Poking about Nottingham's Underworld!!

If you think of Nottingham, you will almost certainly think of Robin Hood and the Sherriff of Nottingham. You'll quite likely think of Sherwood Forest, and probably lace making, and you may even think of Boots the Chemist and Raleigh Cycles... but would you think of caves? Lots of caves!

About 500 caves actually, none natural, all carved out by hand and directly under the city itself. People have certainly been carving and using these caves for centuries.



In 868 AD, Asser (Alfred the Great's chronicler) wrote of Tigguacobauc (now known as Nottingham) which translated as 'City of Caves'!

The caves have been dug into the relatively soft sandstone over which the city stands, and have been used for a multitude of purposes, from domestic and peaceful to nefarious and hair-raising!! The caves I explored last week were in the Broad Marsh area of the city and, rather bizarrely, accessed from the second floor of a modern shopping mall. The photos I took were all handheld, no flash at ISO 3200. Just as at Portsmouth, the Nikon handles the high ISO really well and I was pretty pleased with the results!

It was here that the caves were used as an underground tannery. A fairly revolting job to be done underground, and the only example of such in England, but fascinating to see and hear about. In fact, it was so revolting that the tanning pits in the Broad Marsh caves were just about the only place in the UK where you couldn't catch the plague!! It was so disgusting down there that even the rats refused to go in!! The tannery closed in 1639 but the pits have been preserved as they would have been Tudor and Stewart times.



Not open to the public until 1994, these caves have now been granted ancient monument status!

Over the centuries, many of the caves had disappeared as Nottingham grew and building works caused the caves to fill up with brick and rubble and wood. The caves won't be forgotten though... in 1826 a garden collapsed killing seven boys, and in 1880 a shop built over one of the Broad Marsh caves collapsed as it fell into the pit below!

Hmm, the entrance to these caves is now through a multi-storied shopping mall, yikes! No need to panic though, pillars and a concrete bridge were built around the caves to take the weight of the shopping centre but leave the caves safely intact.



The caves have also been used for good though. During the second world war many of the caves were converted into air raid shelters, often reinforced with brick and steel. Perhaps the most impressive is under the John Player cigarette factory where there was room for 8000 people!!

One of the biggest stories though is the use of the caves as housing for poor people over the centuries.



It was well known that if a man had no money, all he had to do was travel to Nottingham with a shovel and a pick and he could dig himself a home! What also really interested me was to see that the caves are still being put to various uses.

As well as the tourist attraction of the Broad Marsh caves, there are many less well-known caves being used. A gun club meets in the caves beneath Nottingham Castle, the Fire Brigade train in tunnels beneath the Guildhall, and many shops and pubs use the caves as cellar storage. Perhaps the most famous of all is the pub built into the caves at the foot of Nottingham castle.

'Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem' dates from 1189 AD and is arguably the oldest pub in Britain. I say arguably as there is apparently another pub in Nottingham city centre that is vying for the same title!! Regardless of it's distinction as the oldest pub in Britain, the 'Trip' is certainly amongst the most remarkable! Small snugs and saloons nestle into the caves carved into the sandstone beneath the castle walls, and the feeling is awesome, I loved it!! I also rather liked the pint of 'Old Trip' ale which I found to be extremely drinkable and most certainly a good reason to return!!

Ales have been quaffed by many people at the bar in the 'Trip' for centuries, but perhaps the most famous is Richard the Lionheart, who downed a few pints of the landlord's finest before setting off on his way to the Crusades. It feels strangely bizarre to be standing at a bar that also served King Richard himself, but the name of the pub is also a bit of a surprise. It would be apparent that it relates to the Crusaders and their travels to Jerusalem, but did you know that a trip was actually a rest stop, not the journey at all. It makes sense if you think of a trip as a break in progress, as happens when you trip over something, but I'd never heard of it being used in the context of breaking a journey before. I always thought the trip was the journey!!

Nottingham; City of Caves, city of surprises!!

Rebecca, x
www.rtphotographics.co.uk
rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk