31 December 2010

New book on the Pierrepont family

Ashbracken of Radcliffe-on-Trent has recently published a lavishly-illustrated, comprehensive history of one of Nottinghamshire's most illustrious families, the Pierreponts. Their extensive estates were centred on Holme Pierrepont and Thoresby and members of the family were prominent in military, political and sporting fields. Amongst their strong-willed women were "a daughter whose broken marriage laid the way for modern divorce; another who introduced inoculation against smallpox; and a bigamous duchess."
Further information is available on the Ashbracken website.

30 December 2010

Recent publications from Nottinghamshire County Council

The County Council has recently published the following:
  • Turning Back the Pages on Nottinghamshire Canals by Ray and Joanne Bickel (see article in the Nottingham Evening Post)
  • An outline history of the Railways of Nottinghamshire by Michael A. Vanns
  • Map of Nottinghamshire from The English Counties Delineated by Thomas Moule, 1837
  • Politics, Law and Society in Nottinghamshire: The Diaries of Godfrey Tallents of Newark 1829-1839, edited by Richard A Gaunt
See the local studies publications page on the County Council website for further details and an order form.

Watson Fothergill's buildings in Nottingham

The BBC Nottingham website has an interesting article on the exhuberant buildings of Victorian architect, Watson Fothergill, which are a characteristic feature of Nottingham. The article is accompanied by two short videos presented by Dominic Heale:
  • A bus tour of central Nottingham to show some of Watson Fothergill's finest buildings
  • A look at the restoration of the impressive former Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Bank on Thurland Street
For further information on the architect and his buildings see: