and an introduction to living near and in the
University of Nottingham
"Please check all information before using it."
Edited by Frank E. Ritter
30 September 1995
Forth Edition
With actual comments from Bibby, Cheng, Derrington, Marshall, Reed, Reisland,
C. Ritter, Shadbolt, Sonders, Underwood, Kathy from TaM; and University of
Nottingham Computer Science Dept Communications Research Group
Copyright 1995, Frank E. Ritter.
Nottingham is the chief city of the East Midlands and is considered the Queen
of the Midlands. Way back when the City was named after a rapacious lord of
the North - Snot, the original appellation being Snottingham - or the town of
Snot's people. From this rather inauspicious start things could only get
better. All that stuff about the Sheriff and Robin may have just a grain of
truth. Certainly the city had one of the finest castles in all of Europe.
Unfortunately, it choose unwisely during the English Civil War. Indeed, King
Charles raised the standard in Nottingham (on Standard Hill), thus
precipitating the confrontation. In short, the Royalists lost, Nottingham was
besieged and the castle lost. Things were not improved when the mob (probably
sociologists) rioted in the early 1800s and burnt the castle down.
The town overlooks the River Trent with lots of caves downtown, which are
often covered by pubs. Nottingham grew rapidly from 1780, and now has a
population of approximately 280K. Its main industries, besides a world class
university, are bicycles and lace, and drugs (legal, to wit, Boots). No
age-old lace history here, it was started in the mid-1800s. Bicycles came in
the late 1800s, and John Player has been contributing to pulmonary disease
since 1877. Because the canal interests were strong in the 1800's it did not
become a rail centre, and Derby was made the nearby rail centre of the
midlands.
The city combines the best of old and new. Shoppers have excellent modern
shopping centres and traditional markets. Cultural life thrives, with a superb
modern concert hall attracting well know names from the classical, pop and rock
worlds, and two theatres - including the lovingly restored Theatre Royal.
These provide both repertory productions and touring opera, drama and ballet
from major national companies - and offer student discounts. Film buffs have
varied viewings at multi-screen and arts cinemas, and there is a lively rock
scene.
Many fine old buildings remain in the city, including the 15th century church
of St Mary on High Pavement, Georgian town houses and several picturesque pubs.
Some have medieval origins: The Trip to Jerusalem at the foot of Castle Rock,
reputedly the oldest pub in England, the Bell Inn, the Royal Children and the
Salutation Inn. A former Unitarian church on the fringe of the city's Lace
Market area is now converted into a Lace Hall, illustrating the history of
Nottingham's most famous product. Early October brings Goose Fair, the
country's largest three-day fair, believed to date back more than 1,000 years.
The modern fair, packed with hundreds of amusements, becomes at night a
spectacular carpet of lights.
Nottingham and the surrounding county offer the chance to explore literary
associations. Contemporary writer Alan Sillitoe grew up in the industrial
outskirts of Nottingham, enjoying his frequent roaming of the nearby University
Park and lake. D H Lawrence made famous the mining town of Eastwood and the
surrounding Nottinghamshire countryside.
Angel Row at the far side of the market place, is Bromley House, built for Sir
George Smith in 1752. It is a Georgian house, now used for the Notts
subscription library and the headquarters of the Thoroton Society.
23 year old Princess Anne visited on 2 December 1688 for a week. There was no
pub by this name before 1799, and in 1688 Princess Anne didn't have any
children.
Nottingham Forest FC is the 3rd oldest FC, and Notts County is the oldest.
Based in the outskirts of Nottingham is the University of Nottingham. The
University of Nottingham (it is not Nottingham University, don't believe people
who use this name) dates from the University College started as an outreach
program from a university in Cambridge (England) in 1881. Sir Jesse Boot
donated a bit of pasture west of the city in 1932, and in 1948 it was granted a
Royal charter. Ten years later Ian Howarth helped set up the psychology
department, and as they say, the rest is history.
In the remainder of this document we outline some of the places and services in
Nottingham that people have found helpful. If you have any comments or
suggestions, please forward them to the editor.
Perhaps the first thing you will need is a place to stay, and as it also
provides and overview of where other attractions are located, we start by
describing various areas of the city.
Bulwell is a reasonable location about 6-7 miles from the University, and about
2-3 miles north of the city centre, but as pleasant as Chilwell or Wollaton.
Several areas of Nottingham are seen as less desirable areas to live by the
staff, although some students tend to prefer them because of lower housing
costs. These areas include Radford, Sneinton, Top Valley , and The Meadows.
Mapperly has parts that are not attractive, but these places at least have
people that will be quite friendly (for a fee). There are some large houses
and some good areas, particularly in Mapperly Plains.
When you arrive, you may need temporary accomidation while looking for less
temporary accomidation while looking for permanent accomidation. The best
choice is to stay with a friend or new colleague, but this is not always
possible.
The University Club on campus provides a convenient location, but it will be
somewhat pricy for extended temporary accomidation and is difficult to book
because it is popular for university guests.
St. Andrews Hotel (bed & breakfast, and evening meal extra) on Queens Rd.,
Beeston (ph. 254902). Clean typical B&B, [[sterling]]30 per night for a
double room. The proprietor and wife are both friendly and helpful, but the
similarity to Basil and Sibyl Fawlty is remarkable!
There are several places that will help set you up with a rental house or flat.
None of them have a lot of properties, so you will have to check with several
of them. House and flat leasing agencies usually charge approximately 1
month's rent in fees and the landlord will also want at least another months
rent security deposit and possible a month's rent in advance. (Don't use the
agencies that charge a fee in advance and promise that they'll keep helping you
until you find a place. They may have nothing on their computer other than the
names of people who paid in advance.) The best of the lot is the Thursday
edition of the Nottingham post (see also: things that pass themselves off as
newspapers the rest of the week).
Several places that new people have found useful for finding an apartment are
listed in Table 1. If you are associated with the University, some rented
apartments are available in the halls of residence. There is no central
agency, it is a question of ringing all the halls.
Table 1. Places to look for a house, rental and purchase. Capitals
indicates relative amounts available.
Phone Location
George Hallam & Sons 502 852 Rent buy St. Peter's Gate
Michael Vernon 224 521 rent Buy Beeston High St.
Abacus Accommodation Agency 491611 Rent 9 Archer Rd., Stapleford
Comp-u-acomm Rent Mansfield Rd.
Singleton & Bloor 417 915 rent buy City centre across from Tales
of Robin Hood
The Nottingham Property Guide comes out weekly and lists the houses for sale.
Frank Innes (Black Horse) are very prominant in the park. If you believe the
house itself rather than its location is the major determiner of its price[1], see the folks at Michael
Vernon (ph. 922-4 521) in Beeston who believe this and are otherwise helpful.
Christina Price at Edwards Clegg in Beeston offers a standard conveyencing, but
Mr. Warner, of MacLaren Warner (ph. 939-5252) in Sandiacre, is known to be
meticulous.
Mortgages. Peter Clarke of Roy Pink (old ph. 0923 268 083) is a helpful
mortgage consultant, and seems genuine and honest. He spends enough time with
you to explain what's going on, and how he can (or cannot) help you.
Pickfords (the Nottingham office only) has been useful and pleasant to some
members of the department. Each office appears to be independently owned and
run, so caveat emptor from other Pickfords, which can generate quite
horrible stories.
The best values, as always in this area, is to do it yourself (unless you have
a good friend who does it for a living). Beeston Van Hire rent a good
selection of vans at reasonable rates, but they can be rather dirty inside.
Budget Rent A Car also do vans at a good rate and they do moving kits that
include trolleys, blankets and cardboard boxes. Located at 50 Lower Parliament
St. in the City Centre, so you'll have to negotiate the traffic there.
For roofs, Tap and tile (ph. 978-5841) comes recommended, but may have changed
owners. F. Hewitt Builders at 1 Fletcher Rd. (ph. 925-4 570) is particularly
dependable and honest but not particularly cheap or fast.
For damp proofing, Preserva comes recommended, and the one person who used
Academy was also pleased with them.
For plumbing, Ian Peck (ph. 928-3004) at 21 Trumby Grdns. in Wollaton comes
recommended (but is untried).
E. A. Maxwell (ph. 942-2153) at 45 Clifton Blvd. is a general contractor next
door to the university, and appears competent.
Ashley Carpet Care (carpet, upholstery & curtain cleaning) has successfully
cleaned one oriental rug (Ilkeston, 932-1413). For a small fee (e.g.,
[[sterling]]5) they will pick up and deliver.
Armani Plastics comes recommended for secondary double glazing. They are open
on Saturday and can be reached at 928-1101.
For gas pipe work and installation, British Gas can be well recommended. They
say that they do not offer a discount as a provider of the fuel, but they offer
written quotations (not estimates), and in the end, this is very good value
indeed.
As you visit Nottingham for a day, a week or the rest of your miserable life,
you will need to know how to get here and how to lure others into Nottingham as
well. When you really live here, you won't need this information, but until
that time, you may find it useful.
If you are coming by car, the following map shows how to get to the university
and a few of the other locations.
Figure 1. How to come to Nottingham by car.
(a) If you are comfortable driving and are not suffering from jet lag, renting
a car can be a good idea, particularly if you are travelling in a party. The
U. of Nottingham has a special relationship with Hertz that can put this option
at about [[sterling]]30/day private, [[sterling]]20/day business. The drive
will take about 2.5 hours. Take the M25 to the M1 to exit 25 (the A52). In
about 7 miles the A52 starts to form the north boundry of the university. When
you see the signs for the university, follow them.
(b) By rail, you start by taking the underground. This is fairly well
signposted, and you should just follow the signs. Buy a ticket either at a
machine or at the ticket window. There is only one underground line from
Heathrow, the Piccadilly line (coloured dark blue on the maps), so no choice of
train is necessary. This leg will cost you about 4 pounds and takes a little
less than an hour.
Get off the underground at Kings Cross station (both an underground and British
Rail station), and either come up and walk across the street (actually, about a
block), or try to find the passage that leads directly to St. Pancras British
Rail station. In St. Pancras the ticket windows are to the left of the tracks
if you stand at their end. A small pub is on the right, and a small
convenience store is in the centre. This ticket will cost around 18 (one way)
to 28 (round trip) if bought on the day and not leaving during the morning rush
hour. These trains leave every hour or more often, and take about 1.75 hours
to get to Nottingham.
The easiest way to get to the university is either to take a cab from the taxi
rank outside or a bus that will leave at Broadmarsh Bus Station a few blocks
north (turn right as you come out of the main entrance, so do not exit to the
car parking area!). The total time this way will range between 3.5 and 4.5
hours depending on how well you make connections.
If you land in Heathrow, and particularly if you have lots of luggage, you may
wish to investigating taking a bus to Nottingham or partway, rather than the
train. One of the teaching staff as they were moving here almost shut down St.
Pancras upon the mistaken advice of British Rail that it would be no problem to
shuttle four 70 lb. boxes through the underground station. The Airbus running
to Kings Cross/St. Pancras for [[sterling]]6 (one way) would have saved this
embarrasment. Otherwise, it is a more expensive and slower way to get into
London, but does provide some siteseeing on the way.
(a) If you are comfortable driving and are not suffering from jet lag, renting
a car can be a good idea, particularly if you are travelling in a party. The
U. of Nottingham has a special relationship with Hertz that can put this option
at about [[sterling]]30/day private, [[sterling]]20/day business. This airport
is further away from Nottingham, and the drive will take about 3.5 hours.
(b) By rail via London, you start by taking the Gatwick Express. This is
fairly well signposted, and you should just follow the signs. Buy a ticket at
the ticket window. There are several trains that leave, so you must remember
to get on the Gatwick Express. This leg will cost you about 10 pounds, take
about 45 minutes, and drop you off at Victoria Station in the south of London.
Change there to the underground onto the Victoria line (coloured light
blue on the maps) and make your way to Kings Cross/St. Pancras station, and
then follow the rail directions above. This route will take between 4 and 5
hours.
(c) By rail via Luton. There are a limited number of trains and you don't get
to see London and its congestion, but upon arrival at Gatwick you should
enquire at the British Rail office how to get to Nottingham via Luton or other
British Rail stations. This route, when you can get it, is cheaper and faster,
taking about 35 pounds (all in) and 3 to 3.5 hours.
Eventually, perhaps, you will find that you are leaving town. This may be on a
temporary or permanent basis. There is an on-campus travel agent, Pioneer
Travel in the Travel Centre on the Portland hill (internal 72-1114, 1000 to
1600 M-F). They can do an OK job, but they don't look hard for a bargain (at
least the business section), unless encouraged. Several people use Orbitas
Travel (925-1112) in Beeston. They provide pretty good deals, and their people
there are generally helpful. Lunn Poly on the Beeston High Street, in one
instance at least, was much cheaper than Orbitas on a very simple air ticket,
but we suspect that you may not wish to use them exclusively because they do
not do all things.
There are at least two bus services that provide city-wide service, the City of
Nottingham (Green buses, ph. 950-5745 or 950-3665) and Trent/Barton's (red
buses, ph. 924-0000). The advantages of the Barton's buses are that their
drivers seem to be a bit more helpful, they often go to Beeston (passing the
university to and fro), and they will give you change. The advantages of the
city buses is that they will accept overpayment for a fare, they will take you
where you want to go, and they provide a system wide timetable.
For longer trips, National Express (ph. 968-5317) has stations at Victoria
Centre and BroadMarsh. From there you can see the world.
There are/are not return fares. Commuters may wish to look into getting a
monthly pass.
The train station is located downtown (No phone - you have to phone Derby at
01332 257 000), and includes a taxi stand. The new InterCity ticket number,
0800 450 450, makes this arrangement not as bad as it could be. As you get
wiser to the ways of the city and carry less baggage than upon your arrival,
you will find walking to BroadMarsh and catching a bus there just as convenient
and much cheaper than taking a taxi from the station. Similarly, you will walk
to the train station to catch a cab home late at night when your meeting
(including drinks and a curry) winds up downtown around midnight.
East Midlands Airport (ph. (01332) 981-0621) is the closest to Nottingham at
about 25 minutes away. It is an international airport (with a charter flight
to Brussels every year--no, I'm kidding, actually numerous but not full
connections). Birmingham is the nearest big airport, but most travellers are
still forced to go down to London (Heathrow and Gatwick) for their
international flights.
From E. Midlands, taxis charge about [[sterling]]12 to the city centre, buses
are available for [[sterling]]2 to [[sterling]]3. There is a service that
serves local villages (Bartons) that has sporadic service, for example, leaving
at 18:05 and 19:40 arriving city centre at 19:06 and 20:33 respectively.
National Express also runs a sporadic coach that is more direct, leaving at
19:05 arriving Victoria Centre at 19:30.
At Birmingham Airport, there are two types of parking, an open air long-stay
car park for [[sterling]]22/week, and a multi-story one for
[[sterling]]32/week. Both are directly accessible from the M42 motorway via
clear directing signs. They take cash, checks, Visa and American Express.
There is a bus service to Heathrow (National Express?) (but they are good if
you have a morning flight - cheaper than staying overnight in London) but
coming back with them is ok. It doesn't have terribly convenient trips out but
coming back with them is ok. There are several hotels and busses that serve
Gatwick, offering a room and a return ride for approximately [[sterling]]50.
For more information on these, contact your travel agent or Orbitas.
See also, "How to get here".
Manchester is another close airport. It's easy to get to by train, for it is
about 15 min. from Manchester Picadilly, and that's connected to Nottingham.
Nottingham was a trial city for urban cycle path development--it sort of
worked. So as UK cities go, Nottingham has pretty good cycling facilities
though the paths can be slow. A network of cycle paths runs from Beeston into
the city. Paths also exist southwards (along the A52 to Clifton; through the
Meadows to Wilford) and eastwardly (from Colwick). Facilities in the north of
the city are poor. The "Pedals" guide has maps of all cycle routes around the
city, plus information on cycle shops and other cycle facilities. It is
available from most bookshops including the on-campus Union shop above the
Portland Building for [[sterling]]3.00. Just the cycling routes guides can be
obtained FREE from the leisure department of Nottingham City Council.
Good bike shops include Sid Standard (Beeston), Freewheel (Goosegate - bit
flash though), and Bunneys (near the train station - friendly, stock
availability is uneven at times, bike hire available).
Most taxis are just taxis, and all have mnemonic phone numbers. Those without
meters tend to be cheaper, for example, XXX cabs at 9-708090. Cable cars (ph.
9 229 229) running out of Beeston, have always had cheerful, helpful drivers
who know their way around campus, but have meters. Dr. Eamon Etal sez: avoid
the Black & White Cabs: They charge too much.
City Car Hire at Canning Circus offers a good value car and van rental. On
weekends rentals can be tight, and you should make reservations several days in
advance. The university also has a set contract with Hertz. When you would be
using the car for university business, see your groups secretary who will be
able to reserve you a car. One of the advantages of Hertz is that they will
drop it off at your house or office and they include a CDW. Avis can be hard
to find in the City Centre, especially in a car. CDM car hire in Beeston has
provided some members of staff with problems.
Purchasing a car. We have only heard bad things about Hooley Ford in
the city centre, particularly their service; there are stories of wheels
falling off and stuff. Their West Bridgeford office appears to be better run.
Speeds of Beeston sells Volvos, and also sells used cars. They do OK repairs
we're told, but their sales force negotiates too hard for their own good.
Deals made by Cowies don't always last ("you might get a fine deal, but it
doesn't last 'till you close"), and the salesman at Stuarts are sometimes
abusive. The value of a warrantee from a dealer can be valued (you can buy
warrantees starting after theirs end), and my guess is that it is about
[[sterling]]150 for the first year; you can get more accurate amounts by
consulting a dealer about extending their warrantee.
Like in War Games, the only way to win with a used car salesman, is not
to play. If you do play, consult a detailed used car price guide, preferably
Glass's. Your best deal on a used car is to buy it through a private
individual. There are several newspapers that specialise in this in Nottingham
and the East Midlands available at most newsagents. Before buying a private
car, it is worth having the car inspected by a mechanic. The AA car inspection
(ph. 0345 500 610) appears not to be good value, for half the price
([[sterling]]105) you could have a tune-up performed, which would be more
thorough, and the car would end up with a tune-up in hand.
Auctions are another way to go if you have the time and the savvy. There is a
local auction at Portchester Rd., and another (or larger?) one at Meesham. You
should go a few time to see how it works. Then, when you do go, take a friend
or have enough knowledge yourself to judge the car, and set a strict maximum
price.
Car repairs. Mann-Egerton (Rovers, Jaguars and Bentleys) is said to
have good service and reasonable used car salesman, but you cannot get it done
dearer. We have heard bad things about their body work. For tyres, Uncle
Martin recommends, and at least one person has tried, Treadfast Tyres (ph.
979-0429) near Mann-Egerton at 3 Triumph Rd. In Long Eaton, Just Tyres (451a
Tamworth Rd., 972-3744) is recommended by a depatment secretary whose son runs
it. For batteries, either Midland Magneto (ph. 950-4 441) on Canal St., auto
electrical engineers who will check your charge system and sell you a battery,
or Boothby Batteries (ph. 982-2434) who will just sell you a battery.
Car Insurance. Several people use Oddie-Dalton, an insurance agency in
West Bridgeford for low cost auto insurance. No news yet about their claim
help. AA and the RAC both offer a quotation service based on numerous
companies on their computers, when are often the best deal you can find.
Frizzells offer discounts to University Lecturers on car and house insurance,
and their claims settlement is embarassingly good. One member of staff had
their house burgled 3 weeks after taking out a policy (they had moved it
because the AA insurers took 6 months to pay up for a stolen bicycle),
andFrizzells settled, new for old, within a fortnight.
Driving lessons. Once you have a car, maybe even before, you will want
to know how to use it. Steve Bellaby at Nottingham Driving Academy (ph. 978-4
024) can be recommended for advanced drivers, and we suspect beginners as well.
Ensleigh Insurance is conveniently located on campus and has fast courteous
service including a 10% discount to lecturers, but has a bad reputation for
paying up, and is not a member of the Insurance Ombudsman Scheme. Swinton
Insurance can be recommended instead, as can O.B. Dalton.
The Barclay's on Derby Rd. is convenient for those living in Lenton, and who
have another reliable financial institution ( such as a rich mother, which
Barclay's often recommends you use if you are their customer) to take care of
loans, depositing foreign currency, cashing checks, and credit cards. A
student has complained of the Barclays in Beeston imposing many charges.
American Express at 2 Victoria St. (ph. 924-1666) may be one of the financial
institutions you use if you deal often with Barclay's. They offer relatively
good rates on foreign currency and traveller's checks for everyone, and can
cash checks on the spot if you have an American Express card (Barclays can take
up to 4 weeks to cash a foreign check, 7 days for a UK check, and 3 days to
transfer cash to your account!).
The Cripps Medical Centre on campus is a convenient place to receive care, and
in 1994 it came under new management.
Dentists. We've heard good things about Overend and Walton in the
Queens Road Dental Centre on (253) Queens Rd. in Beeston (ph. 922-2100).
Emergency dental care. If, for example, you go skateboarding with your
face and lose a tooth), then you may be interested in attending the Meadows
Health Centre (ph. 986-1835), which is open on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
The Walton Hotel is a pricey but elegant and close to the University in
the Park--a haunt of all sorts of B movie types. It has a terribly overpriced
bar unless you ask for the free crisps.
The Lucieville. Most interviewees end up here. Veronica, the pleasant
desk clerk, night concierge, waitress and porter, will take a pleasant interest
in getting you to your interviews on time, and will make sure that your butter
is suitably stamped with your initials. She also works at a sister hotel to
the north-west of the city, the Nuthall Lodge. From [[sterling]]40 per
night.
The Westminster. The only drawback to this hotel is its location far
(20 min.) from the university on Mansfield Rd., one mile north of the city
centre. But its features are many. It has a pleasant staff, offers rather
good food (it has a restaurant open to and (tellingly) used by non-residents),
and has a comfortable set of rooms for arranging conferences and meetings. (ph.
962-3023).
The Holiday Inn. Part of a chain named after an old Bing Crosby movie,
the local site is just up the canal from Sainsburys. It has a discount rate
for University staff of about [[sterling]]42 room only. They also have better
discounts in holiday periods.
Several types of services are held on campus in the Portland Building on Sunday
mornings.
Anglican. Like most English cities the largest number of churches are
Church of England churches.
Catholic churches. In Lenton, there is St. Paul's at the corner of
Lenton Blvd. and Ilkonston Rd. (ph. 978-6236). There is also a (small)
cathedral downtown. It is listed with English Heritage.
You can take back newspapers, glass, and aluminium to Sainsburys at Castle
Marina and in Beeston. At one point, if you take 10 aluminium cans to the
McDonalds in Beeston, you got a free small fry!
There are several places that people have found particularly good to take
children. (This section written by Nadja Reissland, comments to her or the
editor.)
The White Post Modern Farm Centre, Farnsfield. Nottinghamshire, NG22
8HL. (ph. 01623-882-977). The White Post Farm is a must. It is an
educational working farm where the children learn about different types of eggs
belonging to which animal. They can feel in boxes and devine what they felt:
hey , straw, corn etc. Or they have, for example, the hen Henriette, which
just had her chicks and children are asked to count how many chicks she got.
They have a tearoom with green lemonde but also some healthier food. And they
have the "animal show", where different races of sheep, cows, and goats are
introduced in a fun way. Included in the information is how many liters of
milk are produced and where the animals come from (which is shown on a map) and
what their coat is used for, and how the animals are bought and sold in an
auction. Children can "drive" a tractor and mowing engines and can feed the
four-legged animals with four-legged animal food purchased at the entrance.
Children can enjoy bottle-feeding the lambs and holding a variety of animals,
including mice, ducklings and baby-rabbits.
Our Little Farm: Lodge Farm, Plungar, Nottingham NG13 OJH. (ph. 01949
860-349).
Sherwood Forest Farm Park, Lamb Pens Farm Edwinstowe. Nr Mansfield,
Nottinghamshire NG21 9HL (ph. 01623-823558/822255). This farm has rare
breeds. According to one child: It is very pretty but one can "only" look at
the animals. One is not allowed to hold them or feed them.
Wollaton Park. This is a park where the children can play on a
playground, walk around the lake or watch deer either in nature or in pens and
in autumn let their kites fly.
University Park. Boating on the lake: this is a popular with the kids
if you have the nerve to let them hold the oars. There is also mini-put golf
and several trails around a man-made lake with two islands ana a waterfall.
There are several leisure centers with swimming pools. One is at the bramcote
Leisure Centre, Derby Road, Bramcote. Tel. 0115 925-8241. And some time in
1996 there will be a new pool on the University grounds beside the sports
centre and nursery.
Wollaton Hall. There your children are allowed to stroke dead animals,
including badgers and a giraffe. They can feel skeletons and push various
buttons to hear animals roar and grunt. Sometimes there are some events, such
as lute player explaining his instrument and playing tunes.
Nottingham Castle with its Museum where children can learn the blood
dripping history of Nottingham and where they can dress up in period
costumes.
The Lace Hall where the children, not the adults, get a souvenir from a
lacemachine operator and can admire lace dresses. High pavement, Nottingham NG1
1HN. (ph. 0115-9484221).
Caves of Nottingham. Drury Walk, Broad Marsh Centre, Nottingham NG1
7LS. (ph. 0115 924-1424). If you or your children like fish, then it is
worthwhile to visit the KOI carps which can get very old.... up to 243 years if
I remember well.
If you or your children like fish, then it is worthwhile to visit the KOI carps
which can get very old.... up to exactly 243 years, if we remember well. They
live in the Japanese Water Gardens 251 Toton Lane, Stapleford Notts.
(ph. 9397-926). Or in the garden centre beside the Japanese one, Bardills
Water Gardens (in the garden centres' section). Here you can also enjoy a
good meal. The Japanese tearooms are not to be recommended. When asked what
sorts of tea they have, the reply was: "Typhoo, I think".
Finally, you might consider visiting the Beeston Library, where during holidays
they read stories and children can play or read books and interact with other
children. There are different activities during holidays and one get get an
information leaflet from the Tourist Information in the city centre. These
activities range from a Picnic to making toys or baking.
For city centre shopping (e.g., BroadMarsh and the Victoria Centre), the best
methods of getting into the city are the Park and Ride Schemes.
[[sterling]]1.20 to park and for a whole car load of folks to bus to and from
the city. Frequent services. (More details available). Parking in the City
is both expensive and a trial. There are multi-story car parks at the two main
shopping malls, and there are several small lots located around the city
centre.
Towards downtown after Abbey St. turns into Castle Blvd. there is a shopping
area called Castle Marina. It contains a Sainsburys (see grocery stores) and a
Homebase. You will find most of the necessary DIY items you need at Homebase
(ph. 941-3800). They also have a cashback scheme that you can join if you are
either very handy and fix a lot, or if you are very unhandy and break a lot.
In this complex there are restaurants (see the Baltimore Exchange under dining
out rather than actually go there), a McDonalds, and a strip of shopping stores
including a Curry's.
With the former HoD secretly wearing them as his only dress shoe, DM's are the
shoe of choice in the department. Other members of staff also wear them, but
eschew the traditional colour black. A good place to buy Doc Martins is at the
Gas and Welding Equipment LTD store at 239 Ilkeston R. (a bit towards town from
Lenton Ave., ph. 942-0519). They mostly sell welding supplies, and let the
shoes go for a large discount. Backlash, across from the Theatre Royal, is
another a good place to buy DMs and second hand clothes.
For electronics, people have had success with Curry's (longer return policy),
Argus, the catalogue showroom place, has offices near Victoria Centre,
Broadmarsh, and on the square in Beeston. The closest Curry store is located
on Castle Boulevard near Sainsbury's. Some people swear by Jessops (the
Nottingham Branch of John Lewis), which is in the Victoria Centre, who will not
be knowingly undersold, But they don't take credit cards, and they are often
unknowingly undersold.
There is a Blackwells bookshop in the Portland building (ph. 958-0272)
scattered over several separate shops with branches in the new Arts centre
(selling art and children's books) and in the medical school (selling medical
texts, right across the bridge and down one level by the front door). There are
several remainder bookstores downtown, particularly on Clumber St. near the Vic
Centre (e.g., Country Bookshop) and on Mansfield Rd.
If you're really looking for stationary rather than books, there is a good
value store in the Trent Building. Coming up the hill, right before you enter
the archway going into the courtyard, turn right, enter the brown doors, and
inside is the Stationary Office. Department secretaries may have price lists.
They have A4 binders for 60p, for example.
The Student's Union Shop, near the main library, sells newspapers at a
discount, including the Financial Times for 15p instead of 65p, as people who
write for it are quick to point out.
Sainsbury's (on Castle Blvd. and in Beeston) provides most of all the vittles
you would ever want, but they don't properly hang their meat. If you want beef
that tastes like beef you will also have to see a butcher. Our favorite
butcher is Geo. Hogg & Son (The People's Butchers), on the Beeston High St.
near MacDonalds (ph. 925-034). ASDA (in Lenton, for example), Tesco (Vic
Centre), and the Kwik-Save (in Beeston near the bus terminal) are also
available, but aren't as enticing. The nicest supermarket we've found is the
Safeway on the A52 (ring road) near Gamston and the Nottingham Airport.
Small newsagents/corner stores are liberally sprinkled around Nottingham. Leen
Gate News (on the corner of Leen Gate and Gregory street within sight of the
medical school, ph: 784-918) is a typical one used by several members of the
department. It also rents movies.
There is a bread supply and organic food store on the street that runs past the
council house, over the hill, and on the left, called Hiziki'ss (15 GooseGate).
They also sell popping corn, as does the health food store on the Beeston High
St.
Cheap meat and fish is available in the market section of the Victoria
Centre.
The post office downtown (ph. 9 585 585) can answer most of you questions (but
for Postman Pat). There are more local offices in Dunkirk (the nearest, on
Lace St. on the other side of University Boulevard near the flyover), in
Beeston on the high road, and on Derby Rd. roughly across from the AA shop.
Public library downtown, (ph. 9 412 121) on Angel Row. You must bring proof of
address to get a card.
Nottingham Tourist information centre (ph. 947-0661) in the Council house on
Market Square is a good place to get further information about Nottingham and
to buy trinkets.
Bardill Garden Centre (Toton Lane, Stapleford. Tel. 0602-392478) is slightly
expensive, but is more than just a garden centre; there is a good coffee shop,
a large gift shop and an aquarium centre there. It is at Toton Lane, in
Stapleford off of a roundabout on the A52.
Homebase, the Sainsbury's version of a DIY store, is located at Castle Marina
near the Grocers. If they don't have it, they think you don't need it, which
is not always true. For larger projects that you probably shouldn't tackle
yourself, you will appreciate knowing about the (B&Q) Depot (ph. 986-4 818)
is a larger store (like a Homebase on steroids), with slightly larger selection
on Queens Rd. in Riverside Retail Park, about 5 min. from the Dunkirk flyover.
It is oriented towards larger amounts. It also is open later, typically 6PM
on Sundays and until 8 PM on other nights.
Often you will want to just get a single screw or a small pot of paint. In
Beeston these needs are well met by Wilkinsons (on the square), and Apelbys
(near the McDonalds).
Like most English cities Nottingham is well served with off-licenses and pubs
for buying your drinks. There prices tend to be slightly higher than you would
want (particularly pubs). There are several interesting alternatives. Oddbins
(downtown at 2 Middle Pavement near the BroadMarsh Centre) offers very good
value on a widely changing selection and has a wine tasting on Saturdays
between 2 and 5 PM. There is a Victoria wine company outlet in Victoria Centre
(hence the name), but it is small and poorly stocked, mostly with beer.
Sainsbury's (the omnipotent) offers good value on modest quality and modest
quantities of beer, wine, and spirits. Our own faculty club offers reasonable
value on campus for picking up something to take home in addition to a loaf of
bread and a pint of milk.
For watch repair, Onyx the Master Goldsmith (ph. 925-8744) on the
Beeston High street has provided one repair at a good price, but it broke
again, so we solicit help here.
Photo repairs Try Abbey Photographic on Mansfield Road (in the City).
Camping equipment. Easily the best camping/backpacking shop in Nott'm
is at Castle Camping on Maid Marian Way (may have changed its name ). Another
store, which includes a modest selection of backpacks, is the Army and General
store across from the train station. The Yeoman's store on the Beeston High
Rd. has a smaller selection, but offers a convenient location if you live near
it.
A pleasant oddity is the Loch Fyne Oyster bar at 17 Kings Street (ph. 950-8481)
-- probably the best oysters, and best value for money seafood anywhere south
of the Great Glen (Scotland).
Heath's in Evington Road, Leicester is "Totally awesome". It's above a
fishmonger of the same name. Fresh fish daily, etc. etc. (ph. 0116 273
6148).
Perkins Bistro, Plumtree, 6 miles south of Nottingham on the Melton Road - book
well ahead but worth it - recommend pint of prawns and strawberry shortbread.
(perhaps)[2] The Best Indian in
town is at Sagaars (ph. 622 014) restaurant in Sherwood at 473 Mansfield Road -
you have to wrestle the King Prawns to the ground, they are nearly
mini-lobsters, and they taste good too. Others just say that it has good
vegetarian food and large portions. They are good value but you pay a lot.
The Mayfair also has a good reputation. The Beeston Tandori restaurant is a
well liked Indian restaurant on the high road in Beeston (and it has a good
take away service, ph. 223 330). Other Indians worth a visit - Mogli Assam,
Lagunas, Anilas.
There is sound Chinese at the Ocean City Restaurant on Derby Road down from
Canning Circus. Try the Dim Sum on a Sunday Lunch time.
Silver Tree, 27 High Rd Beeston. Chinese Take Away. Pretty good; the Sechzwan
prawns are really good (ph. 922-1942). Further down the road, the Golden
Crown, is very well worth passing by (N=1).
In the city centre (Hockley), the Mandarin Restaurant (23 Hockley, ph.
958-6037) offers very good food indeed (but the service can be slow ).
Mr. Man's (at the north entrance of Wollaton Park, ph. 928-7788) is a posh
Chinese restaurant that does not dare unusual or spicy dished, but delivers
consistent, well presented, moderately priced dishes as long as you avoid soup
and the set menus.
The main claim of the Chinese take-away near the west entrance to the
university, the Lucky Star, is its large portions.
If you need a Chinese restaurant near the train station and you have some dosh,
Noble House is for you at 31/33 GreyFriar Gate (ph. 9501105). The food is OK
but somewhat pricey (hot & sour soup [[sterling]]2.30, kungpao chicken
[[sterling]]5.60).
Muchachas on Alfreton Rd. is available for those who need a fix of Mexican
food. We have heard that they have good food but in small portions and high
prices. Scruffy Murphy's on Derby Rd. near the Park's north entrance appears
to also sell Mexican or Tex-Mex food, but we haven't tried it.
The Blue Nile on Broad Street (in Hockley) is an Egyptian restaurant - the meze
is nice but a bit expensive for what you get. Avoid the belly dancer!
Captain Cod. (This changed hands sometime in 1995, and we solicet another
review.) This is a must, even though it is North of the City and several miles
from the University. The smell in the shop is gorgeous (almost worth going
there just to inhale), it is spotlessly clean, the fish is always freshly
cooked (plenty of people go there, but no long queues) and the chips are good.
They do burgers and kebabs too. The service is really friendly. Phone ahead
for scampi. 141 Perry Rd at intersection with Hucknall Rd. (ph 858 351).
Humber Rd. Chippy, the local to your humble editor, we've been told has been
going down hill for several years. At this rate, the 80's must have been the
golden age of chippies, for even now the fish is good, the chips crisp and not
too greasy, and the value for money quite high. It has been rumoured that the
Vice-Chancellor at the university sends a driver round occasionally to pick up
his lunch.
Harry Ramsden has opened the world's most famous fish and chips shop in
Riverside Retail Park near Clifton Bridge (near the B&Q Depot, ph.
986-1304). For [[sterling]]5 you can eat in for fish, chips, bread &
butter, and a cuppa. For [[sterling]]3 you can have it take away. While not
the absolute best fishnchips, it offers fast and friendly service, a posh
atmosphere (Chandeliers!) and beer with your meal. You should avoid the
scampi, for in addition to its own problems, professors in the AI group will
make fun of you for ordering it.
Also (don't) see: Cod Plaice 31 High Rd., Chilwell Beeston. Awful!
Traditional Fish and Chip Shop 41 Chilwell Rd. Beeston. Reasonable (but No
Scampi)
Empirical work is an enjoyable activity within any psychology department, and
ours is no exception. There is keen debate about where to go, after the
Johnson Arms first, of course. Below is a listing of pubs convenient to
campus, or of particular note within the Nottingham area. Additional
information is available from Nottinghamshire County Council in their (undated)
brochure of pubs.
CAMRA (ph. 923-5360, 145 Abbey Rd., West Bridgeford, NG2 5ND) hosts the
Nottingham Real Ale Festival at the Victoria Leisure Centre in Sneiton every
October.
On campus
- In Portland
- the faculty club: perhaps the cheapest at 1.05/pint. They have an
organised series of guest beers. Get Kirbyized as well.
- many of the halls of residence have integrated pubs which can be quite
nice.
Nearby
- The Johnson Arms (Dunkirk)
- Three Wheatsheeves (Lenton, Derby Rd.)
- Rose and Crown (Lenton, Derby Rd.)
- The Boat (Dunkirk, around the corner from the Johnson arms)
- The White Hart (Dunkirk/Lenton)
In Lenton, Beeston, and nearby areas
- The Crown (Beeston)
Interesting ones down town
. The trip (Ye Olde trip to Jerusalem)
. The Salutation Inn (Ye Olde Salutation Inn)
. The Running horse
. The Falcon Inn
.The Bell
. Fellows Arms
The Victoria. This is a relatively new pub on the Beeston scene, but a
much welcome one. It is run by the former landlord of the Limelight and
Lincolshire Poacher. Like them, it features a revolving selection of well kept
real ales, a basically friendly atmosphere, and pretty good food. It is behind
the Beeston train station on Dovecote Lane.
The Limelight. This pub is next door to the Albert Hall (and adjoining
the Playhouse Theatre), serving mostly theatregoers in a very pleasant
atmosphere, but all are welcome. It has several bars, and seating downstairs.
As noted in the table, it has one of the largest selections of draft beers in
the city. The seating downstairs is quieter, and has all the ambience of a
high school cafeteria, but you get to drink beer there without being told to
bus your table.
Sir John Borlose Warren. A slightly posh pub in Canning Circus with a
mix of students and locals. A place to warm your feet on the way to or from
another pub or event downtown.
The Royal Children. A snug, slightly posh pub in the city centre
catering mostly to workers there. It's fairly clear, the pub's name and notes
not withstanding, that it is not nearly old enough to have hosted the royal
children in question (Princess Anne's children in the 1680's). It is alleged
(Etal, E., 1993, personal communication) that upon the birth of a royal child
all the regulars are given a glass of champagne. It does have a picture of the
fattest man in England in the lounge though (54 s, by the way). Look for a
similar picture in the Trip.
The Martin's Arms. A genuine village pub about 20 minutes south of
Nottingham. It has good beer, and good food, but this part is a bit pricey
(main dishes [[sterling]]7-12). On one visit it had lots of fresh flowers that
annoyed Dr. Etal. In summer that have a garden, and in the winter, fires.
It's good enough, in fact, and obscure enough, to deserve a map, shown in
Figure 2.
Figure 2. Map to the Martin Arms pub. Note: never used to get there.
The Ferry Inn. (ph. 811441) On summer, if you are free that day, a
delightful way to spend the evening is on the Trent River in Wilford at the
Ferry Inn. They also do food in the evening.
The Crown at Old Dalby (towards Melton Mowbray). Excellent range of
beers served straight from the cask. Good (but expensive) food. Boules on the
lawn. Les Routiers recommended. Very hard to find. Take one of us and we'll
show you.
The Lincolnshire Poacher. A friendly pub located on the left hand side
of Mansfield Rd. north approximately three blocks from the Victoria Centre. It
serves Bateman's real ales and a variety of other visiting real ales. It has a
pleasant conservatory in the rear as well as a patio. It serves a limited
menu, but generally the items are of high quality. It appears to have Irish
music sessions upon occasion.
The Radcliffe Arms. Bunny. Opposite the Toyota garage. Large old pub,
does pub meals and the beer is ok. Nice walks are available in the town, and
the church has a plaque commemorating the wrestling baron of Bunny.
The White House. This pub is well situated along the River Soar just
south of Kegworth in a location where you would really want a nice country pub.
While this pub claims to be listed in Les Routiers (1985/91) and Egon Ronay
(1983/91) dining guides, when my dining companion and I recently (6/93) visited
it, we found the food to served at a uniform flavour and temperature (i.e., the
cold meat and hot casserole were both lukewarm), the service surly, and the
beer poorly kept Bass (three strikes for a total of five). Our elbows, hands,
and drinks often became quite severely stuck to the top of the unwashed table.
My dining partner actually thought that the ash tray was glued down. Sometimes
you run across a pub that is pleasure to review, sometimes because it has good
food, other times because it is easy and amusing: we can clearly that this is a
0, don't go, try a cafe parked along the M1 first, or any of the pubs in Sutton
Bonnington. As this guide evolves we hope to remove this type of review and
replace it with a more noteworthy pub in this, the most south-eastern area of
Nottinghamshire, for there are reports of a riverside pub at Normanton, a
Nottinghamshire village near the border with Leicestershire. The mythical pub
has a garden leading down to the River that forms the county boundry, and this
is, of course, the River Soar.
Table 1: Listing of pubs for planning your pub crawl.
+ indicates guest beers
N indicates the number of visits so far, a measure of quality and
convenience.
F indicates Fires in the winter.
G indicates gardens to sit in.
D indicates dart board available.
B indicates Bowser is allowed in at least one room inside.
X indicates Bowser is not allowed inside at all.
Name Location Beer N Food Accout Other
rement
s
The Three Lenton Shipston 8 L/D DG
Wheatsheaves e
The Royal Children City Home 2 ?
Centre
Ye Olde Trip to City Hardy & 3 Oldest
Jerusalem Centre Hansons
The Bell Inn City Free 2 L/D +
Centre House
The Grove Lenton Free 3 none none Most crowded
House
The Salutation City Whitbrea 4 L Oldest too
Centre d+
The Ferry Inn W.Bridgefo Premier 1 L/D FG
rd
The Johnson Arms Dunkirk Shipston 6 Roll FG
e s
Sir John B. Warren Canning Shipston 4 L/D G
e
The Limelight Canning Freehous 2 Lots of real
e ale
The Commercial Beeston Kimberly 10 L XD poor beer
selection
The Victoria Beeston Free 7 L/D BG
House
The Star Beeston Shipston 2 no FDB+
e
Lincolnshire Vic Cen Batemans 6 L/D G lots of real
Poacher + ale
T2. A grungy student cafeteria still named after its location on the
initial architectural drawing. It is best to get food for take-away there
unless you like a loud and dirty atmosphere. They do reasonable soup, pre-made
sandwiches, and good value jacket potatoes. There is a similar cafeteria that
serves full hot lunches in the medical school that Dr. Etal frequents because
they don't know that he's not that kind of doctor, and he doesn't know that
they're heavily into recycling over there.
The Portland building. The student cafeterias on the second floor
offers very good value, and is often the first place staff consider in their
lunching plans. There is also a bar on the ground floor for those who wish to
drunk their lunch. On the top floor there is the imaginatively named Top
Floor Dining room (formerly the Private Dining room). There are rumours of
a staff room where you can sleep after lunch on an upper floor iff you went to
Oxbridge.
The new arts center: Cafe Lautrec. In October 1993 Cafe Lautrec (ph.
951-5791) was out of favour. In 1995 it is now favoured. It's not run by the
university's in house catering unit, which explains why it tends to serve very
nice food, in a pleasant atmosphere. Its portions have come into relation to
their price, making it a relatively good value, if you like your food to taste
good, which not everyone here seems to care about. They do have good coffee,
and it is worth at least a visit to decide if you need that much value, and it
a pleasant place to take guests. It is also a good place to edit
manuscripts.
The University Club. The slightly cheaper beer ([[sterling]]1.05) than
normal is a loss leader to get you in. The food is slightly upmarket, but good
value. Kirby, the waiter, takes good care of you.
The medical school cafateria. The ambiance could hardly be worse,
buried in the bowels of a hospital with doctors and sick people wandering
around along with people crying in the corners. But, the prices are very good
indeed (two plates of salad, veg and chips for a pound, chicken Grand Marnier
for two), and the food is not too bad. It's on level D (3), in the E/W block.
Parker's Cafe at Dunkirk flyover: It is not open after 5 PM. It
appears to be similar to an American diner or truck stop.
The Lenton Friary. Your standard or slightly below standard fish and
chips shop on Abbey Road. Fish is good, chips are OK, everything else tried so
far (N=6) disappoints.
There is an Indian restaurant just next to the Johnson Arms. In addition to
take-away it offers a sit down area, but it is not as recommended for
take-away, as the one next to it is much, much better (A taste of India, ph:
978-4957), and is very good indeed.
The Baltimore Exchange. Located in Castle Marina, this TGIF-like
American theme restaurant will probably disappoint. It's slightly expensive,
and the authentic American taste is not quite accurate. The beer (mostly
lager, which is what one should drink for the bitter is very poorly kept) is
expensive, and the crowd somewhat yuppie. The best thing to say for them is
that while their Barbecue and milkshakes are not authentic, they are at least
very good. But it has balloons.
The Mogal-e-Azam (ph 473 820, 7/9 Goldsmith St across from the Theatre
Royal), also known as "The Mogal". Eammon sez the best Indian restaurant in
town. Are going to believe the professors and the rest of the department who
added their suggestions to this or are you going to try this place out on the
off chance that Eammon is right?
Le Grenouille (ph. 411088, 32 Lenton Blvd.). Eammon's recommended
wining and dining restaurant with an ironic name. A bit pricy. Run by real
French people. It's just like being in a foreign country! Their fixed price
menu is good value, and you get a lot of food. Their wine list is pleasant and
fairly priced as well.
Mayfields, Wheeler Gate. Food until 8 PM. Wine happy-hour 6-7 PM.
Here we review some other restaurants that are less special, but that you might
see more often.
It ain't Chikaga (Chicago) by any means, but reasonable interpretations of
pizza are available from Dominoes in Beeston (ph. 9 436 363).
(the 2.80 place downtown!) Deep pan pizza (or is it Deep dish Pizza?) across
from the Theatre Royal.
Palace Pizza in Beeston is OK but not worth writing home about.
The Mayfair on Mansfield Road is cheap and cheerful. Bring your own booze
(they don't have a drinks licence).
The University Fish Bar, next door to the Beeston Tandori, has very friendly
service, but the food is not as good as the Lenton Friary (although in 5/94 and
6/95 it has come under new management and needs to be reviewed again and again).
The Town House on Low Pavement. It's stopped opening in the evenings
altogether. I t is a sort of cafe style restaurant, in that you can just have a
cup of coffee or a bowl of soup, but they do cook real food as well. The food
is excellent, especially the pizzas.
Sunny's in the city centre. A bit pricy (entrees for [[sterling]]10-15), but
it is good.
The White Lady at Newstead Abbey in a posh location with ok food.
Student run movies during term time. Haven't been.
The Broadway, downtown on Broad St. near the Vic. Centre (ph. 952-6611), shows
art and foreign films. Students [[sterling]]2.50 and normal people at
[[sterling]]3.50. The best way to know what's on is to ask them to send you
their schedule every month.
There are other more run-of-the-mill cinemas. The Savoy on Derby Road is nice
-- old-fashioned (still has double seats for loving couples, and a small bar).
It does current films and some classics. The Odeon and the MGM cinemas
downtown are pretty standard. The Showcase cinema (ph. 986-6766) is a
10-screen place, just out of town on the ring road, but within walking distance
of the University.
Video Magic, 105 High Rd. Beeston. One of a chain of shops throughout
Nottingham. Rentals at [[sterling]]1.00 for two nights (best deal in town).
Rather unimaginative range of films (e.g., no Woody Allen), but a good range.
ID for joining (no fee): 2 things (e.g., phone bill) with printed address and 1
with signature.
The Nottingham Playhouse -- does quite interesting stuff.
The Theatre Royal - has touring companies (usually for only a week at a time so
you have to be careful you don't blink and miss them) such as the RSC, Opera
North, sometimes 'West End' style musicals.
Classical Music
The Royal Concert Hall - next to the Theatre Royal. Major orchestras (Halle,
CBSO, etc).
The pantos at the Nottingham Playhouse are better than those at the Theatre
Royal if you are not going with children and want more wit (but if you do, why
are you going to a panto?)
There is a general ticket office at the Victoria Centre (ph. 941-9741). They
sell tickets for a variety of venues and times.
The Bell (pub beside Market Square) has jazz on Monday nights -- Dixie stuff.
Cafe Metz, opposite Oddbins at the top of the Broadmarsh Centre, has a Latin
jazz band on Saturday Nights.
Nightclubs
There are a wide variety of these!
The Irish - this place reminds you of a village hall or a school disco.
It is cheap and packed with students. It has to be seen at least once -- a
real Nottingham institution.
Rock City - as well as hosting rock concerts this is a nightclub.
Shabby place. The music is mostly heavy metal.
Madisons, Ritzy's - two nightclubs downtown.
The Cookie Club - very small (exclusive?) place opposite Bankrupt
Clothing on the way up to Hockley. You wouldn't notice it during the day. Not
usually very busy but ok if you are with a group of friends. No dress
restrictions.
The Market Bar - in Hockley, beneath Trent Bridge Travel. Very trendy
place - lots of imported bottled beer.
Hippos, the BeatRoot - two clubs near the Market Bar.
The Black Orchid - large (and easy to get lost in) club out of town near
the Showcase cinema. Has a student night (Monday?) otherwise dress restrictions
are tough.
Miros - large old house near the station. Currently (early 1994) trendy.
The local radio and TV is rather provincial, but comes in good anyhow.
Table:
AM band (kHz) FM band (MHz) Format
Radio 1: 1053, 1089 kHz 97.6 - 99.8
Radio 2:
88.90.2
Radio 3:
90.2 - 92.4
Radio 4: 198 kHz 92.4 - 94.6
Radio 5: 693 kHz
Classic FM:
100-102
Trent FM: 96.2
GEM-AM: 999/945 (MW)
Radio Nottingham: 1521 103.8, 95.5
Radio Derby: 1116 kHz 104.5, 94.5,
95.3
Radio Leicester 837 95.1,
104.9
Radio Lincs: 1368 94.9
[This table taken from the Nottingham Post, and is known to include errors.]
Radio 4 is amazingly brilliant, particularly compared to the local radio
Nottingham.
See Julian Pine to join the staff football team. Nottingham Football
Association (ph. 941-8954) can also put you in touch with local, casual
football teams.
Nottingham has two football clubs (FA), Notts. County FC (ph. 986-1155), and
Nottingham Forest (ph. 982-1122). One is in the Premier division, and the
other is sometimes in the Premier division.
The university has a fairly well equipped sports centre. It has several halls
for badminton, indoor football, squash, and even snooker and rock climbing.
They also let you hire equipment for these sports, including whistles. There
are however, no swimming pools because the administration believes that the
cities pools that are over a mile away are close enough. For a nominal
[[sterling]]10 (staff, [[sterling]]8 student) and a passport photo, you are
issued a booklet noting that you are a member. To reserve a room, ring
x5516.
For tennis, there are three outdoor courts at the sports centre, and the halls
in the sports centre can be made into indoor courts (but we've never seen it
happen). Across the road from the university is the "largest tennis centre of
its kind in the country", the City of Nottingham Tennis Centre. It has 8
indoor and over 20 outdoor courts, changing rooms, and a small refreshments
stand. Fees for peak (6 to 11 PM) indoor time in the winter is steep,
[[sterling]]11/hour, but even at that price it can be hard to book. Bookings
can be made at 922-0313.
People into wind surfing should make the effort to get down to Rutland Water --
34 miles south of Nottingham you pass through the lovely county town of Oakham
(good food and beer). At Rutland Water you can surf, sail, bicycle and get very
drunk at the White Horse, Empimgham.
For three days starting from the first Thursday of October the Goose fair comes
to Nottingham. It is probably the largest and oldest Fair in England, and
perhaps Europe. It used to be held at the City Centre, but is now held at the
Faire grounds a mile north of the city.
At the old cattle market a flea market and auction is held every Saturday.
Nottingham's 19th century castle houses an art museum and is conveniently
close to the Ye Olde Tripe to Jerusalem.
Wollaton Hall and park just north of the university is a park and museum that
used to be a mansion. It was given to the city in the 1930's to avoid the tax
man, and has since been turned into a deer park, private golf course, several
meadows, a fishing lake, a natural science museum and an Industrial Museum.
The Natural Science museum has lots of stuffed birds, lots of moths and other
exhibits in traditional and rather run down presentations. It's worth a visit
sometime. The Industrial museum has a large collection of lace making
machines, cars and a working beam (steam) engine; definitely worth a visit for
anyone remotely interested in industrial archaeology. Watch out for the
various annual and other occasional events in Wollaton Park, such as the Steam
Fair and Hot air balloon launches.
The Tales of Robin Hood: A Picture Book Journey through the Robin Hood
legend. 30-38 Maid Marian Way. Nottingham NG1 6GF. (ph. 0115 9483284). We
believe that this is probably just a tourist rip-off downtown on Maid Marion
Way, but we look forward to going and buying crappy presents for our friends.
"The sights, the sounds, the people (and the smells) of medieval England are
recreated in the retelling of the Tales of Robin Hood."
Attenborough Nature Reserve. If you go out along the Beeston canal past
Beeston, you will run across the a nature reserve. On weekends it can be
crowded with people watching wildlife, but it makes a pleasant day trip in any
case.
Sherwood Forest. 25 miles north off the A614.
Newsted Abbey. 9 miles north west on the A60 to Mansfield, founded
1170, Lord Byron's family seat, beautiful grounds. Can go by bus from the
Victoria Centre Bus Station (means walking a mile or so from the bus stop when
you get there).
The smallest National trust property. At 5 & 7 Blyth Grove are two
houses that serve as time capsules from the 1930's. It is only open from 1pm
to 5:30pm from Tuesday to Saturday between April and October. Bookings can be
made by writing to The custodian, 7 Blyth Grove, Worksop, Notts (enclosing a
SSAE), or by calling (01909) 482 380.
Museums in Nottingham
Venue Opening Hours Fee phone Covers
times
The Castle daily 1000-1645 free* 948-3504 Art and stuff
Museum
Brewhouse Yard daily 1000-1700 free 948-3504 ext
3600
Green's Mill Wed-Sunda 1000-1700 free 950-3635
y
Industrial Thurs 1000-1630 & free* 928-4 602 Industrial
Sat 1330-1630 stuff
Canal Wed/Thur 1000-1700 free 959-8835 Canal and
Sat 1300-1700 water stuff
Costume & daily 1000-1700 free 948-3504 ext Costumes and
Textiles 3540 stuff
Natural M-Sat Sun 1000-1630 free* 928-1333 Bones and
History 1330-1630 stuff
University M-F Sat 1000-1900 free 951-3192 Art stuff
Art Gallery 1100-1700
* indicates that there is a 'small charge' on Sundays and bank holidays.
The Friends of Nottingham Museums offer guided tours of the Drury Hill
Broadmarsh Caves every Wednesday at 1930, for [[sterling]]1 for adults and 50p
for concessions. You must book in advance at 948-3504 ext 3600.
Belvior Castle is off the A52 east of Nottingham (Grantham, Lincs, (01476)
987-0262. It is owned by the Duke of Rutland, and has jousting festivals in
the summer. Open from March to October.
Bunny is a village just south of Nottingham. It makes a pleasent half day
trip. You can get lunch at the Rutland Arms, walk around the town, and see a
memorial plaque in the village church to the 'wrestling baron of Bunny.'
Chatsworth house and grounds
The Bull's Head near Ashford
The Peacock in Hassip
The Scotsman's Pack Inn (School Lane, Hathersage (A625) S30 1BZ (0433) 650 253
650 712) comes recommended as a base to take hikes from, to stay, and to eat
and drink.
Matlock
Bakewell
The White Hart is a pleasant pub. Easy to get to by train. Old town, castle
and cathedral plus lots of nice tea shops. Their medieval Chirstmas fair is
worth attending once or twice, and this can beneficially be combined with a
trip to the whiskey shop in town.
This collection of small towns can reached by train every hour from Nottingham
station. We can recommend Dillons Hotel (Belsize Park or Swiss Cottage), ph.
0171-794 -3360. Singles from [[sterling]]22, doubles from [[sterling]]31
(including VAT and continental breakfast). The International Student's house
at 119 Great Portland St. (ph. 0171 631-3223) looks like a nice and good value
place to stay, but we have no experience as of yet to report because they are
always booked months ahead.
Amsterdam is only 40 minutes away by air from Nottingham. It remains the adult
male's version of Disney Land. A good value place to stay is at Hotel ,,P.C.
Hooft" (#63 P.C. Hooftstraat, 1071 BN Amsterdam, ph. ++ 020 6627107).
They are two blocks from the Rijksmuseum, and offers singles for 65 guilders
(approximately [[sterling]]20). It's run by a nice Egyptian family and has
cable TV in four languages. While in Amsterdam, be sure to rent a bike and
tour the country side. You find a bike shop readily enough just by strolling,
and the countryside is only 20 minutes away by bike.
All references, unless noted, are available from their authors.
Barnes,
F. (1993). Priory Demesne to University Campus. Nottingham: U. of
Nottingham.
Nottingham University, Physical recreation department handbook, 1992-93.
Contains much more information on the athletic facilities at the University.
Nottinghamshire County Council (undated) Discover Nottinghamshire Pubs.
Available from the Nottinghamshire County Council, ph. 774215, -4 Smithy
Row, Nottingham, NG1 2BY.
Nottingham Area Council for Overseas Student Affairs, 1992. Information for
overseas students in Nottingham. Their address is 61b Mansfield Rd. Ph: 474
793.
Trease, G. (1978?) Nottingham, a biography. Oatly, West Yorks: The
Amethyst Press. Available from the library downtown.
(Barnes,
1993)
.
This area abuts the university to the west. Most of the houses used to be
council housing, and the price and ambience still reflect this fact, but you
literally could have the university in your back garden. Dunkirk is to the
south and west, and is a relatively small area. Many students live in this
area, and it can be a bit rough.