NOTTINGHAMSHIRE |
| Clumber Park |
Off A614, 2.5 miles from Worksop |
Once the country seat of the Dukes of Newcastle, the
4000 acres of Clumber Park now form a popular country park and a major haven for wildlife.
The park is big enough to satisfy the keenest walker, but bicycles can be hired, and there
is a caravan site and a camp site. Half the park is woodland. The mansion was demolished
in 1938, except for the Duke's Study which now contains an exhibition about the park.
There is also a spectacular range of late 19th century glasshouses. The 24 acres of
pleasure grounds remain as they were originally designed. |
| D.H. Lawrence's Birthplace |
Off A608, 7 miles from Nottingham |
Visitors come from all over the world to see the simple
miner's cottage at 8a Victoria Street, Eastwood, where D.H. Lawrence was born in 1884. In
later life, Lawrence lived in many more exotic places, but Eastwood and Nottinghamshire
remained 'the country of my heart'. The house has been restored to very much its condition
in Lawrence's day. Visitors can also see the nearby Breach House, at 28 Garden Road, where
the Lawrence family lived from 1887 to 1891. Also near Lawrence's birthplace is the
Eastwood Craft Centre. |
| Newark Air Museum |
Off A46, 2 miles north-east of Newark |
More than 30 aircraft are on display at the Newark Air
Museum, making it one of the largest private collections in the country. It includes five
Meteors, a Shackleton, a Hawker Sea Hawk, a North American Super Sabre and a Canberra
B(1)8 that was used as a flying test-bed. There are also engines and other aircraft parts
on view, including the remains of a V1 flying bomb. |
| Newark Castle |
In centre of Newark |
The castle is a noble ruin. Only the Norman gateway and
part of the west wall remain intact. Built about 1170, it was the castle in which King
John died in 1216. The castle was a Royalist stronghold in the Civil War and withstood
three sieges by the Parliamentarians. It was at Newark that Charles I gave himself up to
the Scottish army in 1645. The castle was destroyed on Cromwell's orders, leaving it much
in the condition in which it is seen today. Newark's nearby Town Hall is an outstanding
piece of Georgian architecture. In the Millgate Folk Museum, 500yds down Castle Gate and
Mill Gate from Newark Castle, social and folk-life in Newark from the mid-19th century to
the Second World War is vividly re-created. |
| Newstead Abbey |
Off A60, 5 miles south of Mansfield |
Although Newstead Abbey is extremely old, having housed
a community of Augustinian canons for 400 years before its dissolution under Henry VIII,
it is as the home of the poet Lord Byron that it is best known. The Byron connection dates
from 1540 when Sir John Byron, the poet's ancestor, bought the property and converted it
into a family house. The 19th century entrance to Newstead leads to the 13th century
stone-vaulted crypt and late 14th century cloister. Byron lived in one small corner of the
abbey, the rest being more or less uninhabitable by the time he inherited it. His bedroom
contains some of his personal belongings, and more are to be seen in the north gallery. |
| Nottingham Castle |
In centre of Nottingham |
Built in 1674 by William Cavendish, 1st Duke of
Newcastle, the castle today houses the city's museum and art gallery. The original
castle's outer walls and gatehouse survived demolition by Parliamentarians and the
gatehouse now contains a light-hearted display depicting the exploits of Robin Hood,
especially as portrayed in literature and films. Nearby, a medieval building called
Severns, partly devoted to Robin's chief rival for bringing world fame to Nottingham - its
lace. In it the Lace Centre traces the history of lace-making and offers fine lace for
sale. Round the corner in Castle Gate is the Museum of Costume and Textiles. |
| Rufford Country Park |
On A614, 2 miles south of Ollerton |
The ruins of a 12th century Cistercian abbey, not open
to the public, stand forlorn among the trees of this lovely park. Once a country estate,
the park has woodland walks and a beautiful lake with many species of wildfowl. The abbey
became derelict in the 16th century, and was replaced by a grand country house; this, too,
is a ruin, but its stable block remains and houses a craft centre. On the ground floor,
visitors can browse among displays of pottery, glassware, woodwork, leatherwork, metalwork
and textiles. Upstairs is a gallery where craft exhibitions are held. |
| Southwell Minster |
On A612, 12 miles north-east of Nottingham |
Regarded by many people as the most beautiful church in
Britain, it dates from 1108 and Norman work is much in evidence, especially in the nave
with its double arches. The view from the west door is exquisite, a soaring arch framing
the delicately carved screen and imposing organ case. The Minster is renowned for its
Chapter House, built in 1290 and containing some of the finest examples of stone carving
in England. |
| Thoresby Hall |
Off A614, 9 miles north-east of Mansfield |
The splendid Victorian re-creation of an Elizabethan
mansion is the third house to be built at Thoresby, the seat of the Pierrepoint family for
many generations. It was built at the peak of Victorian prosperity and reflects all the
confidence and opulence of its time. Surrounding the house are 50 acres of parkland, with
a river, a lake and a herd of fallow deer. |
| Wollaton Hall |
Off A609, 3 miles west of Nottingham |
The extravagant architecture of Wollaton Hall is more
like that of a Victorian mansion than the Elizabethan house it is. Its main feature is the
50ft high great hall. Two levels of rooms around the hall house Nottingham's Natural
History Museum. The 18th century stable block contains Nottingham's Industrial Museum. Two
17th century carriages on display are the oldest known English made carriages in Britain. |
