A Brief History
Mansfield Road (Nottingham) Baptist Housing Association Ltd (MRBHA) was formed in 1968 by members of the Mansfield Road Baptist Church in Nottingham, specifically to provide accommodation for the elderly. Its first project, Mansfield House, opened in 1969 as a Residential Care Home with accommodation for seven residents.
The Association’s next development, Fox Grove Court, was a purpose built complex of self-contained apartments for the elderly with resident warden on a plot of land on the corner of Fox Grove and Nottingham Road, just off the outer ring road in Basford. It opened in 1981 with 29 self-contained units. This complex further expanded in 1989 when land adjacent was purchased enabling an extra 12 apartments to be added.
Lincoln Court, situated to the rear of St Hugh’s Catholic Church in Bilborough, was built and opened in 1990 with 22 self-contained apartments.
In 1999 the assets and the management of William Olds Court in Wollaton were transferred to MRBHA from the Nottingham Old People’s Welfare Society. This complex of 34 single person units was built in the 1960’s. With the help of government grants a program of refurbishment to update the accommodation and facilities was completed in 2003.
MRBHA still has close links with Mansfield Road Baptist Church and when Forest Lodge and its grounds adjacent to the church on Sherwood Rise came on the market in 1997 the Association was pleased to be successful in purchasing this at auction. The condition of the property was poor and after long and careful deliberation the inevitable decision to demolish the house had to be taken. In its place is now a very smart new complex of flats which was re-named Spencer Court after the Jessie Spencer Trust who made a major financial contribution to the project. Tenants moved in during the summer of 2001.