Cultural Proposals
Welcome to the City of Nottingham! Nottingham is situated in the East Midlands, and, with around 300,000 inhabitants, it is the seventh most populous city in the UK. It traces its origin back to AD 600 and is of course well-known for its links to the legends of Robin Hood. During the industrial revolution, it gained fame for lace making and bicycle manufacturing. As it happens, the Jubilee Campus, where the School of Computer Science is situated, is on the former site of the Raleigh Bicycle Company, one of the oldest bicycle manufacturers in the world. On this page, you'll find some suggestions regarding things you might want to see or do if you have some time to spare around your visit.
- General tourist information can be found here.
- For many people, Nottingham is no doubt most well known from the tales of the outlaw hero Robin Hood and his arch enemy, the Sheriff of Nottingham. Fact or fiction? Judge for yourself! However, you can most certainly find a statue of the famous outlaw right outside Nottingham Castle. Once upon a time a major royal fortress, today only the ramparts remain of the medieval castle. The castle grounds, however, are beautiful, and the views over Nottingham and surroundings good, so worth a visit on a sunny day. The castle is also home to an interesting art collection and a museum of Nottingham history and archaeology. Once you've had your compulsory picture taken with Robin, head to Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, allegedly the oldest inn in England dating back to 1189, and half built into the castle rock itself.
- The original name of Nottingham was Tigguo Cobauc, meaning Place of Caves. Nottingham (including the castle) is built on soft sandstone, and people living here have been carving out caves for dwellings, workshops, protection (and pubs!) in the rock since time immemorial. As a result, Nottingham today is situated on top of a vast network of caves. Some of them can be visited.
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Wollaton
Hall and Deer Park is a spectacular Elizabethan mansion and park between
the University Park and Jubilee campuses. Wollaton Hall was built for Sir Francis Willoughby between
1580 and 1588. Today, it houses a Natural
History museum, and its latest claim to fame is its starring role as
Wayne Manor in the Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises. (Curiously, a
near replica of Wollaton Hall,
Mentmore Towers
served as Wayne Manor in an earlier film, Batman Begins.)
The Wollaton
Hall Gate House is located quite some way from Wollaton Hall itself,
in what today is a residential area right next to Jubilee Campus, giving
an idea of the vast extent of the grounds originally surrounding
Wollaton Hall. The former stable block toady houses the
Wollaton Hall Industrial Museum. Open weekends. A visit is highly recommended, especially if
steam engines make your heart beat a little faster!
Should you be staying on the University park campus, an early morning walk from University Park to Jubilee Campus is a great idea on a sunny day. Just make sure you know where the gates to the park are before you set out and allow at least some 45 minutes. There is a small side exit from University Park onto Derby Road, right next to Lenton Hurst Cottage, with an entrance to Wollaton Park opposite. Follow the paths towards the main building, up the hill, go through the gardens, and then down on the other side. Follow Digby Avenue out of the park, and then Harrow Road. Cross Middleton boulevard, and then enter Jubilee Campus through the gates in the north-west corner (open day time) and follow the path along the lake to Computer Science. - Looking for further ideas? Maybe Trip Advisor's ranked list of 37 Nottingham attractions can help.
