About Nottingham

Growing faster than any other English city, Nottingham is in a prosperous spell of it's history but it was not always thus - in it's formative years it was little more than a small Anglo-Saxon farming town.

But when Viking invaders arrived from Denmark in the 9th century Nottingham became one of five fortified towns overseeing the kingdom of the Danelaw. By the 11th century Nottingham had it's own castle overlooking the nearby river Trent which attracted more settlers to the area.

During the English Civil War Charles I stopped and even flew his standard at the castle, although his posturing was to be short-lived - as was the castle, which was all but destroyed by the victorious Parliamentarian army. The city's fortunes took an upward swing during the 19th century as local lace became much sought-after and production increased exponentially.

One key figure of Nottingham's history isn't a historical figure at all, but a legend - Sherwood's medieval outlaw Robin Hood, whose fabled battles with the evil Sheriff of Nottingham, not to mention his romance with Maid Marian, have been recreated in literature and on celluloid alike.

Nottingham has several strong sporting connections - it's cricket ground Trent Bridge playing host to one of the recent Ashes Tests, or the National Ice Centre where Torville and Dean trained for instance - but has achieved the most renown for the period when the outspoken Brian Clough was managing Nottingham Forest FC. Under Clough's hand the club exceeded all expectations by winning the European Cup twice, as well as domestic titles.

In terms of famous residents Nottingham has been blessed with two of the country's greatest ever literary minds, poet Lord Byron and author D. H. Lawrence.