Nottingham Hotels

Pre 20th Century History
Robin Hood is everywhere in Nottingham - he's the city's much-hyped medieval legend. In the Middle Ages most of Nottinghamshire was covered in forest, the stomping ground (so the story goes) of Robin Hood and his merry men, who were trying to stymie the wicked Sherriff of Nottingham. Sites associated with Robin abound but, disappointingly, researchers have failed to turn up any hard evidence that the outlaw actually existed. In contrast, evidence of Nottingham's more definite history peppers the city. The English Civil War kicked off there in 1642, when Charles I raised his standard on a spot that's now near Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery. Three pubs in the city centre claim the honour of being England's oldest, and the surrounding shire enjoys pointing out haunts of decadent bad-boy poet and adventurer Lord Byron. The city's site on the River Trent bears traces of pre-Roman settlement. Its modern name comes from the unfortunately named Saxon chieftan Snot, who gathered settlers where the historic Lace Market now stands sometime after AD 600. 'Snotingaham' (home of Snot's people) became 'Nottingham'. Vikings turned the settlement into a Danish borough in the 9th century and in the following centuries the town was further developed by both Norman and Anglo-Saxon communities. Transformed by the riches of the 19th-century lace industry, Nottingham developed into a powerful manufacturing engine-room and transport centre, churning out textiles, hosiery, Raleigh bikes, and cigarettes, and spawning the Boots pharmacy empire. The longest - and most curious - survivor of Nottingham's distant past is the ancient cave network beneath its surface. Saxons started the caves by digging into soft sandstone with hand-held tools. Over time, the caves were expanded to house dwellings for poorer residents, workshops, pub cellars, cells and even a tannery. Although mostly abandoned by the end of the 19th century, the caves gave Nottingham residents refuge in the WWII air raids. Today, they house pub cellars (still) and an indoor rifle range.

Modern History
In a changed post-WWII world, Nottingham's manufacturing success has progressively waned. The decline of the bicycle industry is a familiar story. Frank Bowden was on a roll from 1887, when he began to build bikes in a small shop on Nottingham's Raleigh Street. Surviving the Great Depression, Bowden's Raleigh Cycle Company spun off Nottingham's mass-production knowledge to help bring England to the front of the cycle exporting pack. In 1951, Raleigh's Nottingham plant churned out more than one million bicycles. From the 1980s, American cyclists rode Raleighs built in Asia; by the end of 2002 the company ceased English production altogether. While manufacturing declined, Nottingham has staved off the worst of the post-industrial blues. The Boots pharmacy empire, built on a local business founded by John Boot in 1849, spawned a still-thriving pharmaceutical and bio-science sector. Tourism became important to the local economy - Robin Hood being a big drawcard - and the fashion industry continued to recall Nottingham's textiles heydey. Nottingham-born fashion designer and retailer Paul Smith - graduate of the respected Nottingham School of Fashion - opened his first shop there in the 1970s and maintains a company presence in the city. Other local luminaries include writer DH Lawrence, Olympic ice-skating medallists Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, and actor Samantha Morton.

Recent History
Nottingham, 'capital' of the East Midlands, emphatically survived the post-industrial doldrums. A growing population - flush with students from the local colleges and university - enjoys top-notch shopping, culture and nightlife. The clubs and bars are some of the liveliest in England. The city's long-established classical music community has a younger sibling - a large alternative music and arts scene whose local exponents are supported by student and pirate radio, and venues like the socially conscious Sumac Centre. Nottingham's cosmopolitan transformation can be seen on its streets. Upmarket retailers on High Street rub shoulders with vendors of village cool in Hockley - 'the Soho of Nottingham' - in the northwest of the city centre. Once a rag-trade district, Hockley is a charming Mecca for lovers of cafe life and independent fashion, music, art and cinema.