The Nook – circa 1908

The Nook originally joined Anstey’s two main roads; Main Street, now Bradgate Road, and Cropstone Road, now Cropston Road.

The 1761 enclosure map of Anstey shows a small structure marked in the centre of the Nook and labelled “Stamford”, where the roundabout is today. There is no record of what this building was, but it was probably a lock up; somewhere to hold people until they were able to be removed to a court or to hold drunks overnight until they were released next day.

Until the 1920’s The Nook was a wide-open space, surrounded by cottages and shops, often used as a playground for the children of the village.

The early buildings around The Nook were cottages, many of them thatched and built with steps to prevent them being flooded. In the early 20th century, most of these buildings became shops with the owners living upstairs.

A lot of these buildings have now disappeared, but the café on the corner of Cropston Road gives an indication of how the original buildings would have looked. Even though some shop fronts have changed, the roof line of many of these premises remain.