a to z guide

Art	The City of Nottingham is famous for its artists and art galleries. Whether your interest is in paintings, design, crafts or photography, Nottingham has something to interest you. Exhibitions can be found at the Castle Museum, the Angel Row gallery, the Bonington Gallery and Nottingham University's Arts Centre.
Albert Ball	Britain's ace flyer of the First World War was a Nottingham man called Albert Ball. In 15 months of action he was responsible for the shooting down of 43 enemy aircraft. Albert Ball died aged only 20 years old when his plane was brought down behind enemy lines. He was posthumously honoured with the award of the Victoria Cross for valour in the service of his Country.
Bendigo	The Champion bareknuckle fighter of all England was born in Nottingham in 1811. His name was William Abednego "Bendigo" Thompson and to this day his name and reputation still persists in the City of his birth. Whilst he remained unbeaten by any man for over 20 years he was often bettered by the demon drink. Bendigo later underwent a conversion from his violent ways and became an evangelist preacher.
Jesse Boot	The founder of Boots the Chemists, a household name in England and across the world, Jesse Boot was born in 1850 in Nottingham. He began his business empire by taking over his father's shop in Goosegate whilst still in his teens. Boots the Chemist's headquarters is still based in Nottingham employing around 10,000 staff.
Byron	According to his lover Lady Caroline Lamb he was mad, bad and dangerous to know. To his thousands of adoring followers, George Gordon Byron remains one of the world's finest and most famous romantic poets. Lord Byron first began his writing career in Nottingham's city streets and his legacy can be seen all around in our City. Byron's ancestral home can be found at Newstead Abbey, which stands roughly 10 miles from the City. Byron died at the tender age of 36 of fever whilst campaigning for Greek independence from the Turks. To this day he remains a national hero in Greece.
Caves	Stretching from the Castle to the Lace Market out to the fringes of the City and beyond lies an underground network of caves and chambers numbering in excess of 400. Nottingham's man made cave system dates from Saxon times and has been used through the ages for purposes like prison cells, storage areas, factories, secret passages and escape routes and pub cellars. One of the City's main attractions is The Caves of Nottingham where visitors can view the labyrinth of caves for themselves.
Charles 1	Chose Nottingham to mark his place in history when, by raising his Standard outside the Castle in 1644, he began the English Civil war. His rallying call however found little favour with the citizens of Nottingham and the Roundheads, in a bloody battle, eventually defeated Charles's Royalists later in the same year.
Kevin Costner	Known to many as Robin - Prince of Thieves, the name of the film, which premiered in Nottingham in 1991. Memorable for the chart topping theme song by Canadian musician Bryan Adams, much of the scenery from the film can be found at The World of Robin Hood a few miles north of Nottingham
Dutch	Entranced by Sherwood Forest's 450 acres of ancient oak woodland, Dutch company Center Parcs chose to make this location their first holiday site in Britain. Center Parks is a complex of a temperature controlled tropical dome complete with swimming pool surrounded by chalets from which visitors can explore fully the delights of Sherwood Forest.
Edwards	All three came to our city. The first bridge over the River Trent was built by Edward the Elder in 920AD King Edward 11 was murdered by Roger Mortimer in 1327 who was himself executed by King Edward 111.
Flagwavers	A novel scheme set up by the City Council where Nottingham people are given the chance to "fly the flag" for our famous city. Whether it's sport, business or pleasure, Nottingham's Flagwavers will be promoting our City when they visit other towns and cities throughout the world.
Galleries of Justice	Visitor Attraction of the Year 1999 - Which Magazine's Editor's Choice 2000. Located in the original 17th Century courthouse, this award-winning museum takes the visitor back through 3 centuries of crime and punishment. Using live actors, the true crimes and their grisly punishments are acted out in their original settings. With medieval caves and cells, an original women's prison, a working Victorian police station, children's activity centre and a magnificent Victorian courtroom, the Galleries of Justice is Britain's foremost interactive museum.
Goose Fair	Held in October of each year, Nottingham's Goose Fair is the oldest, biggest and best three-day fair in Britain. Goose Fair is over 700 years old and up until the early 19th. Century it was held in the centre of Nottingham. With the erection of the new Council House in Market Square in 1927, the Fair moved to its present location on the Forest Recreation Ground.
Highwaymen	In the olden days, one of the favourite haunts for highwaymen is reputed to have been the Salutation Inn, still a working Public House to this day which stands in the shadow of Nottingham Castle. It is possible that the famous highway robber Dick Turpin may have slaked his thirst in the Salutation after holding up the London coach.
Information Centre	Visitors to Nottingham can get friendly advice from the City Information Centre on Smithy Row. Up to 1 million enquiries a year are dealt with by staff from both residents and tourists seeking facts and figures on things to see and do in Nottingham.
Little John	No, not the legendary outlaw but one of Nottingham's most noticeable sounds. This little John is the deepest-toned bell in Britain weighing 10.5 tonnes. It can be found hanging below the 200 foot dome of the Council House clock. It sounds out the time to the City every 15 minutes and is believed to be the loudest clock bell in the country.
Kings	Of which many ruled from Nottingham Castle and carried out acts which made a mark on British history. Henry 11 burned down Nottingham. The brutal King John hung 28 Welsh hostages from the Castle Battlements and Richard 111 rode to his death at the battle of Bosworth Field from Nottingham.
D.H.Lawrence	D.H. Lawrence is famous throughout the world as one of the greatest authors of the century. Born in Eastwood, he went to the Nottingham High School and later to the City's University. Amongst his works which caused a storm of controversy on their publication are The Rainbow and his last novel, Lady Chatterley's Lover. Lawrence's birthplace in Eastwood is now a museum.
Major Oak	Stands proud as the centrepiece of the Robin Hood Legend in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. Visitors to the Sherwood Visitor Centre can see the mighty tree as well as walking through leafy Sherwood and experiencing the visitor attractions on offer.
Nottingham Story	The Nottingham Story gives visitors the chance to experience the history of our City in a spectacular audio-visual presentation. Set in a basement theatre in the City Information Centre, the show gives an entertaining insight into Nottingham's remarkable heritage
Old Market Square	Covering 5.5 acres, Nottingham's Old Market Square is the biggest in Great Britain and was once the home to the famous Goose Fair. According to tradition, the market grew in this spot because it was neutral ground between the Norman and the Saxon areas of the City. At the head of the square stands the Council House which was built in 1929 to replace the 200 year old exchange which previously stood on the site.
Peter Pan	It is not widely known that one of the most famous childrens' stories ever was inspired by the City of Nottingham. The author J.M. Barrie was employed as a leader writer on a paper called the Nottingham Journal and lived for a time in a part of Nottingham called the Arboretum. He is said to have been inspired to write the story of Peter Pan by a ragged urchin he met whilst out walking in the streets of Nottingham.
Questions	Did Robin Hood really exist? Where did Robin Hood Live? Why do people still disagree over the truth behind the Legend? To find out more go to our Information Page
Robin Hood	He's what this site is all about !!!
Reform Bill	In 1831, a call from the people for better working conditions was dismissed by the House of Lords leading to mass rioting by many Nottingham workers. This culminated in the burning down of Nottingham Castle which was the home of the Duke of Newcastle.
Road Watch	View web cam images of some of the roads around Sherwood and Nottingham, intresting for foreign freinds and local drivers.
Sheriff of Nottingham	The title of Sheriff of Nottingham has been in existence for over 950 years and this most historic position is currently held by Nottingham Councillor, Chris Gibson. These days, the role of Sheriff is purely ceremonial and plays a vital part in promoting Nottingham both at home and overseas. The Sheriff still has two silver maces which symbolise the days when Nottingham was split into two distinct areas, the Norman Borough, centred on the Castle and the Saxon Borough, centred on the area of Sneinton.
Trip to Jerusalem	To many, the Old Trip to Jerusalem is the oldest pub in the world allegedly dating back to the year 1189. It is undoubtedly unique as it extends back into a cave cut into the sandstone at the base of Castle Rock. Who knows whether Robin and his outlaw band may have one day sat in this pub plotting their next move against the evil prince John and his henchmen.
Universities	Nottingham is extremely fortunate in having two of the country's best academic institutions within its boundaries. Students clamour to come to either Nottingham University or Nottingham Trent University in order to take advantage of the excellent teaching, the magnificent surroundings, the superb nightlife and culture and of course, to be a part of the City of Legend.
Vivit Post Funera Virtus	Are the Latin words inscribed on the City's motto. It means "virtue outlives death" and is incorporated into the Coat of Arms which is considered to be one of Britain's most attractive heraldic designs.
Wollaton Park and Hall	In 1588, a local mine owner named Sir Francis Willoughby built a grand and splendid house which is named Wollaton Hall. The Hall is set in 500 acres of surrounding parkland landscaped by Georgian gardener Capability Brown. Special features include a large lake, an iron framed camelia house and a herd of red deer.
Yew	Was grown in local churchyards to provide the wood for Robin Hood's favourite weapon, the English Long Bow.
Zoological	The world's first systematic study of birds was written by Sir Francis Willoughby of Wollaton Hall which was published after his death in 1672.