on November 4th 1914, was the author of a history "Gippo, or, the Jester in Egypt" published in 1920, collaborated with Sayaji Rao III and Kenneth Saunders on "Speeches and Addresses of His Highness Sayaji Rao III, Maharajah of Baroda, Etc" 1934 Vols. 3 & 4 and compiled "The Official History of the VIth British Empire and Commonwealth Games - Cardiff 1958" with J D B Williams and Eileen Richards.
25th October 1935 The Trust "resolved to grant Trevor Waldmeyer a student at the College, who had obtained a First Class Honours degree and wished to continue with research work, a grant of £5 to be paid in two instalments." Trevor Waldmeyer BSc, FRIC, MIWPC, FIPHE (1912-2013) became a distinguished scientist in his field and the oldest alumni of the University. Trevor was born on January 7th 1912 and celebrated his 100th birthday.
Further information from Trevor's son, Richard, in 2012 can be found here.
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3rd June 1947 - Dorothy Mary Berridge of 14 Brooklyn Close, Bulwell was awarded £9.7s.0d. to supplement her scholarship to Oxford University. Her thesis for her PhD at the University of London in July 1966 "The Function of Religion at Adolescence in Roman Catholic Girls" became her book "Growing to Maturity: Moral Development and Christian Education" published by Burns & Oats in 1969.
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The Property
96-98 Derby Road, was built on the site of a Quaker school, the "British School" of the original title.
It has had a wide range of tenants in its time including the Daimler car showroom, The Ministry of Works, The Whistle & Flute Menswear, Red Bed bedroom furniture, Military memorabilia, clubs, dance & fitness studios. The ground floor is currently home to The Whistle & Flute bar.
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The Cave
Underneath our property on Derby Road there is one of the biggest of the caves in Nottingham. It runs under Wollaton Street and was strengthened 40 years ago with a substantial brick wall across the length of it. Now known as Cave DD3, it is thought to have been used to build wagons, which, when complete, would have been disassembled, taken to street level in pieces and then re-assembled.
Thanks to Trent & Peak Archeology who conducted the Laser surveys of Nottingham's caves, you can see a fly through of the cave by clicking the button on the right.
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In 2022, the cave underwent substantial clearance and conversion and is now part of The Whistle and Flute bar in the ground floor of No. 96. It is used for special functions and even weddings. Take a tour around it with Nottinghamshire Live.
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