Nockton Vale

Allow me to present the map to Nockton Vale.

Click on it to get a closer look. 

All my stories are either set somewhere in Nockton Vale or are linked to it somehow.

Barton and Nockton are twin towns in a valley that is known as Nockton Vale. The name Nockton Vale encompasses both towns. Barton is the poor relation to the more prosperous Nockton. There are nicer and poorer areas of both towns but generally Barton is a sinister and rundown area.

Readers of my oldest stories from my silver age may recall that Barton was always there but generally regarded as a suburb of another unnamed town. In fact I based it somewhat on Boscombe, one of the seedier districts of Bournemouth, where I live.

Barton One of two original settlements, greatly expanded during the early twentieth century with the factories becoming a binary conurbation with Nockton on top because the wealthy people lived there
Annbury		Relatively nice area. Has high school: Annbury High Home of: Tony and Tina Miller from Class
Barton Green		Diamond of grass 3 blocks of flats Batten Hall – home of Badger and his whores Whores and drugs Worst crime district Home of: Annie & Badger in One Thing Different Tommy & Lorraine in Poor The Heart in Hand Pub
Barton Mills		Factory district Many sprawling factories Flats in old warehouse buildings and converted factories Home of: Cooper’s Textiles, employer of: Ivy from LAIII
Barton Shopping Precinct		Open air pay & display car parks Open air shops – lots of narrow winding roads off the gaudy high street (with cars)
Barton Station		Ground level station and train yard used originally and still for transporting factory goods
Corbridge		Very old dilapidated buildings, mostly of multiple occupancy. Many abandoned hovels. Home of: Angie & Kevin Pane in The Pattern
Hillfort		Higher central area of Barton Home of Sadie & Mik in Criminal Record
Pondgate		Very old and run down area flanking one of the entrances across the railway Home of: Susie from Whore
Sudwell		Overlooks train track Home of: Trace from Give Anything
Swinfirth (pig wood)		Most poverty stricken area Near the woods Home of: Charlie & Ivy in Lady Ann 3
Nockton
The Middle Suburbs
Ashfield		Low rent housing backing onto Ockham. Quite a lot of shared housing. Home of: Lionel Humber and Jenny Main from Wishing Well
Chauncy		One of the oldest suburbs – plenty of big old buildings, a fair number in disrepair Row of shops with slanted parking bays out front and a big car park with two entrances behind (like in Broadstone), a steakhouse and pub called the Hunter’s Moon. Swimming pool at the other side of the mini roundabout next to the shops. Gradual slope rising very steeply beyond it – too steeply for housing Home of:   Alison & Geoff in Man: Wanted John in Man: Wanted
Dairystoke Industrial Estate		Built on the site of an old dairy farm
Deerbarrow		Reasonably nice housing Stream runs through from ravine before going underground at edge of Ockham Home of: Shotgun owner in ????
Fairgate		Ordinary suburb. Row of shops on the dual-carriageway overlooking the petrol station Home of: Shops, cafe and petrol station from One Thing Different Pharmacy used in Give Anything
Howekirk (church on a mound)		Where the original Nockton abbey stood on a mound – now partly ruined Home of: The hero of Stuck
Lockwood		Reasonably nice newish suburb – quite a lot of upper-market housing estates with a small village centre: high school, shops, doctors
Lyon Estates		New unfinished estate on the east edge of town. Named after where Marty lives in Back to the Future
Mossgill		One of the cheaper middle suburbs Home of: Camilla & Ken Blaine from Give Anything
Nockton Marsh		Estate built in sixties and seventies – bit dated and in disrepair Home of: High school attended by Tina and Lucy from Turning Round County Hall
Redbush		Sloped in two directions down toward Wilder’s Pool. Middle to cheap housing, lower in standard to Chauncy and Wilder’s Pool but higher than Breton. Home of: Steve (Geoff’s customer) in Man: Wanted Nockton U
Wilder’s Pool		Westmost suburb of Nockton with some nice views down the valley Home of: Protagonist of Whore Marjorie and Peter from Wishing Well the Artesian Well health spa from Man: Wanted The Willows: Old people’s home and Vera Dickenson from The Pattern
Nockton Town Centre
Breton		Conurbation surrounding the Narrows. Smaller housing, lots of rented accommodation. The centre where the Narrows is on a steepish hill  that flattens and then starts to climb again through Chauncy. The hill drops sharply down to the east into Ockham  Home of: Sangeeta in Man: Wanted The Old Squire Hotel from Man: Wanted
Coalmere		Older business district Home if: TV Studio from One Thing Different Nockton Crier Newspaper
Hurley Park		In the centre of town with a stream running through it from up at the ravine
Nockton Market – part of the Gullies		Famous for its narrow streets and unusual crafts. Jewellery sold there is well regarded in outside of the town
Nockton Station		A sunken station lower than ground level
Ockham		Industrial shopping area with big shops, cinema and restaurants. Some purely industrial units too Home of: Autoparts from Man: Wanted
Shopping Precinct		Open air high street shops in something of a decline since Tower Gates and Ockham. Has an old three screen cinema Home of: Stanwick Hair & Beauty from Plain & Stupid
South Business District		Factory area built up by Richard Hurley. Now old factories as converted to office space with some newer blocks built in the fifties and seventies
The Narrows		Older and narrower side of town centre within Breton: a few remaining timbre-framed buildings
Tower Gates		Indoor shopping mall Home of: Sangeeta’s Beauty Booth in Man: Wanted
Riverside
Bycastle		Ancient site of original Nockton settlement. Now a quaint old town mostly full of expensive housing
Meadside Business Park		New business district Home of: Ken Blaine’s work from Give Anything The Empire Building containing: Wilton Danborough Business Consultancy from Wishing Well
Pinecrest		Very exclusive village housing over the river Home of: Dahlia from Cleaner
Winterbank		Brand new development on reclaimed marsh land . Exclusive apartment blocks overlooking the river Home of: Helen in Plain & Stupid
Nockton Heights (or The Heights) To the south of town
Chalfont		Up the hill on the east Home of: Holly in Criminal Record The Hawthornes in Rich & Poor
Farley		Up the hill on the west   Not quite as nice as Chalfont Shopping area has boutiques selling designer clothes Home of: Samantha & Gemma  from One Thing Different
Bridges
Barton Bridge
Coach Bridge		The narrow bridge crosses from the east end of town at the end of a track off the road. Single lane and very old
Stately Home
Crackshaw		The manor itself The narrow Coach Bridge crosses from the town at the end of a track off the road Home of Lord Richard Hurley in Lady Ann
Roundabouts (anti-clockwise)
Asda	Fairgate	Barton Mills	Riverside
Castle	Redbush	Breton	Chauncy
Deerbarrow	Ockham	Lockwood	Howekirk
Lowton	New	Dairystoke

Schools
Annebury High	High school
Barton Tech	Technical College in Hillfort with spread out urban “campus”
Chauncy C of E Primary School	Primary School
Corbridge Junior School	Junior School Pupils: Toby Benson from House Swap
Lockwood Grammar	Grammar school
Nockton Marsh	C of E high school and separate sixth form college Students: Tina & Lucy from Turning Round

Shops
Mirror Images	Discount chavvy clothes store in Barton Employees: Sharleen Gibson & Monica Benson from House Swap Also seen in: Give Anything

Organisations
County Hall	In Nockton Marsh. Overflow offices in 1st two floors of the Empire Building in Meadside
Friends of Nockton	Conservation group who meet in Bycastle village hall on alternate Thursdays Responsible for: Restoring Bycastle wishing well
Garland Homes	Big property development business In: Coalmere Employees: ? Pennyworth (Land Buying Executive)
Heart in Hand Pub	Very rough pub In: Barton Green Employees: Wayne Gibson from House Swap
Nockton Cryer	Newspaper Employees: Hero from The Pattern
Nockton U	University in Redbush Employees: Andrew Painton (Senior Lecturer) Helen from Plain & Stupid (Lecturer)
The Willows	Old folks home in Wilder’s Pool Home of: Vera Dickenson from The Pattern
Town Planning Department	Ground Floor of the Empire Building Employees: Ben from The Pattern (Team Leader)
Wilton Danborough Business Consultancy	Employees: Richard Wilton (President) Mr. Danborough (VC) Ken Blaine from Give Anything (Sales Manager) Lionel Humber from Wishing Well (low level IT) Roland Lake (his supervisor) Marjory Ferguson from Wishing Well (HR Manager) Ned (Department Head) Zoe Kellerman (Administration Manager)