Nottingham uk

Nottingham is one of the 3 major cities in the East Midlands and is in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham is a member of the English Core Cities Group.

Nottingham City proper has a population of 288,700. The Nottingham Urban Area has a population of 667,000, but much of this is in the surrounding boroughs, which are not part of the City, and some of it spills over into the neighbouring administrative County of Derbyshire. The urban area is the 7th largest urban area in the United Kingdom, ranking between Liverpool (6th) and Sheffield (8th).[2] The city proper population is notably smaller, this is because the city boundary is a historical one and is tightly drawn, therefore this boundary excludes many places which today are part of Nottingham. The Nottingham Urban Area does include these areas which are the large expanse of suburbs, along with nearby towns such as Ilkeston and Eastwood.

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. [3] Nottingham Council House which overlooks the square can be seen for miles around thanks to its dome which rises 200 ft (61 m) above the city, and is lit up at night.[4] 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 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 on Theatre Square and Nottingham Playhouse at the Albert Hall can also be found here.

History

In Anglo-Saxon times, around 600 AD, the site formed part of the Kingdom of Mercia, when it was known in the Brythonic language as Tigguo Cobauc meaning Place of Caves, until falling under the rule of a Saxon chieftain named Snot,[5] whereby it was dubbed "Snotingaham" literally, "the homestead of Snot's people" (Inga = the people of; Ham = homestead). Snot brought together his people in an area where the historic Lace Market in the City can now be found. In Saxon times, Robin Hood, a famous outlaw, lived near Nottingham.

Nottingham was captured in 867 by Danish Vikings and later became one of the Five Burghs - or fortified towns - of The Danelaw.

In the 11th century Nottingham Castle was constructed on a sandstone outcrop by the River Leen. The Anglo-Saxon settlement developed into the English Borough of Nottingham and housed a Town Hall and Law Courts. A settlement also developed around the castle on the hill opposite and was the French borough supporting the Normans in the castle. Eventually, the space between was built on as the town grew and the Old Market Square became the focus of Nottingham several centuries later.

Demographic evolution of Nottingham
Year Population
4th century <37
10th century <1000
11th century 1,500
14th century 3,000
early 17th century 4,000
late 17th century 5,000
1801 29,000
1811 34,000
1821 40,000
1831 51,000
1841 53,000
1851 58,000
1861 76,000
1871 87,000
1881 159,000
1901 240,000
1911 260,000
1921 269,000
1931 265,000
1951 306,000
1961 312,000
1971 301,000
1981 278,000
1991 273,000
2001 275,000

In the 15th century, Nottingham had established itself as the centre of a thriving export trade in religious sculpture made from alabaster. The town became a county corporate in 1449, giving it effective self-government, in the words of the charter, "for eternity". The Castle and Shire Hall were expressly excluded and technically remained as detached Parishes of Nottinghamshire.

The old central area focused around Market Square

During the Industrial Revolution, much of Nottingham's prosperity was founded on the textile industry; in particular, Nottingham was an internationally important centre of lace manufacture. However, the rapid and poorly planned growth left Nottingham with the reputation of having the worst slums in the British Empire outside India. Residents of these slums rioted in 1831, in protest against the Duke of Newcastle's opposition to the Reform Act 1832, setting fire his residence, Nottingham Castle.

In common with the UK textile industry as a whole, Nottingham's textile sector fell into headlong decline in the decades following World War II, as British manufacturers proved unable to compete on price or volume with the output of factories in the Far East and South Asia. Very little textile manufacture now takes place in Nottingham, but the City's heyday in this sector endowed it with some fine industrial buildings in the Lace Market district. Many of these have been restored and put to new uses.

Nottingham was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, and at that time consisted of the parishes of Nottingham St Mary, Nottingham St Nicholas and Nottingham St Peter. It was expanded in 1877 by adding the parishes of Basford, Brewhouse Yard, Bulwell, Radford, Sneinton, Standard Hill and parts of the parishes of West Bridgford, Carlton, Wilford (North Wilford). In 1889 Nottingham became a county borough under the Local Government Act 1888. City status was awarded as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria, being signified in a letter from the Prime Minister the Marquess of Salisbury to the Mayor, dated 18 June 1897. Nottingham was extended in 1933 by adding Bilborough and Wollaton, parts of the parishes of Bestwood Park and Colwick, and a recently developed part of the Beeston Urban District. A further boundary extension was granted in 1951 when Clifton and Wilford (south of the River Trent) were incorporated into the city.