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History

Out of Time: James Sadler, The Man Who Launched the First Manned Balloon Flight

We take a look back at the life of pioneering aeronaut James Sadler, the man who launched the first manned balloon flight from...

These Pictures of St Ann’s Taken Before Its Demolition Show the End of an Era

18 March 21

Deep Fakes From Nottingham History

03 March 21

Ever wondered what it would be like to see video of historical figures who existed before video cameras? We've deep faked some figures from Nottingham history so you need wonder no more...

Out of Time: The Story of Torvill and Dean

14 February 21

Love can take many forms: romance, familial, lasting friendships, or the undying commitment you feel towards your passions or vocation. This is a story which includes all of that – teenage make-outs, lavish trips to every corner of the globe and decades of dedication. Plus, in the midst of it all, two young ice dancers from Nottingham, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, make global history...

Out of Time: The Life of Samuel Fox, Founder of Nottingham Building Society

01 January 21

We take a look at the life of philanthropist, educator, anti-slavery campaigner and founder of the Nottingham Building Society, Samuel Fox...

Object Walk: 1978 Chess Set

01 November 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 chess set made by an unknown prisoner incarcerated at Wormwood Scrubs in 1978 to Dee Miller of the MinorOak Coworking.

Out of Time: A History of Witchcraft in Nottingham

26 October 20

While many of the best-known events of England’s 17th century witch-hunt came with ‘Witchfinder General’ Matthew Hopkins in East Anglia, Notts was home to several high profile incidents of witchcraft, possession and exorcisms of its own. From exposing fraudulent exorcists to framing innocent women of murder, we take a look back at the history of witchcraft in Nottingham…

The History of Nottingham's Goose Fair

10 October 20

If 2020 hadn’t been enough of a stinker, this year’s Goose Fair has officially been cancelled for only the third time in its long history. In recent years, nearly half a million of us have flocked down to Forest Rec for both peas and prizes, and while both a reduced capacity or a longer ten-day run were considered, it was not meant to be. While we mourn the fate of all the pennies we could have wasted on the Waltzers, we did some investigating into the fair’s colourful history, and discovered twelve things you didn’t know about Goose Fair… 

Out of Time: Frank Stratton and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

21 September 20

It was an event that sent shockwaves ringing through the country, and remains the most devastating military defeat the United States had ever suffered against the Native Americans. Not only was the Battle of Little Bighorn one of the most significant moments in the story of America, but the massacre of General George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry at the hands of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse remains amongst the most controversial and definitive military actions in U.S. history. And witness to it all was Frank Stratton, a 28-year-old former printer from Nottingham…

Nottingham's Rock Cemetery is Filled with Mass Graves From the Spanish Flu

27 August 20

If you didn’t catch her article in our June issue, (Little Miss Lockdown, #126) Jagoda Brown-Polanowska explained what lockdown life was like through the eyes of an eleven-year-old girl in Nottingham. Having recently turned twelve, Jagoda has continued to explore her local surroundings, making some interesting and timely discoveries at Rock Cemetery in the process…

Object Walk: 1887 'Bloody Sunday' Bludgeon

04 August 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 bludgeon used during the 1887 Trafalgar Square protests – also known as Bloody Sunday – to Josh Osoro Pickering of the Nottingham Castle Trust.

Out of Time: The Chilwell Catastrophe

24 July 20

It was one of the worst wartime disasters in British history, as well as the country’s biggest involving an explosion. The month marks the 102nd anniversary of the Chilwell Catastrophe, in which a World War One ammunition factory exploded, killing 134 Nottingham workers and injuring dozens more.

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...

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…

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...

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… 
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