Nottingham Creative Community News

Out of Time: The Chilwell Catastrophe

It was one of the worst wartime disasters in British history, as well as the country’s biggest involving an explosion. The month...

For King, Not Country: Why We Need a More Inclusive War Narrative in the UK

13 July 20

As the world gets ready to remember the 75th anniversary of VJ Day, photographer Jagdish Patel explores the role of Commonwealth soldiers – many of whom were conscripted under the threat of violence – in Britain’s victory.

Death in Exile: Why the WWII Polish Prime Minister in Exile Was Laid to Rest in Newark on Trent

04 July 20

77 years ago this month, at the height of World War Two, Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Nottingham to deliver a eulogy at the funeral of Władysław Sikorski who was being laid to rest in Newark-on-Trent. The Polish Prime Minister in exile had died in mysterious circumstances twelve days previously, with his airplane crashing just sixteen seconds after take off in Gibraltar, killing all on board but the pilot. But what were the circumstances that led up to one of the key figures in WWII being buried in Nottingham? We look at the events and conspiracies that continue to surround the death of Władysław Sikorski…

Auction to Help Secure Creswell Crags' Post-Lockdown Future

03 July 20

After securing a £250,000 emergency-funding grant, the efforts to ensure the post-lockdown future of Creswell Crags continues with an auction hosted by Bargain Hunt's Charles Hanson

Out of Time: Tim Birkin and the Bentley Boys

22 June 20

Refusing to follow his father into Nottingham’s lace industry, Sir Tim Birkin’s eclectic life was full of exhilaration and tragedy, from flying planes in World War One to becoming one of the most famous names of the Vintage Racing era...

From Slums to Skate Parks to Shopping: The History of the Broadmarsh

15 June 20

From slums and skate parks, to shopping centres and abandoned residential plans, the intu Broadmarsh Centre has long proved to be a problematic piece of architecture in Nottingham’s cityscape. Plans have come and gone, ownership has changed hands, and promises have been made. As work on the latest development plans by current owners intu grind to a halt, Dan O’Neill explores the turbulent history of the Lister Gate location...

Norse Nottingham: How the Vikings Impacted Our City

10 June 20

We’ve all been there. You’re abroad on holiday, and a taxi driver or barman asks where you’re from. ‘Ah, Nottingham? Robin Hood!’ While our city’s pairing with a figure whose existence hasn’t been proven is interesting, it’s often at the expense of the cultures that helped shape the landscape of Notts, including the enormous, lasting impact of the Vikings. We talk to the University of Nottingham’s Dr. Rebecca Gregory, author of Viking Nottinghamshire, about Nottingham’s Norse legacy…

Notts Rebels: 1831 Reform Bill Riots

03 June 20

In celebration of the Nottingham Castle Trust’s #VoicesofToday campaign, our Notts Rebels series continues with a look at the 1831 Reform Bill Riots, which shook Nottingham 189 years ago...

The Battle of Stoke Field: The Story Behind Nottinghamshire's Only Registered Battlefield

01 June 20

It was the battle that finally ended the War of the Roses, the bloody civil struggle for control of the throne that plagued England for decades, and has been described as one of the defining moments in the country’s history. With this month marking the 533rd anniversary of the events that took place on Nottinghamshire’s only registered battlefield, we take a look at the story behind The Battle of Stoke Field…

Bygone Byrons: The Weird and Wonderful Characters from Lord Byron's Family Tree

21 March 20

In the complex, meandering maze of English history, few people that aren’t members of the Royal family are able to trace their ancestry all the way back to the Battle of Hastings. But luckily for Notts’ own Lord Byron, his family tree has roots that go all the way back to 1066, and branches that were every bit as weird and wonderful as he was...

We Went Magnet Fishing in Nottingham Canal with Youtubers The New Magneterz

16 March 20

The Diaries of Nottingham WWI Soldier Are Being Made into an Exhibition and Play

15 March 20

For years they lay hidden away in the attic of a house in New Zealand. But now, the missing World War One diaries of Nottingham soldier Billy Richards have been discovered, and are being used as the basis for a new exhibition and play...

Object Walk: Charlotte Bryant's Final Letter Before Execution

16 March 20

We’ve teamed up with the National Justice Museum to put objects from the past into the hands of people of the present. This month, in a special extended edition to celebrate our history issue, we visited Usha Sood at Trent Chambers with the final letter written by Charlotte Bryant before her execution for murder in 1936…

6 Nottingham Venues with a History of Murder, Poison and Intrigue

11 March 20

From T C Hine to Watson Fothergill, Nottingham has had more than its fair share of renowned architects leaving their stamp on the city’s skyscape. But beyond the outer beauty of the structures they created lie stories of deceit, murder, poison and intrigue. These are the weird and wonderful true stories from some of Nottingham’s most stunning historic buildings...

6 Nottingham Soldiers and the Historical Turning Points They Found Themselves in

11 March 20

It’s a sad fact of history that the fate of nations was often decided on the field of battle. In amidst the smoke of firing muskets, the explosions of cannonballs, the clashing of swords and the screams of dead and dying men, history was written in blood, and the world as we now know it was formed. In a new six-part podcast series, we’re bringing to life the stories of six Nottingham soldiers who were witness to these historical turning points, uncovering how life took them from the streets of Nottingham to some of the most definitive battles in world history…

Return to Sender: How We Managed to Track Down the Author of a Postcard from 1908

07 March 20

Postcards were the “u ok hun?” texts of their day. Used by past generations to check in on their distant siblings, and by more recent ones to boast about exotic holidays to their friends, they’ve never really been blessed with messages worth a third or forth glance. Which is why our Assistant Editor, Emily, was shocked to discover cards dating back to 1908 sitting on the shelf of Hopkinson Vintage, Antiques and Art Centre. She decided to track down the families of their senders, to ask them why…

Out of Time: The 1936 Nottingham Chess Tournament

23 February 20

When you think of Nottingham’s rich sport and gaming history, your mind might immediately wander to the worldwide success of Warhammer, the unprecedented double European Cup winning Forest team, or even Herbert Kilpin, the Notts legend that founded A.C Milan. What you might not know is that the city hosted the 1936 Nottingham Chess Tournament, which is still remembered as one of the most legendary events in the history of the game...

Nottingham Pubs and Nightclubs of the 90s

28 January 20

Feeling Nottstaligic? As part of LeftLion's work digitally archiving our predecessor Overall magazine we rediscovered some favourite Nottingham haunts of the nineties...

20 Great Battle Scenes from Film History

17 January 20

From the walls of Jerusalem to the beaches of Normandy, to the Mongolian plains and the waves of the Atlantic. Whether its spears and shields or bullets and bayonets, these are twenty of the greatest battle scenes in film history...

A History of Rock City

06 January 20

If you were a young person growing up in Nottingham in the last forty years, it’s almost a given that you would have spent a staggering amount of time inside the legendary walls of Rock City. Whether that was rocking out to the Ramones, taking to the stage as part of their street-dance crew or cutting shapes on the nightclub floor, the venue has seen thousands of faces over their time. It’s no surprise it’s still thriving as they gear up to celebrate their 40th birthday...

Object Walk: A Matchstick Violin Created by Prisoners

06 January 20

We’ve teamed up with the National Justice Museum to put objects from the past into the hands of people of the present. This month, we took a matchstick violin created by prisoners to Adam Wood, Senior Promotions Manager at Rock City...

Out of Time: Southwell’s William Williams and the First Māori Dictionary

27 December 19

As New Zealand prepares to remember the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook’s arrival in the country, we take a look back at the life of WIlliam Williams, the Nottingham Bishop and linguist who created the first Māori to English dictionary, grammar book and Bible...

Celebrating Catterntide is Showcasing Our City's Rich Lace History

19 November 19

Nottingham has a huge history, and lace weaves into a big part of that...

The History of Sneinton Market

18 November 19

Take a walk through Sneinton Market today, and you’ll find fancy coffee, football fan-art and luxury vegan chocolates. Not only are the Sneinton Market Avenues now home to over twenty creative businesses, but it’s also the headquarters of a certain culture magazine you’ve been reading for the past few minutes. Throw it back seventy years or so, and this place was the site of a booming wholesale market, and a real pillar of city life...

Out of Time: Fred Karno, the Man Who Discovered Charlie Chaplin

11 October 19

From growing up on the streets of Nottingham to becoming a pioneer of British comedy, few people made as great an impact on the entertainment industry as Fred Karno. Credited with discovering Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel, his meteoric rise to fame was only matched by his rapid fall from grace with the advent of film…

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