Nottingham (England)

...History ~

Nottingham is the principal city of Nottinghamshire and the county is divided by the RIVER TRENT, which for centuries also was the dividing point of the nation. The first mention of Nottingham itself was in the Anglo-Saxon chronicles of AD 867 when it was then known at Snotengaham. The actual shire of Nottingham was created in the 10th century and was raised to county status by King Henry VI in 1448.

During ...
...By the mid 18th century Nottingham also had a thriving textile and lace industry.

Over the last century or more three large companies have dominated Nottingham; Boots The Chemists, Players and Raleigh Cycles.


~ City layout ~

Nottingham’s city centre area is pretty compact with everything within easy walking distance. Dominated by the castle on it’s rocky outcrop to the west, the city centre mainly ... more

~ History ~

Nottingham is the principal city of Nottinghamshire and the county is divided by the RIVER TRENT, which for centuries also was the dividing point of the nation. The first mention of Nottingham itself was in the Anglo-Saxon chronicles of AD 867 when it was then known at Snotengaham. The actual shire of Nottingham was created in the 10th century and was raised to county status by King Henry VI in 1448.

During the civil war, Charles I chose here to raise his standard; probably due to the town’s past record for defending the monarchy. However the call to arms received a poor response and as soon as the King had marched away the town became a Parliamentarian stronghold.

To begin with, Nottingham’s prosperity rested largely on the River Trent and it’s main crossing point TRENT BRIDGE. Not only was it the perfect way to get goods in and out of the town, but also it was an opportunity to raise revenue by charging tolls. The earliest industries were coal, wool dyeing and brewing. By the mid 18th century Nottingham also had a thriving textile and lace industry.

Over the last century or more three large companies have dominated Nottingham; Boots The Chemists, Players and Raleigh Cycles.

~ City layout ~

Nottingham’s city centre area is pretty compact with everything within easy walking distance. Dominated by the castle on it’s rocky outcrop to the west, the city centre mainly runs from the Victoria Shopping Centre at the north to the Broadmarsh Centre to the south. Most streets running between both Shopping Centres are pedestrianised which makes shopping in Nottingham such a pleasant and pleasing experience!

In the centre of all this is a large open space, the OLD MARKET SQUARE, affectionately known to us locals as Slab Square. Bordered by shops on three sides and the imposing edifice that is the COUNCIL HOUSE on the other and with it’s twin fountains, fabulous summer time floral displays and seating areas, makes this a very amenable place to just watch the world go by.

~ Shopping ~

Nottingham has, so I’m reliably told by one online site, over 800 shops although I have to say I’ve never counted them! Whether it’s a large department store you’re looking for, or a well-known high street name or even a small and specialist retailer, Nottingham has something for you.

The VICTORIA CENTRE (the Viccy), which was opened in the early 1970’s on the site of Nottingham’s old Victoria railway station, is on two floors and was recently extended. It houses two department stores; House of Fraser and John Lewis, many high street chain stores (Smiths, Top Shop, Next, Mothercare, Disney, MVC) and two Boots shops; one of which is the largest in the country. At one end is a fountain/clock that plays a cute little tune each hour and has practically become a tourist attraction in its own right! The VICTORIA MARKET (full integrated into the shopping centre) is the place to go for all your typical market stall bargains, NOTTINGHAM LACE and is a cheap and cheerful place to sit and have a cup of coffee in one of its many cafes.

The BROADMARSH CENTRE is also on two floors but isn’t as big as it’s older cousin. However plans have been released that will make it overshadow the Viccy Centre as it’s apparently going to at least double in size! It also has it’s own department store, Allders, and an array of high street names including BHS, Hobbycraft, Poundstretcher, Wilkinsons and Thorntons. By the main entrance here is a large open area that contains a branch of Café Delifrance and to be honest that’s the only halfway decent place to grab a drink and a sit down here.

With so many streets in the city centre being pedestrianised, there’s more to shopping here than just in those two centres. Debenhams is on the Market Square as is Littlewoods and CLUMBER STREET has a vast array of smaller shops including Lush, Superdrug and H. Samuels. Both the FLYING HORSE WALK (an old pub) and EXCHANGE ARCADE (under the council house) house exclusive and designer boutiques that are well worth a look as long as money is no object to you! When here the LACE MARKET/HOCKLEY area shouldn’t be missed for its smaller ‘trendy’ shops, unique outlets and eateries.

~ Tourist attractions ~

The CASTLE gatehouse and walls are all original and medieval but the original castle was destroyed by fire at the end of the civil war. In its place was built a ‘ducal’ palace that is now a museum housing some fine exhibits from Nottingham’s past and it also houses fine and contemporary art displays. The castle grounds are all landscaped and offer some spectacular views over the city and for miles beyond on a good, clear day. Just outside the castle gates is a statue of ROBIN HOOD, which has to be the most photographed object in the city. Opposite this statue is the SEVERNS BUIDING, which is probably Nottingham’s oldest building and is another good place to buy official NOTTINGHAM LACE.

Below the castle rock is the BREWHOUSE YARD MUSEUM which houses some excellent exhibits tracing Nottingham life back through the ages. This is the place to come for examples of more everyday items all set within groups to put them into context. This museum also has very knowledgeable guides but unfortunately isn’t wheelchair/pushchair friendly.

A minute’s walk from the castle brings you to the MUSEUM OF COSTUME AND TEXTILE. This charts fashion changes down the years and shows the importance of the textile industry to Nottingham’s heritage. The TALES OF ROBIN HOOD, (a two minute walk away from the castle) on Maid Marion Way is a ride through medieval history during which you get to experience the sights, sounds and smells of life all those years ago.

Underneath many of the streets of Nottingham especially around the castle and Broadmarsh are CAVES; over 400 hundred of them in total. Some of them are accessible from the first floor of the Broadmarsh Centre and the tour takes you through caves used as tanneries, air raid shelters and Victorian slums. Not all caves are available for viewing; some are classed as being unsafe and others are still in use under the citys many pubs!

A short walk across the city centre brings you to the old SHIRE HALL, which has now been turned into the GALLERIES OF JUSTICE. Here you can learn practically all there is to know about the British justice system through the ages; from the gallows out in the courtyard, the Victorian courtroom, the County Goal and right through to modern crime scene investigations.

Nearby, in the LACEMARKET area is the MUSEUM OF LACE. Nottingham paved the way in lace making machines, which took the production out of the cottages and into factories and the history is shown here. The scientist George Green is remembered at GREEN’S MILL in Sneinton, which is a working windmill that he once owned and it is now a science centre.

Once a year, during the first week in October Nottingham hosts the GOOSE FAIR, the largest travelling fair in Europe. It's basically a convergence of lots of smaller fairs that all come together in Nottingham for their end of year finale. Now held on THE FOREST on Mansfield Road (a 10 minute walk from the city centre heading north) it's a 3-day extravaganza of lights, noise, big rides and side shows. It's name dates back centuries from when an annual farmers fair was held in the market square. Nowadays it's one place where asking for a cock-on-a-stick won't get you slapped...

~ Parks and green spaces ~

In total, within the city boundary are 32 parks and gardens so it’s just not possible to list them all here along with their various attributes so I’ll just stick to the two most popular and well known ones…

To the south west of the city centre is WOLLATON HALL and its surrounding PARKLAND. Designed by Robert Smythson and built in 1588 it is now the home to the city’s NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM. The stables are home to the INDUSTRIAL MUSEUM, the STEAM ENGINE HOUSE and the VISITORS CENTRE. Set in 500 acres of lush green grass with it’s own lake and free roaming deer, Wollaton Hall makes an excellent place to spend a day away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.

The ARBOURETUM slightly to the north of the city centre was opened in 1852 following the Enclosures Act (1845) deemed all towns and cities needed public garden spaces. It’s currently Grade II listed and contains a bandstand, small lake, aviaries as well as various themed-planted borders. This is a popular spot for the city’s business folk taking lunchtime break in the summer as well as for families who just fancy a breath of fresh air whilst staying in the heart of Nottingham.

~ Sports ~

Nottingham is of course home to two football clubs, NOTTS COUNTY and NOTTINGHAM FOREST. With County playing at Meadow Lane on the Northern bank of the Trent and Forest’s City Ground directly opposite them on the southern bank these two teams are as close as two teams could be placed in a city. Notts County are the oldest surviving club in the football league and the rivalry between the two clubs is as fierce today as it ever was, their proximity is about the only thing that’s close with them!

If soccer isn’t your thing, then there’s always the RUGBY club, or you can watch Nottinghamshire CRICKET club playing their games at TRENT BRIDGE which of course attracts Test Matches. If neither of those appeals then you could try the RACECOURSE out at Colwick (an eastern suburb) where you can watch horseracing or greyhound racing, or you could watch the slalom canoeists and the rowers at the NATIONAL WATERSPORTS CENTRE at Home Pierpoint.

If you’re more of a hands-on sort of person you can ice skate at the brand spanking new NOTTINGHAM ICE CENTRE, which is part of the new NOTTINGHAM ARENA. Here you can also watch speed skating and the NOTTINGHAM PANTHERS, our ice hockey team. Just round the corner is the 10 pin bowling centre which also has a bar and café. At the TENNIS CENTRE there is an international tournament in the week before Wimbledon and it’s also now one of the top training centres in the country. Nottingham of course boasts plenty of LEISURE CENTRES most of which have swimming pools. Nothing Olympian naturally but all of them family friendly, especially the one at RUSHCLIFFE that is more like a fun park!

~ Cinema/theatres/concerts~

Following what seems to be a national trend, Nottingham now only has one small cinema showing the latest releases (The Savoy on Derby Road). To watch an up to date movie you have two choices. You can go to the new WARNER VILLAGE complex in the city centre or to the SHOWCASE out at Clifton. Small budget and foreign films are shown at the BROADWAY MEDIA CENTRE, again in the city centre.

For theatre goers there’s the old THEATRE ROYAL with it’s white pillared exterior and multi-tiered plush interior, the PLAYHOUSE which is a far more modern building and the LACE MARKET THEATRE which shows modern and contemporary dramas.

There are three primary concert venues in the city. The oldest is the ALBERT HALL with its old multi-piped organ, which is used primarily for classical concerts and choral events. The ROYAL CENTRE hosts larger classical concerts, comedy evenings and for many years pop and rock concerts. It has now been overshadowed by the NOTTINGHAM ARENA, which has seating for 8,000 and now holds all major gigs with the capacity to attract the biggest names in the music industry.

~ Pubs/clubs/restaurants ~

Nottingham has hundreds of pubs and bars ranging from the very plain to modern and to the most upmarket so there really should be something there to suit everyone’s tastes! Yes there are gay pubs and clubs too so there’s absolutely no excuse for anybody not to have a good night out! I know that Nottingham has become synonymous with trouble at night fuelled by drink but that is isolated to the city centre at weekends and with a population of around 50,000 students then things have always been lively anyway. The city boasts a wide range of restaurants from traditional British fare to many other nationalities. There’s also a wide range of price options, from the cheap and cheerful to the very posh and exclusive.

Nottingham also boasts what is believed to be the oldest inn in England and it’s claim is certainly world famous. YE OLDE TRIP TO JERUSALEM dates from 1189, the same year Richard the First was crowned and its name is probably connected with the fact that Richard made the third crusade to the Holy Land. In those days a trip meant a resting place on a journey and as the castle on the rock above was a royalist stronghold, the inn was a break point in the journey to Jerusalem; hence the TRIP to Jerusalem.

~ Transportation ~

Getting around Nottingham and its suburbs is made easy with its excellent public transport system. From rail to buses, park and ride to the soon to be opened first tram line and to the local airport Nottingham seems to be light years apart from other large cities with its integrated transport network.

CITY TRANSPORT buses are the main operator for all services within the city boundaries and TRENT & BARTON buses serve the outlying towns and villages of Nottinghamshire as well as further afield into Derbyshire and even up to Manchester. The city centre has two BUS STATIONS. The VICTORIA BUS STATION is a plastic and glass modern affair built to replace the old one when the Shopping Centre was extended. This station serves mainly Trent/Barton buses that stay within the shire boundaries. The BROADMARSH BUS STATION is a dark and dingy affair underneath the Shopping centre car park. This again serves Trent buses that mainly travel further afield and is also the central point for all NATIONAL EXPESS services.

The TRAIN STATION, a couple of minutes walk from the Broadmarsh has 6 platforms and has recently been cleaned up and refurbished. CENTRAL TRAINS are the main operators from here and offer regular services to as diverse destinations as Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Skegness, Norwich and Worksop (on the re-opened Robin Hood Line). MIDLAND MAINLINE is the company that run trains to London. They offer an hourly high-speed service to the capital as well as an hourly slower service. The high-speed version furnished by Intercity 125 trains makes the journey in around an hour and a half.

The City Council runs 4 park-and-ride schemes across Nottingham allowing car drivers to park their cars safely outside the main city centre and then travel in on buses. The cost for this is by the carload and varies from £1.50 to £2.50. The car parks for this are all security conscious and problems are rare. Rarer still are problems with the cities many car parks for those who want to bring their cars right into the centre. Charges are reasonable to high but most of the car parks make shopping easy as they are positioned around the shopping centres.

2003 is the year of the tram for Nottingham with the first line of the NET network due to open in November. NET stands for Nottingham Express Transit and this first line will run from the railway station up to Hucknall. Much disruption has been caused with the construction work over the last few years but now the final touches are being put in place and soon the lines will be powered up and testing will begin.

~ Accommodation ~

Nottingham has accommodation to suit everyone’s budgets. There’s everything here from a backpackers hostel to small family run guesthouses; and from larger hotels to known chains like Holiday Inn and Hilton. Further out of the centre there are also several campsites and there’s always Centre Parks….

Hopefully this guide to my hometown has given you all an insight into the place that is fast becoming much maligned in the press. I’ve lived here for my entire 35 years on this earth and I’m in no hurry to leave! Nottingham has plenty to offer visitors whether they are of the day trip variety or for people who want to base their holidays here. We certainly do well tourist wise with many thousands of overseas visitors flocking here each year, in particular Americans and the Japanese. If you do decide to pass by and take a look, please remember there’s way more to my town than Robin Hood!
 

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