Nottingham is a city in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham It is credited as the largest city in the East Midlands region of England. Nottingham is also a member of the English Core Cities Group.
At the heart of Nottingham City Centre is the Old Market Square. This 22,000 sq/m open space is the largest square in England and was refurbished in 2007 to include a large water feature, which consists of numerous fountains and gushing rapids. The entire square was also re-surfaced with granite slabs.
fountains and gushing rapids. The entire square was also re-surfaced with granite slabs. Nottingham Council House which overlooks the square can be seen for miles around thanks to its dome which rises61 m above the city, and is lit up at night. Inside the Council House is the Exchange Arcade, an upmarket shopping centre which houses many high class shops, shopping being one of the main attractions of the City.Radiating out from the central square are the other areas of the city. The Hockley quarter, characterised by a higher proportion of independent retailers and alternative cinema, is situated to the east of the city. Hockley is adjacent to the Lace Market area which is home to many large grand Victorian era buildings owing to Nottingham's importance in the Victorian Lace Industry, the city's interesting history being another main attraction. To the south of the square shopping streets lead their way into the soon to be totally rebuilt Broadmarsh shopping centre. Beyond the shopping centre lies the canal which is a pleasant area full of cafes and restaurants. To the west is Nottingham Castle and Maid Marian Way which is home to The Tales of Robin Hood along with the majority of the high rise office buildings in the city. Northwards from the square more major shopping streets lead to the Victoria Shopping Centre and to an entertainment quarter with numerous restaurants and a cinema complex. The Theatre Royal, Nottingham on Theatre Square and Nottingham Playhouse at the Albert Hall can also be found here.
he Popular Hotels, Backpackers & Hostel in Nottingham
East Midlands Airport in Leicestershire, served by low-cost international airlines, makes the city easily accessible from other parts of the world providing daily services to many principal European destinations such as Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Dublin, Oslo and Amsterdam, internal flights to Edinburgh and Belfast and limited services to trans-continental destinations such as Barbados, Mexico, Sanford and Florida. Nearby Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield also provides domestic European and Trans-Atlantic services. Birmingham International airport is about one hour's drive away and 2 hours 15 minutes on the train, providing flights to most principal European cities, New York, Boston, Toronto, Montreal, Dubai and the Indian sub-continent.
Nottingham is home to two professional football teams: Nottingham Forest and Notts County is the oldest professional Football League team in the world, having been founded in 1862 - a year before the establishment of the Football Association.
Brewhouse Yard Museum, a museum of Nottingham Life
Nottingham city receives a considerable volume of tourism, with almost 300,000 people visiting from overseas in years. alone Many visitors are attracted by Nottingham's nightlife and shops, by its history, and by the legend of Robin Hood, visiting Sherwood Forest, Nottingham Castle and The Tales of Robin Hood on Maid Marian Way. Popular history-based tourist attractions in central Nottingham include the Castle, City of Caves, Lace Market, The Galleries of Justice, and the City's ancient pubs.
There are two main shopping centres in Nottingham: Victoria Centre and Westfield Broadmarsh. Debenhams and Marks and Spencer are to be the anchors of the new centre, which will be open in 2011. Smaller shopping centres are the The Exchange Arcade, the Flying Horse Walk (once a famous hotel) and new developments in Trinity Square and The Pod. The Bridlesmith Gate area has numerous designer shops, and is the home of the original Paul Smith boutique. There are also various side streets and alleys that hide some interesting and often overlooked buildings and shops - streets such as Poultry Walk, West End Arcade and Hurts Yard. These are home to many specialist shops as is Derby Road, near the Cathedral and once the antiques area but now home to some the city's most interesting independent shops.
Nottingham city is home to the headquarters of many well-known companies. One of the best known is Boots the Chemists(now Alliance Boots), founded in the city by Jesse Boot 1st Lord Trent in 1849 and substantially expanded by his son John Boot (2nd Lord Trent).
Nottingham city is home to two universities: the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University (formerly Trent Polytechnic). Together they are attended by over 40,000 full-time students. The University of Nottingham's teaching hospital, University of Nottingham Medical School, is part of the largest hospital in the UK, the Queen's Medical Centre.
Nottingham city has some truly magnificent architecture, buildings from a vast swathe of history stretching right back to the 1100s have been built in the City. Victorian Nottingham saw a building boom with many grand buildings being built owing to the City's 19th century importance. Architects such as Alfred Waterhouse, Thomas Chambers Hine and Watson Fothergill have all built spectacular buildings in Nottingham.
