Whether you were born and raised in the heart of Nottingham or if you’ve made the East Midlands your home in recent years, you probably already know loads of cool stuff about one of the biggest and best cities in the UK. From the unforgettable words of our most famous Forest manager Brian Clough alongside the tales of our most infamous outlaw Robin Hood, we delved a little deeper into the history of Nottingham to bring you a whole host of interesting facts and figures that you might not have known before. Get ready for a whole lot of saying “DID YOU KNOW” whenever anybody utters the name from now on…
1. Goose Fair has existed since at least 1284, when it lasted eight days. Nobody knows where the Goose Fair originally got its name, but it’s been said it comes from the time when hundreds of geese were driven from Lincolnshire to Nottingham to be sold hundreds of years ago. It originally started as trade-show and enjoyed a reputation for selling high quality cheese, but now we know it for its many rides and games. ‘Grate stuff.
2. The pioneering novel ‘Saturday Night and Sunday Morning’ was written by East Midlands born Alan Sillitoe and is based upon his life in Nottingham. The beginning of the book begins in a working man’s club in Nottingham city centre, and most of the scenes in the 1960 film were filmed on location. The title of Arctic Monkeys’s debut album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ is a direct quote from the book, and many of the songs on the album were inspired by the protagonist himself, Arthur.
3. In 1067, William the Conqueror built the very first model of what we now know as Nottingham Castle…out of wood! From the years 1150-1189, Henry II did old William a favour and rebuilt parts of the building in stone. Which was probably for the best, since five years later it was sieged by Richard the Lionheart. His army stormed the site and The Castle was forced to surrender after just a few days!
4. If there’s one brand that Nottingham is most famous for, it has to be Raleigh. Thousands were employed at the factories based on Triumph Road in the 60’s, and millions more have had the pleasure of rolling round on a Chopper, Max, or any of the other big name bikes it rolled off the production line. Although the last bike with ‘Made in Nottingham’ engraved on the frame in 2002 was the final one to be built and produced, a design and distribution centre still exists in Eastwood.
5. If you’ve ever walked through the Market Square during carol season or even on Remembrance Sunday and heard the sounds of a huge brass band marching through the city, then you’ll be familiar with the charitable organisation The Salvation Army. But what you might not know is that the founder of the ‘Salvationists’ was Nottingham resident William Booth, who was born at Notintone Place, Sneinton in 1829 before moving to London 20 years later. There’s now a memorial centre there in his honour, and the establishment is still one of the biggest providers of humanitarian aid across the world. Not bad for a young lad from Notts!
Don’t worry – we’ve got plenty more where these came from! Keep your eyes peeled for our part 2 of our Five Fun Facts. In the mean-time, make sure you check out the website or download the app for free to keep up-to-date with the latest deals and discounts from local businesses in the are!
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