What’s this about Nottingham & Donkeys?

Close to where I live is what is (reputed to be) the steepest hill in Nottingham. It’s official name is Saint Bartholomew’s Road, but every local calls it “Donkey Hill”, and the name seems to go back some distance. It was apparently known as Bartholomew Stile Footway in 1882 (my house deeds show the first lessee at 24 June 1883, and it is likely that the first houses built locally date from then, or shortly before that date). It seems that Donkey Hill itself was a footpath surrounded by fields & allotments for quite some time. Finally, a St. Bartholomews Church (CoE high-church) was built in 1902 on Blue Bell Hill Road, in the area now known as Wickens Walk, and torn down as part of the St. Anns clearances of the 1970s.

According to the nottstalgia.com forum, “Bartholomews stile (or style) marked the edge of the borough of Nottingham”. Gedling & Lambley borders are further away today.

Freda Avenue is in competition as the steepest hill in Nottingham, and Lascelles Avenue (the next avenue on the same hill) is also called Donkey Hill by the locals.

Finally, I was surveying last Sunday 5 June at Hillview Road. Opposite where Standhill Road meets Hillview is a Footpath that runs between 64 & 66 Hillview and goes steeply down to Simkin Avenue, passing across Pilkington Road on the way. At the bottom of Simkin Avenue is the bottom of the hill, and dead ahead is Marshall Hill Drive which climbs the other slope.

As I walked down a lass was walking up the other way. I asked her if the Footpath had a name. She confidently told me it was called “Donkey Step”. What is it about Nottingham & Donkeys!

The line of Donkey Steps is a touch eerie:— the footpath itself is very straight, as is the line with Simkin Avenue & Marshall Hill Drive. Here is the view from the top:

…and this is the view looking the other way from the bottom of Simkin Avenue:

Coda:

A local lad (confirmed by others) has told me that the name is “Donkey Steps” (with an ‘s’, originally missing), so I have added the ‘s’ to the name throughout.