Festival of Archaeology 2017 in Nottinghamshire

A wide range of activities and attractions in the county are available this weekend as part of the national Festival of Archaeology 2017.

They range from graveyard recording at St Helena's Church in Thoroton to an illustrated talk on the history of  knitting industry in the East Midlands.

Further details can be found on the Festival of Archaeology website.

BBC Radio Nottingham Big Day Out 2017

BBC Radio Nottingham's Big Day Out is on Sunday 30 April 2017 and is offering FREE entry to Nottinghamshire museums and heritage attractions.

Full details are on the BBC Radio Nottingham website.

We Dig the Castle! 2016

New book: Secret Newark by Jillian Campbell and Mike Cox

The authors are members of Newark Archaeological and Local History Society which offers guided tours of the town for a wide range of groups: the book is based on information assembled for these tours. The book is 'is an attempt to set down and explain many of the little-known aspects' of  the town, is illustrated with many good colour photographs of its built heritage and is structured around several walks of Newark's interesting streets.

I grew up near Newark and know it well but I have learnt much from this book. I particularly liked the story about the stone ledge in a side passage next to a pub that was probably added to deter customers from urinating against the neighbour's wall! It was also interesting to read that a North American Phippeway Indian is buried in the parish church graveyard but no one knows why!

There are a couple of errors (the architect Fothergill Watson was born in Mansfield so can't be described as a native of Nottingham; the Moot Hall in the Market Square was completely rebuilt in the late 1960s rather than 'heavily restored') and I was surprised how little reference was made to Newark's brewing heritage and the lack of a mention of the large Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Millgate. I also think that a few maps showing the layout of the town and location of major landmarks would help visitors follow the walks.

Minor criticisms aside this is a useful and entertaining book and should help people appreciate the heritage of one of our most historic and attractive towns.

• Amberley Publishing website

Heritage Open Days in Nottinghamshire, 10-13 September 2015

There's just over a fortnight until the launch of this year's Heritage Open Days.

As the website explains: "Heritage Open Days is England's biggest heritage festival involving 40,000 volunteers. It celebrates our fantastic history, architecture and culture; offering people the chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences - all of which are FREE to explore."

There is a wide range of things to see in Nottinghamshire from St Anns Allotments (apparently 'the oldest and largest detached town gardens in Britain, possibly the world'!) to the Majestic Theatre in Retford.

Full details are available on the Heritage Open Days website.

'Walking through history' TV programme visits Sherwood Forest

King John's Palace, Kings Clipstone

Tony Robinson (of Time Team fame) will be walking through the history of Sherwood Forest this coming Saturday (22 November) at 8pm on Channel 4. The programme summary reads: 'In Sherwood Forest and the Peak District, Tony Robinson explores the story of King John, the hapless monarch who stumbled from one crisis to another.'

During the programme Robinson will be discussing the intriguing ruins of King John's Palace and the history of Sherwood Forest with Andy Gaunt of Mercian Archaeological Services CIC.

Heritage Open Days in Nottinghamshire, September 2013

Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s fantastic architecture and culture by offering free access to places that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission. This September over 70 events and places can be seen, including:

• Bromley House Library in Nottingham
• Classic cars and buses at Bartons in Chilwell
• Tour of Lilac Grove Sewage Treatment Works in Beeston (!)
• The thatched dovecote at Thoroton, near Bingham
• Guided walks around the timber-framed buildings of Newark and Civil War sites
• Tour of the D10 factory at Boots and a chance to browse through the Boots archives
• North Leverton windmill
• Trinity Hospital, Retford (established in 1671)
• Worksop Priory gatehouse

Full details are available on the Heritage Open Days website.

Nottinghamshire Open Churches Weekends, July 2013

For the fourth year, churches across Nottinghamshire will be unlocked and welcoming visitors on the 13th - 14th July (northern half of the county) and the 20th - 21st July (southern half of the county).

This year over half of all churches across the county are taking part; either by simply opening their doors
and welcoming visitors, or by offering refreshments and staging additional activities and events.

• Nottinghamshire Open Churches website
• Interactive map
• Advanced search

Archaeology at Rufford Abbey, July 2013

The Community Archaeologists at Nottingham County Council are organising a volunteer dig at Rufford from 1st to the 12th July.

The first week (1st-5th July) will be run as a field school and will examine the foundations of an ornamental gateway at the north end of the Broad Drive, near to the mill. It is intended that the week will be "ideal for people who want to get a proper introduction to professional excavation techniques."

The second week (8th-12th July) will see the excavation of a disused water channel and studying the former garden features in an attempt to understand their layout.

For further information or to book a place email (community.archaeology@nottscc.gov.uk) or phone on 0115 969 6525.

Annesley Hall and Church on BBC East Midlands Today, 23 April 2013

The east front of Annesley Hall in 2003.

Tonight's edition of BBC East Midlands Today on BBC1 at 6.30 will feature Annesley Hall and church.

• Annesley Old Church Project Facebook page
• Annesley Hall on the Nottinghamshire History website

Ambitious plans announced for Nottingham Castle

Nottingham City Council have recently announced plans for a £26 million redevelopment of Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery should their bid for Heritage Lottery Funding be successful.

According to a council press release, the aim is to develop "a world class heritage attraction offering fun and excitement for all the family and a nationally significant centre for learning about protest and rebellion." There are ambitious claims that the project will bring in an additional £77 million and 1,300 jobs to the local economy. Predictably, our old friend, Robin Hood, will be a key attraction.

While welcoming the proposals to improve the existing museum and art gallery facilities I was slightly worried to find that they also intend "re-establishing the mediaeval moat and bridge" and wonder what English Heritage's reaction will be!

• Nottingham City Council Press Release
• Nottingham Evening Post article

'The Lost Houses of Nottinghamshire': Aspley Hall

The third episode of 'The Lost Houses of Nottinghamshire' went out this morning on Andy Whittaker's BBC Radio Nottingham show. The subject is Aspley Hall in Nottingham and contains more from me!

• Andy Whittaker Show, 12 October 2012 (move the slider to 2:19 to hear 'Aspley Hall')

Further information on Aspley and other houses covered can be found on the BBC Radio Nottingham Facebook page.

New book: 'Fothergill: Catalogue of the Works of Watson Fothergill, Architect'

Darren Turner has recently self-published an impressive catalogue of the distinctive buildings of the Nottingham architect, Watson Fothergill.

Darren states that the catalogue aims "to provide a comprehensive schedule of all of his works and in doing so to bring together as much information as possible about each project to provide an invaluable  resource."

See the book's website for further information and a preview of the book:

• The Watson Fothergill Archive

'Nottingham - A Reluctant City' by Adrian Jones

Maid Marian Way in 1968 (photo: Ben Houfton)

Chris Matthews has alerted me to a fascinating online article on current and historic planning issues in Nottingham by Adrian Jones, former Director of Planning at Nottingham City Council. It is a refreshingly honest and critical assessment of planning successes and failures and well worth a look:

• Nottingham - A Reluctant City
• Flickr photo set

BBC Radio Nottingham's 'Lost Houses of Nottinghamshire' features

BBC Radio Nottingham's series of features on the lost houses of Nottinghamshire has started. Sadly, I missed the one on Clumber which went out on the 20th September but thanks to the BBC iPlayer you can still hear the one on Nuthall Temple which was broadcast on Andy Whittaker's show yesterday morning. Be warned - it includes a fair amount of me droning on!

• Andy Whittaker Show 28 September 2012 (move the slider to 2:17 to hear episode)

Dates for future episodes (plus some information and photos of Clumber and Nuthall Temple) are available on BBC Radio Nottingham's Facebook page.

Welbeck Abbey tour

The Red Drawing Room in 1906.

I spent a fascinating couple of hours on Thursday afternoon on a guided tour of the state rooms at Welbeck Abbey. This summer is the first time the house has been open to the public for many years and places on the tours sold out within a day or so.
The state rooms (including the Swan and Red drawing rooms, the dining room, the library, the print gallery and Gothic Hall) are very impressive and portraits of Holles, Harley, Bentinck, Ogle and Cavendish family members cover many of the walls. Our guide, Cheryl, was excellent and I was amused to see that someone in the family enjoys Jamaican Ska - I spotted the CD cover in the Gothic Hall!
Sadly, we didn't get to see the underground ballroom (which needs major restoration work) or any of the 5th Duke's tunnels but what we did see was well worth the £10 ticket.

Nuthall Temple and Aspley Hall

I spent yesterday morning with Andy Whittaker of BBC Radio Nottingham wandering over the sites of Nuthall Temple and Aspley Hall for a series on Nottinghamshire's 'lost houses' to be broadcast in October.
Strictly speaking we didn't wander over the site of Nuthall Temple as that would suicidal - it lies under the M1 just north of Junction 26! Instead, we had to stand near the one publicly-accessible remnant of the house, an imposing but weather-worn gate pier from the 1750s which still stands by the roadside in the centre of Nuthall.

Nuthall Temple is a major architectural loss. It was one of only four houses in England inspired by Andrea Palladio's Villa Rotonda (which is located just outside the Italian city of Vicenza) and the only one built outside the south-east. The local landowner, Sir Charles Sedley, commissioned architect, astronomer and garden designer Thomas Wright to build him the house in 1754 and by 1757 Sir Charles had moved in.
One of the glories of Nuthall Temple was the domed octagonal hall which was 18 metres high and decorated with exquisite plasterwork by Thomas Roberts of Oxford depicting the subjects of music, sport, science, and warfare; there were also medallions representing eight of Aesop's fables.
The estate was owned by the Holden family from 1819 to 1926 when Rev Robert Holden died and both house and land were put up for sale. At the auction in November 1927 various farms and parts of the estate sold but no one was interested in buying the house itself so, in April 1929, the fixtures and fittings were sold at auction in 528 lots and the fabric of the house itself was bought for £800 by J. H. Brough, a firm of housebreakers from Beeston. On 31 July 1929, J. H. Brough and a reporter from the Nottingham Evening News set fire to wooden props under-pinning the walls of the west wing and this part of the house was demolished. Further demolition work continued over the following weeks but the house was solidly built and parts of the east front remained standing for the next 37 years until contractors building the M1 bulldozed them in advance of the road.
The eminent architectural historian, Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, called the destruction of Nuthall Temple "a disgrace" and it is difficult not to agree with him.

By contrast, Aspley Hall was on the surface a fairly unprepossessing three-storey house on the north-west outskirts of Nottingham. However, appearances can be deceptive and the fabric was found to incorporate a late medieval brick tower. A 1554 rental of lands formerly belonging to Lenton Priory mentions the house (which was by that time in a semi-ruinous state) and it is likely that Aspley Hall was originally a hunting lodge for the Prior. The brick tower is specified in the rental and it would have contained the Prior's solar or private bedchamber. Even heads of monastic houses needed a retreat to escape to!
The house belonged to the Willoughby family for many years until it was sold in 1925 to Alderman G. E. Taylor. Taylor died in 1965 and despite his son's best efforts to find someone to take the house on no one was interested and the house was demolished in 1968 to be replaced by an estate of 4-bed detached houses.

Save Trent Lane Depot campaign

Chris Matthews is running a campaign to save the distinctive buildings of Trent Lane Depot from demolition. The site was once described as "Nottingham's Highway to the Sea" and consists of two impressive concrete warehouses and a basin built between 1928 and 1931. Further information on the depot and the campaign is here:

• http://savetrentlanedepot.blogspot.co.uk/

Wollaton Dovecote Museum open 8-9 September 2012

Wollaton Dovecote Museum (built in the late 16th century) will be open during Heritage Weekend, Saturday 8th to Sunday 9th September, 2-5pm. The museum is located on Dovecote Drive, off Bramcote Lane, Wollaton, Nottingham, NG8 2NB.
"Photographs of Lord Middleton's visit in May will be displayed, and the original door will be open to show the interesting brickwork on the side of the building not normally accessible to the public. Displays this year include The People of Wollaton, a History of the Willoughby Family Through 700 years, a poster about the Wollaton Antiphonal, and more old photographs from the Russell School. Andrew Hamilton will lead a guided walk around the village on Sunday afternoon starting at the Dovecote at 3.00pm lasting around 45 minutes, refreshments provided. Admission free."

Heritage Open Days in Nottinghamshire, 6-9 September 2012

Heritage Open Days "celebrates England’s fantastic architecture and culture by offering free access to places that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission." A list of properties and sites in Nottinghamshire (from a tour of the Grade I listed D10 building at Boots to behind the scenes tours of the Galleries of Justice museum stores) is now available:

• Heritage Open Days in Nottinghamshire