Nottingham, home of the Sheriff of Nottingham that vile villain and enemy of the good Robin Hood. At my local Half Price Books I found a copy of Historic Walks of Sherwood Forest by Brian Conduit so I added Nottingham to my list of must visit places. Had I done a little more research I would have found out the Sherwood Forest is not that close to Nottingham. It makes sense. If Robin Hood is hiding out there he wouldn’t want to be too close to the Sheriff’s domain. If you have a car or plan better than I did, walking around Sherwood Forest would be amazing. All the websites I’ve read said it is just beautiful. So that is going on the Bucket List and will be left for a future trip.
However the city of Nottingham was nice. With a population of 310,837 it is a good size city, much bigger than I expected, but a nice way to decompress after my week in London. It has a visitor’s center that would make my father weep with joy. We are really big on visitor’s centers in my family. They are a great way to get information on attractions and events and get information from the locals. What tourist traps to avoid, how to really see the city, things not to miss. Everyone in the Nottingham visiter’s center was really nice and very helpful. It was a busy place.
There are quite a few things to do in Nottingham. The first thing I did was to take the city walk suggested in my book. It started in Market Square, the center of the city, followed St. James to Nottingham Castle, past the castle rock, around the old brewery and museum for life in Nottingham, past the oldest pub in England to the statue of Robin Hood, to St. Mary’s Church and through the Lace District.
The Market Square is a bustling place and the center of the city. You can get almost anywhere from here. It houses the Nottingham Council House and a small carnival. I’m not sure if the carnival is permeant or not but it was there all three days that I was there.
I’ll do a separate post about Nottingham Castle but it was really nice and worth the visit. You can read about Nottingham Castle here.
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is the oldest pub in England.
“The pub claims that it was established in 1189 AD – the year that Richard the Lionheart became king and Pope Gregory VIII called for a Third Crusade to the Holy Land . . .”
It was a delightful place with a really cool atmosphere. The building is really old and I enjoyed walking around looking at everything and sitting enjoying a cider. Part of the pub is a cave, the rooms are really tiny and the entire place is all weird angles, funny shaped walls and slanted ceilings.
This is a haunted ship. The legend says that whoever cleans it will die. The last two people who cleaned it died very soon after. Now they keep it under this glass case so one else will be tempted to clean it.
The other pub I visited was The Royal Children. Said to be named so because the proprietor literally watched the Royal Children. It had a very quite, relaxed atmosphere with all dark wood inside. It felt very much like an English pub.
The man himself is situated not far from the castle. He is in a little park surrounded by pubs. Everyone likes to hang out here. The green around the statue was always crowed, but there is always room for one more. The Merry Men hang out there too. It was a lovely spot to eat lunch.
St. Mary’s Church is something not to miss. It was simply beautiful. If you can time it right, be there around 6:00pm. The chorus of bells that rang out over city was breath taking. They rang for a good 20 minutes. I wandered around the church yard while they played. It was really moving.
At one time Nottingham was the lace making center of England. You can still walk down the streets lined with the huge factories and warehouse.
It was also over crowded and the people lived in deplorable conditions. In Nottingham Castle you can see an exhibit on the events that lead up to the people’s revolt and the burning of the castle. While wandering around the Lace District I came upon the oldest house that has fallen into great disrepair.
As you can see there are plants growing out of the top windows and the birds seem to really like it. They are trying to raise money to start restoring it. You can also buy some very lovely lace products in the gift shops. These help support the small lace market that is still in Nottingham.
I only went to the castle but there are many things to do in Nottingham.
There is the Galleries of Justice Museum based at Nottingham’s old courthouse and gaol.
The Nottingham Contemporary art museum. Admission is free.
Green’s Windmill. The mill is also a science center and the website says it is ideal for children. Admission is free.
And for those looking for another film connection Wollaton Hall and Park. It houses the Natural History Museum, Industrial Museum and Yard Gallery. It was also used as Wayne Manor in 2012 in The Dark Knight Rises.
Nottingham has a very vibrant theatre scene. There was theatre going on all over that town. The Castle hosts outdoor performances, there is the Royal Theatre and Concert Hall, Lace Market Theatre and Nottingham Playhouse to name a few.
Nottingham is a wonderful place with a killer public transportation system.
Oh and guys they have a cat cafe!
I highly recommend visiting there. Aside from the attractions I mentioned there are other Robin Hood related tours and shops to please both kids and adults. Ezekiel Bone Robin Hood is one of them. So find your inner outlaw and go on an adventure!
Recommend Reading:
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
ISBN: 0451530268
Historic Walk of Sherwood Forest by Brian Conduit
ISBN 9781874181835
Recommend Viewing:
Disney’s Robin Hood
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Helpful Websites:
https://sherwoodforestvisitor.com/100-best-walks-in-sherwood-forest/
Sources:
The Nerdy Traveller 