Quiet street fondly nicknamed 'Balamory' loved by neighbours for rainbow view

31 May 2023 , 14:42

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The street's colourful front doors have been nicknamed 'Balamory' (Image: Laycie Beck)

A street in Nottinghamshire has been called "Balamory" by local residents thanks to the splash of colour it brings to the neighbourhood in the form of its brightly coloured front doors.

Each of the 16 houses on the left side of Wilson Street in Newark boasts a different colour door, ranging from pink to green and from yellow to blue.

While some doors do share the same colour, no two houses next to each other are the same, with those in the local area comparing the whimsical street to the children's TV show Balamory, where each character had a distinctive colour palette that matched the house they lived in.

Each door boasts a different vibrant colour (Laycie Beck)

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, homemaker Virginia Robinson explained that when she first moved into her home on the street more than three decades ago, all the front doors were the same shade of green.

But when the landlord who owned the properties decided to bring a splash of colour to the street, every house received its own unique colour. Virginia said: "They were first all green, a bright green shade, maybe a bit darker, and then the land lord decided to paint them a bit more. We've had green, pink, purple, black."

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According to another resident named Hazel Arcaris, the landlord of the properties actually gives his tenants a choice on what colour they'd like their door to be, and they can change it if they want to.

She explained: "Every year or so he will paint them and ask you what colour you want your door to be. I used to live at number 12 and I picked yellow, which is why it is yellow.

"I always hear the kids coming past and their parents asking them which colour the doors are. It just makes people happy."

However, as many of the doors are shared by multiple units, the colour of the door depends on which resident is asked.

Freelance illustrator, Alex Hollands, of Newark, said: "I've been here since February, about four months. It's good yeah, no complaints. I didn't really know it was anything special. I like the doors yeah, I would rather have a bright door than a grey door."

While the bright doors in Newark might bring some joy to the town, one mum in Edinburgh wasn't given the same treatment - as an anonymous complaint meant she was ordered to paint her pink front door.

Miranda Dickinson was told by the City of Edinburgh Council to re-paint her door after they deemed the pink hue to not be "in keeping with the historic character" of the listed building.

The 49-year-old tried to have the enforcement notice overturned but was unsuccessful, so decided to comply with the request to change her door's colour - by painting it green instead.

Zahna Eklund