The City of Nottingham
Nottingham was a city I have not visited for many years but it seems to have a lot going for it in the 21st Century. There's not just Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham and the production of lace. Visits to the annual Goose Fair were for a long time a favourite around here. These are just some of the places to visit on a trip to Nottingham. The road systems into and out of Nottingham seems quite good until you hit the centre of town when it quickly becomes a nightmare. We were following the road signs for the castle when they disappeared and we ended up going out of town in a direction we did not want to go. We found our way back and parked in the old Arndale car park which is pretty damned shoddy but was very handy for the Castle as it happened. Parking £2 PER HOUR - I jest not. This could make a full day there very, very expensive. There is parking by the Castle on a quiet street, maximum 2 hours, free disabled.
Brewhouse Yard & Nottingham Castle
The Brewhouse Yard portrays the social history of Nottingham over the last 300 years. There are caves in the rock, a row of fine terraced houses, a small herb garden. There was only one room, the schoolroom, open in the museum. This was a great disappointment.
Nottingham Castle is a bit of a disappointment too as there is little of the fortification left standing. It seems as if it was in a ruinous state by the 17th C. Further damage during the English Civil War was followed by dismantling of what was left. There is a suberb mansion in the grounds which is a baroque palace which was built for the Duke of Newcastle in the 1670s. The good citizens of Nottingham set fire to it in 1831 as they were unhappy with the then duke's opposition to the Reform Bill and the interior was burned out. Did anyone mention looting? The building was converted into the city's art gallery and museum in the 1870s. The old castle grounds are are lovely gardens with topiary statues and some interesting flower pictures.
Joint tickets for yard and Nottingham Castle £3.50 (2008) Free to residents of or workers in Nottingham.
Address:- Brewhouse Yard Castle Boulevard, Nottingham, NG7 1FB Tel. 0115 915 3640. Address:- Nottingham Castle, Friar Lane, Nottingham. Tel. 0115 915 3700. Website www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/museums.Nottingham
Close by are a couple of bits of Old Nottingham that have escaped the wrecking ball. Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is supposed to be the oldest inn in England founded 1189 by soldiers returning from the crusades. The pub is built into the castle rock and several of the rooms are formed partly out of caves, one having a tunnel in it's roof that I believe once led up to the castle. The other old building which I'm sure was something to do with the Lace Market was moved from its original location and rebuilt here. Although the timbers look original, and the overall view is right, it seems that the infill which would have been wattle and daub is now concrete.
Other Places to Visit
"An award-winning tour of Crime and Punishment brought vividly to life."Address:- High Pavement, The Lace Market, Nottingham, NG1 1HN. Tel. 0115 952 0555 Fax. 0115 993 9828. Website at www.nccl.org.uk.