Carlton: Churches, Park and Leisure

Getting to know Carlton for your stay

If you are looking for a hotel in Carlton, you can plan your stay around specific interests: church architecture, walks in Burton Road Jubilee Park or swimming at Carlton Forum Leisure Centre. Differences in architectural form, route layout and swimming facilities can help you organise your day before choosing accommodation. The churches offer the chance to compare different building periods and architectural features; the park and leisure centre add walks and swimming to the options.

Transport history and planning today

Carlton’s growth was linked to its location on the outskirts of Nottingham and its proximity to railway lines. Its tramway history also points to Nottingham: the connection from Nottingham city centre to Carlton was completed by 1914. Carlton railway station is still in operation, but the original station building no longer exists. The tram connection is a historical reference; for planning a specific journey today, it is advisable to check the station’s operating status in advance. This helps distinguish the historical connection from present-day planning at the station.

Church architecture with different points of emphasis

St Paul’s is considered the first Anglican parish church built in the style of a Roman basilica. The monumental Romanesque basilica was built in two phases between 1885 and 1891; it was consecrated in 1885. The 1885 consecration marks a single point in time, while the building phases cover the longer period up to 1891. Basilica and Romanesque refer to different aspects: the building form and the stylistic classification. The church also features extensive moulded-brick and terracotta ornamentation.

St John the Baptist offers a later, modern contrast. The large Anglican church was built in 1956 and has a 50-foot-high brick tower with eleven bells. It also features a life-size statue depicting “Mother and Child at the Well” by Josephina de Vasconcellos. By comparison, different features come to the fore: at St John the Baptist, the date of construction, tower, bells and statue; at St Paul’s, the building form and terracotta ornamentation.

At Main Street Methodist Church, red brick and richly decorated window tracery on the front façade add to the architectural points of comparison. Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church was consecrated in 1931. The churches’ features thus range from architectural style and façade details to different construction and consecration dates.

Walks and swimming

Burton Road Jubilee Park offers opportunities for walking. A 1.2-metre-wide circular path runs along the edge of the park and leads to all the facilities. Both the path’s width and its route around the edge of the park are practical details to consider when planning a walk.

Carlton Forum Leisure Centre has a 25-metre swimming pool and a 12-metre learner pool. The centre offers, among other options, family and lane-swimming sessions. Pool size and swimming sessions answer different planning questions: the dimensions distinguish the two pools, while the sessions specify family and lane swimming. If a particular swimming session is important to your plans, check the current timetable before visiting, as availability may change. A walk in the park and swimming are two different leisure options to consider, depending on what you have planned.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Hucknall, Edwinstowe, Clayworth, Woodborough, Newark-On-Trent, Warsop, Haughton

Go to the main travel overview: Nottinghamshire.