Finding a balance between old and new can often be difficult, and there are some towns and villages in Notts where the outcome has not been an entirely happy one.
Keyworth, however, is a good example of a place where the old and the modern sit well alongside each other.
Much of the housing stock dates back to the village's expansion during the 19th century - but on top of this there has been significant development through the post-War years right up to the 1970s and today.
Yet somehow the different styles of properties work well together, even in areas such as Plumtree Park where you can find a modern bungalow next to a cottage next to a mansion house.
True, it sometimes doesn’t feel much like a village, with its modern estates and a huge comprehensive school slap bang in the middle. But the upside to its continual growth is that Keyworth is now a place with a remarkable range of facilities.
There aren't many villages that can boast a library, health centre, skateboard park, gym, community centre, leisure centre, two primary schools, a secondary school, golf course, and the headquarters of a major organisation (the British Geological Survey).
And for those who want the facilities but fancy living somewhere a bit smaller, Keyworth is surrounded by a number of little villages with populations of less than 500.
Normanton-on-the-Wolds, Stanton-on-the-Wolds, Plumtree and Wysall all have a good range of properties, and they are all within five minutes of the banks and supermarkets of Keyworth centre.
All of the villages in this area are surrounded by pretty countryside, woodland and farmland.
Property in Keyworth
In Keyworth, 40 per cent of homes are detached, 40 per cent are semi-detached, 15 per cent are terraced, and five per cent are flats.
In the Plumtree Park area of Keyworth, 84 per cent of homes are detached, 12 per cent are semi-detached, two per cent are terraced, and two per cent are flats.
In Normanton-on-the-Wolds, Stanton-on-the-Wolds, Plumtree and Wysall, 77 per cent of homes are detached, 14 per cent are semi-detached, seven per cent are terraced, and two per cent are flats.
Here's a brief look at what each on has to offer:
1. Keyworth
Where is it? A village with around 7,500 residents, eight miles south-east of Nottingham. Within Keyworth, Plumtree Park is an estate rising up the hill in the north of the village.
What’s there? Main Street is the heart of the old village, and is in a Conservation Area. Unusually, the development over the years has been mainly to the north of here, leaving the village ‘centre’ at the very southern edge.
Probably the most desirable part is along Nicker Hill, which has large, detached homes set nicely back from the road, although Plumtree Park also has some big houses.
Much of the rest of the village consists of 1960s and 1970s developments, such as the Manor Road estate and Wolds Drive estate, but there are many 1930s and 1940s houses along Nottingham Road.
The most modern estate is around Brook View Drive in the south-west of the village.
Buyers: All types, reflecting the range of properties available.
Pros: Good links with Nottingham city centre, close to open countryside, and Crossdale Drive Primary School is one of the best in the county.
Cons: The shops are a bit of a distance from some parts of the village.
2. Normanton-on-the-Wolds
Where is it? A small village one mile north-west of Keyworth.
What’s there? Not many homes but all of them are special; farms, cottages, manor houses, with lots of walled gardens and big driveways.
Buyers: High-earning couples and families.
Pros: It has a very exclusive feel.
Cons: No facilities apart from a pub.
3. Stanton-on-the-Wolds
Where is it? This village lies just to the south-east of Keyworth and has around 400 residents.
What’s there? It is quite spread out, reaching from Stanton Lane in the west over to the A606 Melton Road in the east.
Along the Melton Road are lots of big detached houses and bungalows set back from the road, with similar properties along Browns Lane.
The only other road, Stanton Lane, has slightly fewer single-storey homes but otherwise it’s the same – desirable detached properties.
Buyers: Families and older couples.
Pros: Attractive homes and a good golf course right on your doorstep.
Cons: It feels like two or even three distinct villages.
4. Plumtree
Where is it? The small village of Plumtree is one mile north of Keyworth and has a population of around 180.
What’s there? There are bungalows and cottages in Main Road, more terraced cottages in Church Lane, and modern detached houses in Church Hill.
Elsewhere there are some older properties – although perhaps not quite as many as you might imagine for such a well-established village.
Buyers: Commuting professionals and families.
Pros: There is a good (but private) primary school in the heart of the village.
Cons: Because it's set around a crossroads, it can be a bit difficult to get well away from the roads.
5. Wysall
Where is it? It is two miles south of Keyworth, and has a population of just over 300.
What’s there? A good number of 18th and 19th century homes interspersed with more modern properties; styles range from cottages to chalets to imposing detached homes.
Newer developments include Little London Lane, Manor House Drive and Tuckwood Court; the latter is a collection of nine semi-detached and detached homes off Widmerpool Road.
This road also houses a converted former Wesleyan Chapel which featured on Channel 4’s 'Property Ladder'.
Buyers: Families, couples, some older people.
Pros: Wysall has a good range of properties and there's a decent little pub, a church and a village hall.
Cons: It lacks a shop.
Living in Keyworth
Transport:
Rail: You can either head into Nottingham, which has a direct link to London St Pancras, or alternatively go to Radcliffe-on-Trent to catch a train to Grantham, which is on the East Coast Mainline to London King’s Cross.
Road: Only five minutes from the A52 ring road for heading east and west, and the same to the A46 to go south and north.
The A606 provides a quick link to Melton Mowbray and the A1.
Bus: Trent Barton’s Keyworth Connection is an excellent, regular service to and from Nottingham city centre.
Dunn Line’s number 63 runs from Bingham through Keyworth and Plumtree to the Queen’s Medical Centre.
Air: Around half an hour to East Midlands Airport at Castle Donington, which has mainly European flights but also a few long-haul.
Shopping:
Keyworth: In the village centre there’s a Somerfield and a Co-op, with a Sainsbury’s Local in Nottingham Road and a Budgens in Church Drive.
Also in the village centre, around Main Street, are a dozen or so smaller shops including a chemist, butcher, banks, and post office.
A precinct in Wolds Drive offers a carpet shop, pet store, charity shop, opticians, butcher and bakery.
And, if it takes your fancy, you can buy rocks and fossils at the shop run by the British Geological Survey in Nicker Hill.
Stanton-on-the-Wolds: None in the heart of the village, but the Murco garage in Melton Road does have a small shop.
Plumtree: Again, no shops in the heart of the village but there’s a nearby garage in Melton Road for basic provisions.
There are no shops in Wysall or Normanton-on-the-Wolds.
Eating & Drinking:
Restaurants: The most well-regarded is Perkins Restaurant and Bar in Station Road, Plumtree, on the site of the old railway station. It was awarded Midlands Restaurant of the Year in 2007 in the Which? Good Food Guide.
In Keyworth, Indian Nights in Nottingham Road is a very good curry house, while takeaways include the Keyworth Fish Bar, Moghul Indian, Mario’s Pizzas, and Jasmine House Chinese, all in Wolds Drive. Most of the pubs also do food.
Cafés: Stanton-on-the-Wolds has the Lilacs Café based in Moore’s Garden Centre in Melton Road.
Pubs: Keyworth has the Salutation in Main Street, the Plough in Selby Lane, Keyworth Tavern in Fairway, and – confusingly – the Fairway in Nottingham Road.
There’s the Plough in Old Melton Road, Normanton-on-the-Wolds; the Griffin in Main Road, Plumtree; and yet another Plough, this time in Main Street, Wysall, which has a nice beer garden.
Sport:
Football: Keyworth United Community FC has over 20 teams and plays at both Platt Lane and Nottingham Road.
Cricket: Keyworth Cricket Club has two sides in the South Notts Cricket League. Plumtree Cricket Club plays at a pleasant little ground next to the railway bridge in the village.
Rugby: Keyworth RFC runs a number of teams and plays at Willoughby Lane in Widmerpool.
Golf: Stanton-on-the-Wolds Golf Club in Stanton Lane has a parkland course. Also nearby is the municipal nine-hole Edwalton golf course.
Leisure centre: Keyworth Leisure Centre in Church Drive has a 20m pool plus a training pool. It shares other facilities such as courts and a gymnasium with the adjacent South Wolds Community School.
Entertainment:
Cinema: There’s the Showcase on the A52 ring road about ten minutes away, or head into Nottingham city centre for the multi-screen Cineworld, the smaller Broadway and Screen Room or the Savoy in Derby Road.
Theatre: The city centre has both the Theatre Royal and the Playhouse as well as smaller venues. Keyworth itself also has an active Dramatic Society.
Parks and Open Spaces:
There are a number of woods surrounding Keyworth, which are good for country walks, as well as Keyworth Meadow Nature Reserve off Lings Lane.
It’s also only five minutes to the impressive Rushcliffe Country Park in Ruddington.
Play areas in Keyworth and the other villages are a bit thin on the ground, however.