Sunshine tour of Nottingham.

We decided to walk round Nottingham and see what we could see. Unlike many places there was no real walking tour guide so it was a matter of putting a route together. We walked down the tow path and then across to the Castle grounds. It seems that the bronze statue and the plaques seen behind on the wall were erected especially for the visit of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1949 to Nottingham.

 Helen admiring Robin's thighs.

We then decided to visit the castle grounds. There is actually hardly anything of the 1088 castle and additions left as it was raised by Cromwell's men, but at one time it had been one of the most important outside of the south of England. Charles I started the Civil War by raising his Royal Standard by the castle that was almost in ruins then. The hill outside is called Standard Hill and the parish marker we saw yesterday has a twin just by the entrance to the castle. The Castle is now a building that houses a museum and art gallery. It was built by the 1st Duke of Newcastle. However it was burnt down in 1831 during a riot when the Reform Bill was again not passed. The building never got rebuilt until the Council bought it and made the first municipal museum outside London.

The view to the south west from the upper bailey of the castle.

Brewhouse Yard Museum houses built in 1688 to 1700 and with caves and grottoes behind. The museum was closed.

Also in this area is the famous Trip to Jerusalum said to date from 1189. It was a little early for us to stop for a drink, but maybe later.

Brian Clough behind me with the old Prudential Building behind him. It was built between 1894 and 1897 by Alfred Waterhouse. The statue to Brian Clough was unveiled in November 2008.

 After our lunch ate at a Wetherspoons we walked over to the Lace Quarter. It was a strangely quiet area with nice quality shops and street cafes, and could have taken a lot more street seating on a day like today. The Broadway was the shop window for manufactured lace in Nottingham and it is said that 90% of the worlds manufactured lace passed through here. It is mainly Victorian buildings that has two bends in the road. It is a lovely area and hopefully will attract more life in the future.

Broadway in the Lace Quarter of Nottingham.

We walked back via the Salutation Inn that dates from around 1240 and has an Anglo Saxon cave dwelling beneath it. I had a pint of Summer Lightning by Hop Back Brewery. We then called into The Trip to Jerusalem and there had an Extra Pale Ale from Nottingham Brewery. We walked back and were tired by the time we sat down. I was revived enough to wash down the port side before tea and that was enough for me then.