Nottingham

Nottingham, United Kingdom

The sandstone gatehouse of Nottingham Castle glows in low sunset light, seen from a stone path with a railing in the foreground.

Nottingham trades on Robin Hood, but the real draw is its sandstone caves, old pubs, lace-making past and good parks, all within walking distance.

The place

Nottingham sits in the East Midlands of England, a city of 289,301 people on low ground about 61 metres above sea level, beside the River Trent. It is the county town of Nottinghamshire and a unitary authority, so the city council runs its own services separately from the surrounding county. Sheffield lies to the north-west and Birmingham to the south-west, which makes this a very middle-of-England kind of place, neither northern nor southern in temperament. The centre is compact and easy on foot. The Old Market Square anchors it, the red-brick warehouses of the Lace Market stand to the east, and the castle rock rises to the south-west. Trams cross the centre and the railway station is a short walk from the shops. Beyond the core are generous green spaces, including Wollaton Park with its Elizabethan hall and the Arboretum with its Victorian planting. The city built its fortunes on lace, bicycles and tobacco, and its fame on Robin Hood. Today it is a busy university town with a young crowd, a strong gallery and music scene, and a good supply of cheap eating. Anyone arriving with film expectations should adjust them: there is no great medieval fortress, and the legend is more a thread through street names, statues and souvenir shops than a theme park. The pleasure lies in the layers, from caves and ancient pubs to Victorian wealth and modern art.

Its story

Nottingham's written story starts in 919, when Edward the Elder seized the settlement and fortified the ground across the Trent. The facts block puts the place's origins around 600, and the first town was a small Anglo-Saxon one, ringed by a ditch and bank, on the hill now known as the Lace Market. After the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror had a castle raised on the rocky height to the west and handed it to William Peverel. A second community, the French Borough, grew up around that castle, while the older English Borough stayed on its own hill. Over time the gap between them was built over, and the Old Market Square became the common heart of the town. Defences in the early medieval period were a ditch and bank, later replaced by a stone wall. A short stretch survives beside Maid Marian Way and is a protected monument. The legend of Robin Hood has its historical backdrop in 1194, when Richard the Lionheart came back from the Crusades and found the castle held by supporters of his brother Prince John, among them the sheriff. Centuries later, lace, bicycles and tobacco turned Nottingham into an industrial city, and in 1897 it received its city charter as part of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. That mix of outlaw tale, medieval garrison and factory wealth still shapes how the city sees itself.

What to see

Culture

Nottingham's culture is shaped by stories, both legendary and literary. Robin Hood is the obvious one, and the city plays up the outlaw and the sheriff with good humour rather than reverence. It also holds a title as a City of Literature, which fits a place with a strong university presence and a steady flow of readings and festivals. The new Central Library, opened in November 2023, is a busy public space. Art is easy to find. Nottingham Contemporary, in the Lace Market, opened in 2009, and the New Art Exchange, opened in 2008, shows work by a wide range of artists. Public sculpture is scattered across the centre: the traditional Robin Hood statue by James Woodford, Lee Johnson's statue of the football manager Brian Clough, Anish Kapoor's Sky Mirror outside the Playhouse, and Ken Shuttleworth's Aspire at the university. Football loyalties matter here, and the city is passionate about its two clubs on opposite banks of the Trent. Pubs are the social centre, and a quiet pint in a cave pub is a very local pleasure. The people are chatty, dry-humoured and unfussy. Conversation is easy to start at a bar or tram stop. Queue patiently at bars and counters, wait to be served in turn, and say thank you to tram and bus drivers as you step off.

What to wear

Nottingham's traditional textile is lace. Machine-made lace, much of it produced in factories around the Lace Market, was exported across the world and dressed brides, curtains and tablecloths alike. The workers' own clothes were plain and practical, while the Robin Hood tradition brought in Lincoln green, the cloth colour of the outlaw costume, still seen at festivals, pantomimes and in souvenir shops. There is no single regional costume worn on ordinary days. What people wear now is modern British casual: jeans, trainers, rain jackets, football shirts on match days and smart-casual outfits for evenings in the Lace Market and Hockley. Students give the city a young, relaxed style, and nights out can be dressy, though rarely formal. Visitors should plan for changeable weather. A light waterproof is useful in any season, and a warm layer helps in autumn and winter. Comfortable shoes matter more than anything: the centre is walkable but has cobbles, hills near the castle and uneven ground in the caves, where it is cool and damp. There are no strict dress rules for sights. Churches and the city's mosques, gurdwaras and temples welcome visitors who dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, and who remove shoes where asked. Pubs, galleries and restaurants take smart-casual and casual clothes without comment.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. May, June and September are the easiest months, with milder weather for walking the parks and castle grounds. Summer can be warm and crowded at events, while winter is cold, damp and short on daylight. Rain is possible in any month, so pack a waterproof.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Fly to East Midlands Airport, then take the Skylink bus into the city centre, or fly to Birmingham Airport and change trains at Birmingham New Street. By rail, Nottingham station is a short walk from the centre, with the tram stop directly above it. Drivers can use the M1 and park at one of the Park and Ride sites around the city.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources