Nottingham is a city in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham is a member of the English Core Cities Group. Nottingham is a city in England known as the “Queen of the Midlands” which is famed for its links with the world-renowned legend Robin Hood.
Nottingham City proper has a population of 288,700. The Nottingham Urban Area has a population of 667,000, but much of this is in the surrounding boroughs, which are not part of the City, and some of it spills over into the the neighbouring administrative County of Derbyshire. The urban area is the 7th largest urban area in the United Kingdom, ranking between Liverpool (6th) and Sheffield (8th).
The city proper population is notably smaller, this is because the city boundary is an historical one and is tightly drawn, therefore this boundary excludes many places which today are part of Nottingham. The Nottingham Urban Area does include these areas which are the large expanse of suburbs, along with nearby towns such as Ilkeston and Eastwood.
The City of Nottingham boundaries are tightly drawn and exclude several suburbs and satellite towns that are usually considered part of Greater Nottingham, including Arnold, Carlton, West Bridgford, Beeston and Stapleford. Outlying towns and villages include Hucknall, Eastwood, Tollerton, Ruddington, Ilkeston and Long Eaton of which the last two are in Derbyshire. The geographical area of Greater Nottingham includes several local authorities: Gedling, Broxtowe, Rushcliffe, Ashfield, Erewash and Amber Valley.
At the heart of Nottingham City Centre is the Old Market Square. This 22,000 sq/m open space is the largest square in England and was refurbished in 2007 to include a large water feature, which consists of numerous fountains and gushing rapids. The entire square was also re-surfaced with granite slabs.
Nottingham receives a considerable volume of tourism, with almost 300,000 people visiting from overseas in 2005 alone. Many visitors are attracted by Nottingham’s nightlife and shops, by its history, and by the legend of Robin Hood, visiting Sherwood Forest, Nottingham Castle and The Tales of Robin Hood on Maid Marian Way. Popular history-based tourist attractions in central Nottingham include the Castle, City of Caves, Lace Market, The Galleries of Justice, and the City’s ancient pubs.
Parks and gardens include Wollaton Park (over 500 acres) near the University Highfields Park on the University of Nottingham campus, Colwick Park, which includes the racecourse, and the Nottingham Arboretum, Forest Recreation Ground and Victoria Park which are in or close to the city centre. Sherwood Forest, Rufford Country Park, Creswell Crags and Clumber Park are further away from the city itself. A new park is being developed in the city at the Eastside City development.
The Nottingham Robin Hood Society was originally formed by Robin Hood historian Jim Lees and two Nottingham teachers Steve and Ewa Theresa West in 1972. Steve and Ewa Theresa played the part of Maid Marion and Robin Hood and attracted a ‘ band’ of like minded followers who ‘ costumed up ‘ nearly every weekend for a function . The then society acted in street theatre, appeared at charity events and functions and for several years ‘ held up ‘ the appointed Sheriff of Nottingham at the opening of the annual Nottingham Festival. The society also made a film for Japanese Television and joined in picnics and midnight vigils around in Major Oak to promote tourism. Although a Nottingham Robin Hood Society remains the original society members disbanded after the death of Jim Lees.
Nottingham Council House which overlooks the square can be seen for miles around thanks to its dome which rises 200 ft (61 m) above the city, and is lit up at night. Inside the Council House is the Exchange Arcade, an upmarket shopping centre which houses many high class shops, shopping being one of the main attractions of the City. Radiating out from the central square are the other areas of the city. The Hockley quarter, characterised by a higher proportion of independent retailers and alternative cinema, is situated to the east of the city.
Hockley is adjacent to the Lace Market area which is home to many large grand Victorian era buildings owing to Nottingham’s importance in the Victorian Lace Industry, the city’s interesting history being another main attraction. To the south of the square shopping streets lead their way into the soon to be totally rebuilt Broadmarsh shopping centre. Beyond the shopping centre lies the canal which is a pleasant area full of cafes and restaurants.
To the west is Nottingham Castle and Maid Marian Way which is home to The Tales of Robin Hood along with the majority of the high rise office buildings in the city. Northwards from the square more major shopping streets lead to the Victoria Shopping Centre and to an entertainment quarter with numerous restaurants and a cinema complex. The Theatre Royal, Nottingham on Theatre Square and Nottingham Playhouse at the Albert Hall can also be found here.
Nottingham is the major city in the East Midlands of England, its prosperity historically derived mostly from the lace making and coal-mining industries - little of which now remain. Nottingham has moved towards a more service-based economy.
The centre of Nottingham lies on the River Leen and its southern boundary follows the course of the River Trent, which flows from Stoke to the Humber. According to the 2001 census, Nottingham has an estimated city population of 275,100. The Nottingham Urban Area conurbation (which includes surrounding suburbs outside the city boundary, and neighbouring towns) has a population of 666,358 (2001 Census). Nottingham is a member of the English Core Cities Group.
The heart of the city is the Old Market Square, which underwent a major redevelopment in 2006. Most of the main shopping streets are around the square. The Council House, whose disproportionately tall dome can be seen for miles around, is at the top of the square. The inside of the Council House is the Exchange Arcade, a shopping centre. A bohemian quarter of the city known as Hockley has arisen in recent years, situated close to the Lace Market area. Nottingham receives a lot of tourism, mostly because of the legend of Robin Hood, visiting Sherwood forest and Nottingham Castle.
Nottingham has some truly magnificent architecture, buildings from a vast swathe of history stretching right back to the 1100s have been built in the City. Victorian Nottingham saw a building boom with many grand buildings being built owing to the City’s 19th century importance. Architects such as Alfred Waterhouse, Thomas Chambers Hine and Watson Fothergill have all built spectacular buildings in Nottingham.
The western third of the city is home to most of the modern offices and businesses of the city, several tall office buildings line Maid Marian Way whilst there are some handsome buildings around Oxford and Regent Streets mainly occupied by professional firms. The Albert Hall was rebuilt in 1909 after the original Watson Fothergill masterpiece burnt down, sits next to the comparatively unimpressive Nottingham Cathedral by Pugin. Nottingham Castle and its grounds are located further south in the western third of the city.
The central third descends from the University district in the north, past the Arkwright Building which is a beautiful example of gothic revival architecture and was previously Nottingham’s public library - Nottingham Trent University now owns this building as well as many in the area. Theatre Royal on Theatre Square with its pillared façade was built in 1865 in just six months. Head further south down King and Queen Street which are home to many magnificent Victorian architecture buildings designed by the likes of Alfred Waterhouse who designed London’s Natural History Museum and Nottingham’s own Watson Fothergill whose buildings are distinctive and unique.
The central focal point of the City is Old Market Square which is the largest in the UK and is home to many beautiful buildings, most notably Nottingham Council House. This was built in the 1920s to display civic pride, ostentatiously using baroque columns and placing stone statues of two lions at the front to stand watch over the square; the Exchange Arcade inside the building contains an upmarket shopping centre with boutique shops, it is a small but beautiful covered area. Portland Stone, the same as used for St Paul’s Cathedral, was used to construct the Council House and Exchange Arcade. Streets lead from all directions off the square but to the south, shopping streets lead their way in to the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre which is soon to be completely rebuilt. Plans include a massive three floor centre with glass covered ’streets’ (similar to the Birmingham Bullring) a landmark new building on the south west corner of the site and a new transport terminus for the proposed tram lines and buses.
The Canal side, further south of this is adjacent to the railway station and several new but sympathetically designed modern offices are planned. This is an inviting redevelopment of 19th century industrial buildings into a cluster of bars and restaurants. The eastern third of the city contains the Victoria Shopping Centre which was built in the 1970s on the site of the demolished Victoria Railway Station. All that remains of the beautiful old station building is the clock tower and the station hotel which is now the Hilton Hotel, Nottingham. The Victoria Centre flats stand above the shopping centre. At 250 feet high they are the tallest buildings in the city. The eastern third also contains perhaps the most interesting areas of the city, such as Hockley Village. (Photos) Hockley is where the vast majority of the unique, independent shops are to be found. Hockley is also home to two cinemas which show alternative cinema.
They are the Broadway cinema and The Screen Room cinema. The Screen Room is the smallest in the world with only 21 seats and was the cinema of choice for Quentin Tarantino’s UK premier of Reservoir Dogs. The Lace Market area is another interesting area just south of Hockley. The Lace Market was once the heart of Britain’s Lace industry during the 19th century British Empire and the area provides a snapshot of typical Victorian Britain, with its densely packed streets full of 4-7 story red brick warehouses, ornate iron railings and red phone boxes.
These have all been restored and cleaned and the buildings are now used for different purposes, New College Nottingham now has many sites in the Lace Market including the impressive Adams Building built by Thomas Chambers Hine for Thomas Adams. Many of the buildings are also now used for upmarket city centre apartments. Several bars and restaurants also have premises in the Lace Market. The area was once a run down one with the warehouses abandoned but since cleaning and gentrification is now an attractive aspect to this part of the city. The church of St Mary the Virgin is also in this area and is widely considered to be the best example of an English cross-shaped church. On this medieval site was supposedly where Robin Hood was arrested after being betrayed by a monk and subsequently imprisoned by the Sheriff of Nottingham, before being rescued by Little John. It and the adjacent Shire Hall are two interesting buildings from the city’s medieval past. The Georgian built Galleries of Justice are also in the Lace Market, they were used as courts and prisons from 1780 for 200 years although the site has been home to a court since 1375.
Wollaton Hall lies about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to the west of the city centre. This building built in 1588 is a massive piece of spectacular Tudor period architecture, it is home to the city’s Natural History Museum and is set in 500 acres (2.0 km2) of deer park taking a large chunk out of the urban area surrounding it. It is located just north of the University of Nottingham’s University Park Campus.
Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem partially built into the cave system beneath the castle claims the title of “England’s Oldest Pub” due partly to the questionable date of 1189 painted on the side of the inn, whilst The Bell Inn on the Old Market Square, and Ye Olde Salutation Inn on Maid Marian Way have both disputed this by laying claim to being the oldest public house in the city. An episode of the Channel 4 TV documentary series History Hunters tested the three claimants and found that, while each has its own evidence, none can claim exclusivity.
The Trip, while the oldest building and oldest location, was for most of its early life a brewery and not a public house. The Salutation sits on the oldest recognised public house site, but the current building is comparatively recent. The Bell, although not in such an antiquated location, does boast the oldest public house building. There is also conflicting information available: dendrochronology from roof timbers in the Salutation give a date for the building of c.1420 with similar dates for the Bell. Ultimately, the roots of the multiple claims can be traced to various subtleties of definition in terms such as public house and inn.
Nottingham has two large excellent shopping centres at either end of the City Centre “The Victoria Centre” and “Broadmarsh”. The Victoria Centre is the more modern of the two, and has more shops & facilities, although Broadmarsh is on the eve of a huge redevelopment which will more than double its size. Between the two are the main shopping streets: Lister Gate and Clumber Street are home to High Street names, while designer labels can be found on Bridlesmith Gate, Victoria Street and in the Exchange Arcade, within the Council House on Market Square. The alternative shopper will find Hockley Village a haven, focused around Goose Gate, the cities Bohemian district. To buy a Nottingham momento, go to the Lace Centre on the corner of Castle Gate, opposite the Robin Hood statue, to buy traditional Nottingham lace.
Despite a lot of investment, the closing of numerous schools and the opening of new city academies, Nottingham remains near the bottom of the league tables at both primary school and secondary school levels. At primary level, Nottingham was ranked fourth from bottom in the country, at 147th out of 150 local authorities rated. At secondary level, Nottingham came eighth from bottom nationally in terms of GCSE results attained.
The authority has instituted a plan for wide-sweeping reform of education across the city, but in many cases have been met with opposition from parents who say the planned changes are not in the best interests of education. Stanstead School, in the Rise Park area, successfully managed to prevent its planned closure, with the Independent Schools’ Adjudicator finally ruling against the authority in February 2006. The decision, the first of its kind in the country, adds more weight to the campaigns of the many other schools attempting to prevent closure or amalgamation.
Nottingham is home to two universities: the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University (formerly Trent Polytechnic). Together they are attended by over 40,000 full-time students. The University of Nottingham’s teaching hospital, University of Nottingham Medical School, is part of the largest hospital in the UK, the Queen’s Medical Centre.
Other notable educational institutions include the further education college New College Nottingham, Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, Nottingham High School, Bilborough College, Nottingham High School for Girls,The Trinity RC School The Nottingham Bluecoat School and Technology College, South Nottingham College, The Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama and Djanogly City Academy and Greenwood Dale Technology College. Nottingham is home and headquarters of the National College for School Leadership. The Nottingham School of Fashion is a fashion school respected around the country. The designer Paul Smith trained there.
In 2007 Nottingham was positioned fourth in the retail shopping league of England (CACI Retail Footprint 2007), behind London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, but ahead of Liverpool, Southampton, Bluewater and Newcastle.
There are two main shopping centres in Nottingham: Victoria Centre and Westfield Broadmarsh. The Victoria Centre was established on the site of the former Victoria Railway Station, and was the first to be built in the City, with parking for up to 2,400 cars on several levels, two levels of shopping with bus station, and topped by 14 floors of flats. Work on redeveloping Westfield Broadmarsh at a cost of £400 million (creating 400 stores, 136,000m² of shopping space) is to start in 2008 although this could be offset by closures elsewhere in the city. Debenhams and Marks and Spencer are to be the anchors of the new centre, which will be open in 2011.
Smaller shopping centres are the The Exchange Arcade, the Flying Horse Walk (once a famous hotel) and new developments in Trinity Square and The Pod. The new developments will increase the shopping sales area in the city centre by 28% to 4,300,000 square feet (399,000 m2). The Bridlesmith Gate area has numerous designer shops, and is the home of the original Paul Smith boutique. There are also various side streets and alleys that hide some interesting and often overlooked buildings and shops - streets such as Poultry Walk, West End Arcade and Hurts Yard. These are home to many specialist shops as is Derby Road, near the Cathedral and once the antiques area but now home to some the city’s most interesting independent shops.
Nottingham has a number of department stores including the House of Fraser, John Lewis, and Debenhams. Hockley Village caters to alternative tastes with shops like Ice Nine and Void, famous across the city.
Nottingham has two large-capacity theatres, the Nottingham Playhouse and the Theatre Royal (which together with the neighbouring Nottingham Royal Concert Hall forms the Royal Centre) and a smaller theatre space at the University of Nottingham’s Lakeside Arts Centre. The city also has smaller theatres with the Nottingham Arts Theatre and the Lacemarket Theatre. There are also several art galleries which often receive national attention, particularly the Nottingham Castle Museum, the University of Nottingham’s Djanogly Gallery and Wollaton Park’s Yard Gallery.
The visual arts in Nottingham will be significantly enhanced in 2008 and 2009 by the opening of New Art Exchange and Centre for Contemporary Art Nottingham. In a new £13.9 million 3000 square metre building on the corner of High Pavement and Middle Hill designed by Caruso St John, CCAN will be one of the largest venues for exhibitions of contemporary art in the UK. Both of the city’s universities also put on a wide range of theatre, music and art events open to the public throughout the year.
The city has several multiplex cinemas alongside two arthouse cinemas in Hockley. The independent cinemas are the Broadway Cinema, one of the major independent cinemas in the UK and Screen Room, which claims to be the world’s smallest cinema (at just 21 seats). Broadway was redeveloped and expanded in 2006. Quentin Tarantino held the British premiere of Reservoir Dogs there in 1992.
There is a classical music scene, with long-established groups such as the city’s Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra, Harmonic Society, Bach Choir, Early Music Group Musica Donum Dei and the Symphonic Wind Orchestra giving regular performances in the city.
The annual Goose Fair in October is always popular, being one of the largest fairs in the country. Nottingham won the Britain in Bloom competition, in the Large City category, in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2007. It also won the Entente Florale Gold Award in 1998.
Nottingham is known for its large teenage alternative scene (rock, punk, emo etc.), the heartland of which is Old Market Square. Another focus for their activities is the Rock City concert venue. The Sumac Centre based in Forest Fields has for many years supported local upcoming musicians, artists and film makers, and a variety of campaign groups.
Nottingham has a strong grass roots “Do it yourself” music culture, and is very in touch with underground trends in modern music. Nottingham is renowned as one of the biggest cities supporting the Dubstep movement of dance music. It also has a strong DIY Punk and Indie/Folk scene based at venues such as The Old Angel Inn, The Rose of England and Lee Rosys Tea in Hockley.
The 2,500-capacity Nottingham Royal Concert Hall and 9,500-capacity Nottingham Arena attract the biggest names in popular music. For less mainstream acts and a generally more intimate atmosphere, Nottingham has a selection of great smaller venues including The Salutation, Junktion 7, The Old Angel, the award-winning dedicated rock music venue Rock City and Rock City’s compact sister venues The Rescue Rooms, The Bodega Social Club and Stealth. These venues, with their packed listings and close proximity, make Nottingham one of the centres of live popular music in the UK.
“Nottingham Playhouse” is the major producing theatre in the city including some new and innovative works. In the 1980s, Nottingham was barely mentioned in the Good Food Guide; but now there are several restaurant entries and a range of cuisine reflecting the ethnic diversity of the city. The Nottingham Restaurant Awards play a leading role in promoting the industry.
The large number of students in the city bolsters the night time entertainment scene. There are several well established areas of the city centre for entertainment such as Lace Market, Hockley, The Waterfront and The Corner House. Nottingham also boasts one of only 20 remaining Turkish Baths in the UK.
Nottingham is close to the M1 motorway and major roads the A52 and the A46. To the west of Nottingham through to Derby, the A52 is known as Brian Clough Way. East Midlands Airport in Leicestershire, served by low-cost international airlines, makes the city easily accessible from other parts of the world providing daily services to many principal European destinations such as Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Dublin, Oslo and Amsterdam, internal flights to Edinburgh and Belfast and limited services to trans-continental destinations such as Barbados, Mexico, Sanford and Florida. Nearby Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield also provides domestic European and Trans-Atlantic services. Birmingham International airport is about one hour’s drive away and 2 hours 15 minutes on the train, providing flights to most principal European cities, New York, Boston, Toronto, Montreal, Dubai and the Indian sub-continent.
Nottingham is served by rail services operated by East Midlands Mainline from Nottingham railway station to London, CrossCountry and local services by East Midlands Connect.
The re-opening of the Robin Hood Line to passengers rather than just freight, between 1993 and 1998 linked Nottingham with its close neighbours Hucknall, Mansfield, Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield. Other lines connect the city to Beeston, Burton Joyce, Netherfield and Carlton. Nottingham has direct services to London, Leeds, Birmingham, Leicester, Lincoln, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool and Norwich as well as many other conurbations.
From 11 November 2007 Midland Mainline and Central Trains services in Nottingham were combined into a new franchise, East Midlands Trains, with the exception of the Nottingham to Cardiff services which are now operated by CrossCountry.
Also, from the December 2008 timetable change, Nottingham will be served by an hourly express from Leeds, operated by Northern Rail. This service will serve Nottingham, Chesterfield, Dronfield, Sheffield, Meadowhall, Barnsley, Wakefield Kirkgate and Leeds.
Nottingham Express Transit a light rail system opened in 2004, running from Hucknall in the north to the city’s railway station. An additional spur to/from Phoenix Park serves as a Park and Ride Station close to the M1 motorway (Junction 26). See National Park and Ride Directory for details. Phase 2 development of the system will add two new lines to the southern suburbs of Wilford and Clifton and western suburbs of Beeston and Chilwell to create a three-line network.
In 2005 Nottingham was bucking the national trend, as bus use in the city was growing and employment rates were rising. This is a result of the city council, as well as the two principal operators, Nottingham City Transport (NCT) and Trent Barton, making multi-million-pound investments in some of the newest fleets in the country.
The Barton bus company was at one stage one of the largest private bus companies in the UK, with its smart and distinctive red, cream and maroon livery. Immediately postwar, the company had several special bodied Leyland double deckers, with closed doors at the front, at a time when most double deckers had totally open rear platforms. There are several company buses immortalised as diecast models to a very high standard. There are also several NCT buses in miniature, including a very accurate ‘number 43 trolley bus’. Trolley buses last ran in the city in 1966.
NCT was also the first transport operator in the UK to use RFID technology for its EasyRider bus passes, introduced in 2000. The two operators are also frequent winners of the National Bus Operator of the Year award. Also new Shoplink services operated by Premiere Travel. Veolia (Dunn-Line) operate in Nottingham as well.
Nottingham has been highlighted by the media for gun crime, although the actual incidence in 2004/5 was 19 offences per 100000 population (compared to 50 for both Greater Manchester and London). The reality is that Nottingham is not a dangerous city - in spite of it’s dodgy atmosphere - and provided you act sensibly you will be safe. It is best to avoid walking late at night through St Ann’s (council estate north-east of the Victoria shopping centre) and The Meadows (between the railway station and the river), although the Victoria Embankment along the river is quite safe.
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