Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
when the writer most famous for the scandal-raising
Lady Chatterley's Lover
spent
part of his childhood here. Guides give the background to Lawrence's working-class
mining heritage. The same ticket gives access to the nearby Durban House Heritage
Centre, with additional displays on the town's famous son, who was born in 1885 and
attended Nottingham University, and on mining.
8a Victoria St., Eastwood.
&
01773/717353.
www.broxtowe.gov.uk. Admission £2.50 adults, £1.75
children 5-16. Tues-Fri and Sun 10am-5pm (to 4pm in winter).
Newstead Abbey
HISTORIC SITE This partly ruined Augustinian pri-
ory was once home to Romantic poet Lord Byron, and visitors can tour his private
apartments and see some of his possessions, in addition to exploring various Victorian
rooms plus the medieval cloisters and chapterhouse, now a chapel. A dressing-up
room and wildlife trail through the gardens and parkland with their lakes, ponds, and
cascades keep kids engaged.
Ravenshead.
&
01623/455900.
www.newsteadabbey.org.uk. Admission £8 adults, £3.50 children
2-16. Grounds daily 9am-4:30pm, house Apr-Sept Fri-Mon noon-5pm.
NOTTINGHAM
Nottinghamshire's county town founded its wealth on lace-making as well as coal-
mining, but these days it's the shops and nightlife that draw most visitors, especially
since the 2006 redevelopment of the Old Market Square. At the
Museum of Not-
tingham Life at Brewhouse Yard
(
&
0115/915-3600
), a few minutes away from
Nottingham Castle (see below), you'll find displays on the social history of Notting-
ham within five 17th-century cottages, plus some more man-made caves. This
museum is beside
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem
(
&
01159/473171;
www.tripto
jerusalem.com), built into the rockface and dating from 1189—which is said to make
it the oldest inn in England. It's a good spot for real ales.
About 3 miles west of the center of Nottingham,
Wollaton Hall
(
&
0115/
9153900;
www.wollatonhall.org.uk) is a well-preserved Elizabethan mansion on a
hill with gardens and deer-filled parkland, and also home to a natural history
museum. Entry is free; the hall and museum are open daily April to October 11am to
5pm (4pm in winter), the park from 8 or 9am to dusk. Car parking is £2. Also on the
city's western fringes, the
Attenborough Nature Centre
(
&
0115/972-1777;
www.attenboroughnaturecentre.co.uk) is an award-winning new visitor facility
within the Attenborough Nature Reserve, opened by Sir David on former gravel pits
in 1966. Within the ecologically friendly buildings are interactive displays, a nature
shop, and an organic/fair-trade cafe; outside are a sensory nature trail, guided walks,
and wildlife-viewing activities, and a bird hide. There's access to the reserve from
7am to dusk (nature center times vary); entry is free.
Just east of the city, the
National Water Sports Centre
(
&
0115/9821212;
www.nwscnotts.com) offers whitewater rafting, sailing, canoeing and kayaking, water-
skiing, and powerboating, plus a country park with lakes, lagoons, and nature trails,
an assault (obstacle) course, and a hostel-style hotel and a campsite.
City of Caves
HISTORIC SITE Nottingham's famed caves, carved out of
the soft Sherwood limestone underlying the city, were probably inhabited as early as
the 11th century, and some remained so until 1845. Over time they were used as
store rooms, factories, pub cellars, medieval tanneries, and air-raid shelters. These
slightly schlocky but informative tours take you on a journey through Nottingham's
history and include a recreation of the Slums of Drury Hill.
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