Nottinghamshire
Encyclopedia
Nottinghamshire is a county
in the East Midlands
of England
, bordering South Yorkshire
to the north-west, Lincolnshire
to the east, Leicestershire
to the south, and Derbyshire
to the west. The traditional county town
is Nottingham
, though the county council is based in West Bridgford
in the borough of Rushcliffe
, at a site facing Nottingham over the River Trent
.
The districts of Nottinghamshire are Ashfield
, Bassetlaw
, Broxtowe
, Gedling
, Mansfield
, Newark and Sherwood
, and Rushcliffe
. The City of Nottingham was administratively part of Nottinghamshire between 1974 and 1998 but is now a unitary authority, remaining part of Nottinghamshire for ceremonial purposes
.
As of 2006 the county is estimated to have a population of just over one million. Over half of the population of the county live in the Greater Nottingham conurbation
(which continues into Derbyshire
). The conurbation has a population of about 650,000, though less than half live within the city boundaries.
Fosse Way
, and there are Roman settlements in the county, for example at Mansfield
. The county was settled by Angles
around the 5th century, and became part of the Kingdom, and later Earldom, of Mercia
. However, there is evidence of Saxon
settlement at Oxton
, near Nottingham, and Tuxford
, east of Sherwood Forest
. The name first occurs in 1016, but until 1568 the county was administratively united with Derbyshire, under a single Sheriff
. In Norman
times the county developed malting and woollen industries. During the industrial revolution
canals and railways came to the county, and the lace
and cotton
industries grew. In the 19th century collieries opened and mining became an important economic sector, though these declined after the 1984-5 miners' strike.
Until 1610, Nottinghamshire was divided into eight Wapentakes. Sometime between 1610 and 1719 they were reduced to six – Newark
, Bassetlaw
, Thurgarton
, Rushcliffe
, Broxtowe
and Bingham
, some of these names still being used for the modern districts. Oswaldbeck was absorbed in Bassetlaw, of which it forms the North Clay division, and Lythe in Thurgarton.
Nottinghamshire is famous for its involvement with the legend of Robin Hood
. This is also the reason for the amount of tourists who visit places like Sherwood Forest, City of Nottingham
and the surrounding villages in Sherwood Forest. To reinforce the Robin Hood connection, the University of Nottingham
in 2010 has begun the Nottingham Caves Survey
with the goal "to increase the tourist potential of these sites". The project "will use a 3D laser scanner to produce a three dimensional record of more than 450 sandstone caves around Nottingham".
Nottinghamshire was mapped first by Christopher Saxton
in 1576, the first fully surveyed map of the county was by John Chapman who produced Chapman's Map of Nottinghamshire in 1774. The map was the earliest printed map at a sufficiently useful scale (one statute mile to one inch) to provide basic information on village layout and the existence of landscape features such as roads, milestones, tollbars, parkland and mills.
and South Yorkshire, sits on extensive coal
measures, up to 900 metres (3,000 feet) thick and occurring largely in the north of the county. There is an oilfield near Eakring
. These are overlaid by sandstone
s and limestone
s in the west and clay
in the east. The north of the county is part of the Humberhead Levels
lacustrine plain
. The centre and south west of the county, around Sherwood Forest, features undulating hills with ancient oak
woodland. Principal rivers are the Trent
, Idle
, Erewash
and Soar
. The Trent, fed by the Soar and Erewash, and Idle, composed of many streams from Sherwood Forest, run through wide and flat valleys, merging at Misterton
. Strawberry Bank in Huthwaite
is the highest natural point in Nottinghamshire at 203m., while Silverhill
, a spoil heap left by the former Silverhill colliery, is the highest man-made point at 205m.
Nottinghamshire is sheltered by the Pennines
to the west, so receives relatively low rainfall at 641–740 mm (25–29 in) annually. The average temperature of the county is 8.8-10.1 degrees Celsius
(48-50 degrees Fahrenheit
). The county receives between 1321 and 1470 hours of sunshine per year.
Nottinghamshire is represented by eleven members of parliament
, of which seven are members of the Labour Party
, and four are Conservatives
. Kenneth Clarke
of Rushcliffe is a former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer
and the present Lord High Chancellor.
Following the 2009 election
, the County Council is Conservative controlled, a gain from Labour. There are 67 councillors, 43 of which are Conservative, Mansfield Independents, UKIP and other various Independents grouped, 15 are Labour and 9 are Liberal Democrat. Local government is devolved to seven local borough and district councils, Bassetlaw, Gedling, Newark and Sherwood and Rushcliffe are Conservative controlled while Mansfield is controlled by the local Independent forum. Ashfield and Broxtowe have no overall control but are led by the Labour and the Liberal Democrat groups respectively.
In 2007, Nottinghamshire County Council won an Ashden Award for their work converting coal-fired boilers in schools to burn wood pellets.
12,000, and a total GDP of £12,023 million. This is compared to a per-capita GDP of £11,848 for the East Midlands, £12,845 for England and £12,548 for the United Kingdom. Nottingham has a GDP per-capita of £17,373, North Nottinghamshire £10,176, and South Nottinghamshire £8,448. In October 2005 the United Kingdom had 4.7% unemployment, the East Midlands 4.4%, and the Nottingham commuter belt area 2.4%.
secondary education
with 47 state secondary schools, as well as 10 independent schools. The City of Nottingham LEA
has 18 state schools and 6 independent schools, not including sixth form colleges
.
9,700 pupils took GCSEs in the Nottinghamshire LEA
in 2007. The best results were from the West Bridgford School
, closely followed by Rushcliffe Comprehensive School and the Minster School in Southwell
. The lowest performing school was the Queen Elizabeth's Endowed School in Mansfield
. In Nottingham, the best results came from the Trinity Catholic School
and the Fernwood School in Wollaton
.
At A-level, the highest performing institution was The Becket School
, followed by the West Bridgford School
. Some of the county's best results tend to come from the all-male Nottingham High School
, closely followed by the all-female Nottingham High School for Girls
.
, Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University
is one of the most successful post-1992
universities
in the UK. The University of Nottingham
is a Russell Group
university and well-renowned, offering one of the broadest selections of courses in the UK. Both universities combine to make Nottingham one of England's
largest student cities. Nottingham Trent University also has an agricultural college near Southwell
, while the University of Nottingham has one at Sutton Bonington
.
, which he sold in 1818. It is now owned by Nottingham City Council and open to the public. The acclaimed author D. H. Lawrence
was from Eastwood
in Nottinghamshire. Toton
was the birthplace and home of English folk singer-songwriter Anne Briggs
, well known for her song 'Black Waterside'. The north of the county is also noteworthy for its connections with the Pilgrim Fathers. William Brewster
, for example, came from the village of Scrooby and was influenced by Richard Clyfton
, who preached at Babworth
.
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
are a first class
cricket
club who play at Trent Bridge
in West Bridgford
. They won the County Championship
in 2005. Notable football teams within Nottinghamshire include: Nottingham Forest
, a Championship
club, Notts County
, currently in League One
, and Mansfield Town
, a Conference National
side. Other notable sporting teams are the Nottingham Rugby Football Club
and the Nottingham Panthers Ice Hockey Club
.
Nottinghamshire has international twinning
arrangements with the province of Wielkopolska
(Greater Poland) in western Poland
, and with the province's capital city, Poznań
.
See also: List of Places in Nottinghamshire
The traditional county town, and the largest settlement in the historic and ceremonial county boundaries, is Nottingham
. The City is now administratively independent, but suburbs including Arnold
, Carlton
, West Bridgford
, Beeston
and Stapleford
are still within the administrative county, and West Bridgford is now home of the county council.
There are several market towns
in the county. Newark-on-Trent
is a bridging point of the Fosse Way
and River Trent
, but is actually an Anglo-Saxon market town with a now ruined castle
. Mansfield
, the second-largest settlement in the county, sits on the site of a Roman
settlement, but grew after the Norman Conquest. Worksop
, in the north of the county, is also an Anglo-Saxon market town which grew rapidly in the industrial revolution
with the arrival of canal
s and railways and the discovery of coal
. Mansfield and Worksop have suffered from the decline of mining since the 1984-5 miners' strike. Other market towns include Arnold, Bingham
, Hucknall
, Kirkby-in-Ashfield
, and Retford
.
The main railway in the county is the Midland Main Line
which links London
to Sheffield
via Nottingham. The Robin Hood Line
between Nottingham and Worksop serves several villages in the county. The East Coast Main Line
from London to Doncaster
, Leeds
, York
, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Scotland
serves the eastern Nottinghamshire towns of Newark and Retford The M1 motorway
runs through the county, connecting Nottingham to London, Leeds and Leicester by road.
The A1 road follows for the most part the path of the Great North Road, although in places it diverges from the historic route where towns have been bypassed. Retford was by-passed in 1961 and Newark-on-Trent was by-passed in 1964, and the A1 now runs between Retford and Worksop past the village of Ranby
. Many historic coaching inn
s can still be seen along the traditional route.
East Midlands Airport is just outside the county in Leicestershire
, while the Robin Hood Airport lies within the historic boundaries of Nottinghamshire. These airports serve the county and several of its neighbours. Together the airports have services to most major European
destinations, and East Midlands Airport now also has services to North America
and the Caribbean
. As well as local bus
services throughout the county, Nottingham and its suburbs have a tram
system, Nottingham Express Transit
.
Counties of England
Counties of England are areas used for the purposes of administrative, geographical and political demarcation. For administrative purposes, England outside Greater London and the Isles of Scilly is divided into 83 counties. The counties may consist of a single district or be divided into several...
in the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, bordering South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
to the north-west, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
to the east, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
to the south, and Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
to the west. The traditional county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
is Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, though the county council is based in West Bridgford
West Bridgford
West Bridgford is a town in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies immediately south of the city of Nottingham, delimited by the River Trent; this proximity means that it forms a continuous urban area with Nottingham, effectively makes West Bridgford a suburb of the city, and...
in the borough of Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe is a local government district with borough status in Nottinghamshire, England. Its council is based in West Bridgford. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by merging the West Bridgford Urban District, the Bingham Rural District and part of Basford Rural District.-Political representation:The...
, at a site facing Nottingham over the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
.
The districts of Nottinghamshire are Ashfield
Ashfield
Ashfield is a local government district in western Nottinghamshire, England. According to the 2001 UK census, it has a population of 111,387. The district is mostly urban, with a tradition of coal mining. There are three towns in the district; the largest being Sutton-in-Ashfield...
, Bassetlaw
Bassetlaw
Bassetlaw is the northernmost district of Nottinghamshire, England, with a population according to the 2001 UK census of 107,713. The borough is predominantly rural, with two towns: Worksop, site of the borough offices, and Retford...
, Broxtowe
Broxtowe
Broxtowe is a local government district with borough status in Nottinghamshire, England, west of the City of Nottingham. It is part of the Greater Nottingham metropolitan area...
, Gedling
Gedling
Gedling is a local government district with borough status in Nottinghamshire, England. Its council is based in Arnold. It is part of the Greater Nottingham metropolitan area lying to the North and East of the City of Nottingham....
, Mansfield
Mansfield (district)
Mansfield is a local government district in Nottinghamshire, England. According to the 2001 UK census, its population was 98,181.Unlike most English districts, its council is led by a directly elected mayor, currently Tony Egginton, an independent...
, Newark and Sherwood
Newark and Sherwood
Newark and Sherwood is a local government district of eastern Nottinghamshire, England. The district is predominantly rural, with some large forestry plantations, and the towns of Newark-on-Trent, Southwell and Ollerton....
, and Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe is a local government district with borough status in Nottinghamshire, England. Its council is based in West Bridgford. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by merging the West Bridgford Urban District, the Bingham Rural District and part of Basford Rural District.-Political representation:The...
. The City of Nottingham was administratively part of Nottinghamshire between 1974 and 1998 but is now a unitary authority, remaining part of Nottinghamshire for ceremonial purposes
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
.
As of 2006 the county is estimated to have a population of just over one million. Over half of the population of the county live in the Greater Nottingham conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
(which continues into Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
). The conurbation has a population of about 650,000, though less than half live within the city boundaries.
History
Nottinghamshire lies on the RomanRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
Fosse Way
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
, and there are Roman settlements in the county, for example at Mansfield
Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
. The county was settled by Angles
Angles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
around the 5th century, and became part of the Kingdom, and later Earldom, of Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
. However, there is evidence of Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
settlement at Oxton
Oxton, Nottinghamshire
Oxton is a village in Nottinghamshire, England, with a little over 500 residents.Oxton is located 5 miles west of Southwell, 5 miles north of Lowdham, 10 miles NE of Nottingham and 2 miles NE of Calverton, and lies on the B6386, and is very close to the A6097 trunk road.Oxton has a church, a post...
, near Nottingham, and Tuxford
Tuxford
-Geography:Tuxford is a village and a civil parish on the southern edge of the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England. It may also be considered a small town as it was historically a market town. Nearby larger towns are Retford and Newark-on-Trent. From Harvest Cottage, near the ECML, the...
, east of Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest is a Royal Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, that is famous through its historical association with the legend of Robin Hood. Continuously forested since the end of the Ice Age, Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve today encompasses 423 hectares surrounding the village of...
. The name first occurs in 1016, but until 1568 the county was administratively united with Derbyshire, under a single Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
. In Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
times the county developed malting and woollen industries. During the industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
canals and railways came to the county, and the lace
Lace
Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric. Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was...
and cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
industries grew. In the 19th century collieries opened and mining became an important economic sector, though these declined after the 1984-5 miners' strike.
Until 1610, Nottinghamshire was divided into eight Wapentakes. Sometime between 1610 and 1719 they were reduced to six – Newark
Newark (wapentake)
Newark was a wapentake of the historic county of Nottinghamshire, England. It was in the east of the county with the River Trent forming most of the western boundary...
, Bassetlaw
Bassetlaw (wapentake)
Bassetlaw was a wapentake in the English county of Nottinghamshire. The wapentake covered an area in the north of the county, roughly equivalent to the modern Bassetlaw local government district. The wapentake was divided into the divisions of Hatfield, North Clay and South Clay.The place name...
, Thurgarton
Thurgarton (wapentake)
Thurgaton was a wapentake of the historic county of Nottinghamshire, England. It extended north-eastwards from Nottingham. The River Trent formed most of the eastern boundary...
, Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe (wapentake)
Rushcliffe was a wapentake of the historic county of Nottinghamshire, England. It was in the south of the county, on the south side of the River Trent, covering the parishes of Barton in Fabis, Bradmore, Bunny, Clifton with Glapton, Costock, East Leake, Edwalton, Gotham, Keyworth, Kingston on...
, Broxtowe
Broxtowe (wapentake)
Broxtowe was a wapentake of the ancient county of Nottinghamshire, England.It was in the west of the county covering the parishes of Annesley, Arnold, Attenborough, Basford, Beeston, Bestwood Park, Bilborough, Bramcote, Brewhouse Yard, Bulwell, Chilwell, Cossall, Eastwood, Felley, Fulwood,...
and Bingham
Bingham (wapentake)
Bingham was a wapentake of the historic county of Nottinghamshire, England. It was in the south east of the county, to the south of the River Trent, covering the parishes of Adbolton, Aslockton, Bingham, Car Colston, Clipston on the Wolds, Colston Bassett, Cotgrave, Cropwell Bishop, Cropwell...
, some of these names still being used for the modern districts. Oswaldbeck was absorbed in Bassetlaw, of which it forms the North Clay division, and Lythe in Thurgarton.
Nottinghamshire is famous for its involvement with the legend of Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. This is also the reason for the amount of tourists who visit places like Sherwood Forest, City of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and the surrounding villages in Sherwood Forest. To reinforce the Robin Hood connection, the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
in 2010 has begun the Nottingham Caves Survey
Nottingham Caves Survey
The Nottingham Caves Survey is a research project being conducted by Trent and Peak Archaeology, at the University of Nottingham. Spearheaded by Dr David Walker with Julia Clarke, the aim of the non-profit project is to scan every accessible cave from the 450+ man-made sandstone caves that are...
with the goal "to increase the tourist potential of these sites". The project "will use a 3D laser scanner to produce a three dimensional record of more than 450 sandstone caves around Nottingham".
Nottinghamshire was mapped first by Christopher Saxton
Christopher Saxton
Christopher Saxton was an English cartographer, probably born in the parish of Dewsbury, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England around 1540....
in 1576, the first fully surveyed map of the county was by John Chapman who produced Chapman's Map of Nottinghamshire in 1774. The map was the earliest printed map at a sufficiently useful scale (one statute mile to one inch) to provide basic information on village layout and the existence of landscape features such as roads, milestones, tollbars, parkland and mills.
Physical geography
Nottinghamshire, like DerbyshireDerbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and South Yorkshire, sits on extensive coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
measures, up to 900 metres (3,000 feet) thick and occurring largely in the north of the county. There is an oilfield near Eakring
Eakring
Eakring is a village in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire.-Geography:It is situated between the A617 and the A616 roads between Ollerton and Southwell. Dukes Wood to the south is situated on the top of an escarpment, giving good views over the Trent valley to the east and towards...
. These are overlaid by sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
s and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
s in the west and clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
in the east. The north of the county is part of the Humberhead Levels
Humberhead Levels
The Humberhead Levels cover a large expanse of very flat, low lying land towards the eastern end of the Humber estuary in northern England. The Levels occupies the area of the former Glacial Lake Humber...
lacustrine plain
Lacustrine plain
Some lakes get filled up by the sediments brought down by the rivers and turn into plains in the course of time. Such plains are called lacustrine plains...
. The centre and south west of the county, around Sherwood Forest, features undulating hills with ancient oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
woodland. Principal rivers are the Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
, Idle
River Idle
The River Idle is a river in Nottinghamshire, England. Its source is the confluence of the River Maun and River Meden, near Markham Moor. From there, it flows north through Retford and Bawtry before entering the River Trent at Stockwith near Misterton...
, Erewash
River Erewash
The River Erewash is a river in England that flows roughly southwards through Derbyshire, close to its eastern border with Nottinghamshire.-Etymology:...
and Soar
River Soar
The River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands.-Description:It rises near Hinckley in Leicestershire and is joined by the River Sence near Enderby before flowing through Leicester , Barrow-on-Soar, beside Loughborough and Kegworth, before joining the Trent near...
. The Trent, fed by the Soar and Erewash, and Idle, composed of many streams from Sherwood Forest, run through wide and flat valleys, merging at Misterton
Misterton, Nottinghamshire
Misterton is a village and civil parish in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England.-Geography:Misterton is located in the far north-east of both Bassetlaw and Nottinghamshire between Walkeringham to the South and Haxey to the North. The East of the village is bordered by the River...
. Strawberry Bank in Huthwaite
Huthwaite
Huthwaite is a small village in Nottinghamshire, England, located to the west of Mansfield, close to the Derbyshire border. Before 1907 the village was known as Hucknall-under-Huthwaite and also Dirty Hucknall.-Derivation of Name:...
is the highest natural point in Nottinghamshire at 203m., while Silverhill
Silverhill, Nottinghamshire
Silverhill is a mine soil-heap hill in Nottinghamshire. It is on the site of the former Silverhill colliery and is 205m high.Strawberry Bank in Huthwaite is believed to be the highest natural point in the county at 203m....
, a spoil heap left by the former Silverhill colliery, is the highest man-made point at 205m.
Nottinghamshire is sheltered by the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
to the west, so receives relatively low rainfall at 641–740 mm (25–29 in) annually. The average temperature of the county is 8.8-10.1 degrees Celsius
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
(48-50 degrees Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...
). The county receives between 1321 and 1470 hours of sunshine per year.
Politics
See also: Nottinghamshire Local ElectionsNottinghamshire local elections
-Political control:Since the foundation of the council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:-Council elections:Nottinghamshire Council election, 2001...
Nottinghamshire is represented by eleven members of parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, of which seven are members of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, and four are Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Harry "Ken" Clarke, QC, MP is a British Conservative politician, currently Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He was first elected to Parliament in 1970; and appointed a minister in Edward Heath's government, in 1972, and is one of...
of Rushcliffe is a former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
and the present Lord High Chancellor.
Following the 2009 election
Nottinghamshire Council election, 2009
Elections to Nottinghamshire County Council took place on 4 June 2009, having been delayed from 7 May, in order to coincide with elections to the European Parliament....
, the County Council is Conservative controlled, a gain from Labour. There are 67 councillors, 43 of which are Conservative, Mansfield Independents, UKIP and other various Independents grouped, 15 are Labour and 9 are Liberal Democrat. Local government is devolved to seven local borough and district councils, Bassetlaw, Gedling, Newark and Sherwood and Rushcliffe are Conservative controlled while Mansfield is controlled by the local Independent forum. Ashfield and Broxtowe have no overall control but are led by the Labour and the Liberal Democrat groups respectively.
In 2007, Nottinghamshire County Council won an Ashden Award for their work converting coal-fired boilers in schools to burn wood pellets.
Political control
Since the foundation of Nottinghamshire County Council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:| Party in control | Years |
|---|---|
| Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
1973–1977 |
| Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
1977–1981 |
| Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
1981–2009 |
| Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
2009 Nottinghamshire Council election, 2009 Elections to Nottinghamshire County Council took place on 4 June 2009, having been delayed from 7 May, in order to coincide with elections to the European Parliament.... - present |
Economy and industry
In 1998 Nottinghamshire had a GDP per-capita of £Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
12,000, and a total GDP of £12,023 million. This is compared to a per-capita GDP of £11,848 for the East Midlands, £12,845 for England and £12,548 for the United Kingdom. Nottingham has a GDP per-capita of £17,373, North Nottinghamshire £10,176, and South Nottinghamshire £8,448. In October 2005 the United Kingdom had 4.7% unemployment, the East Midlands 4.4%, and the Nottingham commuter belt area 2.4%.
Secondary Education
The county has comprehensiveComprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
secondary education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
with 47 state secondary schools, as well as 10 independent schools. The City of Nottingham LEA
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
has 18 state schools and 6 independent schools, not including sixth form colleges
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
.
9,700 pupils took GCSEs in the Nottinghamshire LEA
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
in 2007. The best results were from the West Bridgford School
West Bridgford School
The West Bridgford School & Specialist Technology Academy is a co-educational Comprehensive school in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England,-About the school:* It used to be a grammar school.* The school operates a two week timetable system....
, closely followed by Rushcliffe Comprehensive School and the Minster School in Southwell
Southwell, Nottinghamshire
Southwell is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, best known as the site of Southwell Minster, the seat of the Church of England diocese that covers Nottinghamshire...
. The lowest performing school was the Queen Elizabeth's Endowed School in Mansfield
Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
. In Nottingham, the best results came from the Trinity Catholic School
Trinity School (Nottingham)
The Trinity School in Nottingham, England is a comprehensive Catholic secondary school .-Admissions:The school is a faith school, and has restricted admissions. Its good academic results give it a high profile in the city, and places for the school will be limited...
and the Fernwood School in Wollaton
Wollaton
Wollaton is an area in the western part of Nottingham, England. It is home to Wollaton Hall with its museum, deer park, lake, walks and golf course...
.
At A-level, the highest performing institution was The Becket School
The Becket School
The Becket School is an 11-18 coeducational Roman Catholic comprehensive school in Nottinghamshire, England. It was formed in 1975 by the amalgamation of two schools, Corpus Christi Grammar School and Becket Grammar School for Boys....
, followed by the West Bridgford School
West Bridgford School
The West Bridgford School & Specialist Technology Academy is a co-educational Comprehensive school in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England,-About the school:* It used to be a grammar school.* The school operates a two week timetable system....
. Some of the county's best results tend to come from the all-male Nottingham High School
Nottingham High School
Nottingham High School is a British boys' independent school situated about a mile north of Nottingham city centre. It has around 900 pupils from ages 11 to 18 and there is the adjoining Nottingham High Junior School catering for younger boys and, from September 2008, the Lovell House...
, closely followed by the all-female Nottingham High School for Girls
Nottingham High School for Girls
Nottingham Girls' High School is an independent fee-paying girls' private school, part of the Girls' Day School Trust, founded in 1875, situated just north of Nottingham city centre.-Facilities:...
.
Higher education
See also: University of NottinghamUniversity of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
, Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University is a public teaching and research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as a new university in 1992 from the existing Trent Polytechnic , however it can trace its roots back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design...
Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University is a public teaching and research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as a new university in 1992 from the existing Trent Polytechnic , however it can trace its roots back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design...
is one of the most successful post-1992
Further and Higher Education Act 1992
The Further and Higher Education Acts 1992 made changes in the funding and administration of further education and higher education within the United Kingdom. The most visible result was to allow thirty-five polytechnics to become universities. In addition the Act created bodies to fund higher...
universities
New Universities
The term new universities has been used informally to refer to several different waves of new universities created or renamed as such in the United Kingdom. As early as 1928, the term was used to describe the then-new civic universities, such as Bristol University and the other "red brick...
in the UK. The University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
is a Russell Group
Russell Group
The Russell Group is a collaboration of twenty UK universities that together receive two-thirds of research grant and contract funding in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1994 to represent their interests to the government, parliament and other similar bodies...
university and well-renowned, offering one of the broadest selections of courses in the UK. Both universities combine to make Nottingham one of England's
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
largest student cities. Nottingham Trent University also has an agricultural college near Southwell
Southwell, Nottinghamshire
Southwell is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, best known as the site of Southwell Minster, the seat of the Church of England diocese that covers Nottinghamshire...
, while the University of Nottingham has one at Sutton Bonington
Sutton Bonington
Sutton Bonington is a village and civil parish lying along the valley of the River Soar in the Borough of Rushcliffe, south west Nottinghamshire, England. The University of Nottingham has a site just to the north of the village: Sutton Bonington Campus....
.
Culture
Nottinghamshire contains the ancestral home of the poet Lord Byron, Newstead AbbeyNewstead Abbey
Newstead Abbey, in Nottinghamshire, England, originally an Augustinian priory, is now best known as the ancestral home of Lord Byron.-Monastic foundation:The priory of St...
, which he sold in 1818. It is now owned by Nottingham City Council and open to the public. The acclaimed author D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
was from Eastwood
Eastwood, Nottinghamshire
Eastwood is a former coal mining town in the Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, England. With a population of over 18,000, it is northwest of Nottingham, and northeast of Derby, on the border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Mentioned in Domesday Book, it expanded rapidly during the...
in Nottinghamshire. Toton
Toton
Toton is a small suburb of Nottingham. It forms part of the Greater Nottingham urban area, and is in the Borough of Broxtowe. The inhabited area is contained within the electoral ward of Toton and Chilwell Meadows...
was the birthplace and home of English folk singer-songwriter Anne Briggs
Anne Briggs
Anne Briggs is an English folk singer. Although she traveled widely in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing at folk clubs and venues in England and Ireland, she never aspired to commercial success or to achieve widespread public acknowledgment of her music...
, well known for her song 'Black Waterside'. The north of the county is also noteworthy for its connections with the Pilgrim Fathers. William Brewster
William Brewster (Pilgrim)
Elder William Brewster was a Mayflower passenger and a Pilgrim colonist leader and preacher.-Origins:Brewster was probably born at Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, circa 1566/1567, although no birth records have been found, and died at Plymouth, Massachusetts on April 10, 1644 around 9- or 10pm...
, for example, came from the village of Scrooby and was influenced by Richard Clyfton
Richard Clyfton
Richard Clyfton was an English Brownist minister, at Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, and then in Amsterdam.-Life:He is identified with the Richard Clifton who, on 12 February 1585, was instituted to the vicarage of Marnham, near Newark, and on 11 July 1586 to the rectory of Babworth, near Retford, and...
, who preached at Babworth
Babworth
Babworth is a village and civil parish in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England, about 1½ miles west of Retford. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,329...
.
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
are a first class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club who play at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
in West Bridgford
West Bridgford
West Bridgford is a town in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies immediately south of the city of Nottingham, delimited by the River Trent; this proximity means that it forms a continuous urban area with Nottingham, effectively makes West Bridgford a suburb of the city, and...
. They won the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
in 2005. Notable football teams within Nottinghamshire include: Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, a Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club, Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
, currently in League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
, and Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
, a Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
side. Other notable sporting teams are the Nottingham Rugby Football Club
Nottingham R.F.C.
Nottingham Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club based in Nottingham, England. The club's first team currently play in the Championship, the second tier of English Rugby....
and the Nottingham Panthers Ice Hockey Club
Nottingham Panthers
The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League...
.
Nottinghamshire has international twinning
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
arrangements with the province of Wielkopolska
Greater Poland Voivodeship
Wielkopolska Voivodeship , or Greater Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in west-central Poland. It was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Poznań, Kalisz, Konin, Piła and Leszno Voivodeships, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998...
(Greater Poland) in western Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and with the province's capital city, Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
.
Settlements and communications
The traditional county town, and the largest settlement in the historic and ceremonial county boundaries, is Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. The City is now administratively independent, but suburbs including Arnold
Arnold, Nottinghamshire
Arnold is a suburb of Nottingham, England. It is to the north-east of the city boundary, and is in the local government district of Gedling. It has only had a market since 1968, and had a number of factories associated with the hosiery industry...
, Carlton
Carlton, Nottinghamshire
Carlton is a suburb to the east of the city of Nottingham in the borough of Gedling. It is close to Sneinton, Bakersfield, Mapperley, and St Anns. It is near the River Trent and has an NG4 postcode...
, West Bridgford
West Bridgford
West Bridgford is a town in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies immediately south of the city of Nottingham, delimited by the River Trent; this proximity means that it forms a continuous urban area with Nottingham, effectively makes West Bridgford a suburb of the city, and...
, Beeston
Beeston, Nottinghamshire
Beeston is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is southwest of Nottingham city centre. Although typically regarded as a suburb of the City of Nottingham, and officially designated as part of the Nottingham Urban Area, for local government purposes it is in the borough of Broxtowe, lying outside...
and Stapleford
Stapleford, Nottinghamshire
-External links:***...
are still within the administrative county, and West Bridgford is now home of the county council.
There are several market towns
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in the county. Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands on the River Trent, the A1 , and the East Coast Main Line railway. The origins of the town are possibly Roman as it lies on an important Roman road, the Fosse Way...
is a bridging point of the Fosse Way
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
and River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
, but is actually an Anglo-Saxon market town with a now ruined castle
Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire
Newark Castle, in Newark, in the English county of Nottinghamshire was built by Alexander, consecrated Bishop of Lincoln in 1123, who established it as a mint. His rebuild here was probably the model for that at Sleaford Castle, also built by Alexander....
. Mansfield
Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
, the second-largest settlement in the county, sits on the site of a Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
settlement, but grew after the Norman Conquest. Worksop
Worksop
Worksop is the largest town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. It is about east-south-east of the City of Sheffield and its population is estimated to be 39,800...
, in the north of the county, is also an Anglo-Saxon market town which grew rapidly in the industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
with the arrival of canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s and railways and the discovery of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
. Mansfield and Worksop have suffered from the decline of mining since the 1984-5 miners' strike. Other market towns include Arnold, Bingham
Bingham, Nottinghamshire
Bingham is a market town in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, England.-Geography:With a population of around 9,000 people it lies about nine miles east of Nottingham, a similar distance south-west of Newark-on-Trent and west of Grantham. It is situated where the A46 intersects the A52...
, Hucknall
Hucknall
Hucknall, formerly known as Hucknall Torkard, is a town in Greater Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, in the district of Ashfield. The town was historically a centre for framework knitting and then for mining but is now a focus for other industries as well providing housing for workers in...
, Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Kirkby-in-Ashfield is a market town in Nottinghamshire, England, with a population of 25,265 . It is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area. The Head Offices of Ashfield District Council are located there....
, and Retford
Retford
Retford is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England, located 31 miles from the city of Nottingham, and 23 miles west of Lincoln, in the district of Bassetlaw. The town is situated in a valley with the River Idle and the Chesterfield Canal running through the centre of the...
.
The main railway in the county is the Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
which links London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
via Nottingham. The Robin Hood Line
Robin Hood Line
The Robin Hood Line is a railway line running from Nottingham to Worksop, Nottinghamshire. The stations between Shirebrook and Whitwell are in Derbyshire.The towns and villages served by the route are listed below:*Nottingham*Bulwell*Hucknall...
between Nottingham and Worksop serves several villages in the county. The East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
from London to Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
serves the eastern Nottinghamshire towns of Newark and Retford The M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
runs through the county, connecting Nottingham to London, Leeds and Leicester by road.
The A1 road follows for the most part the path of the Great North Road, although in places it diverges from the historic route where towns have been bypassed. Retford was by-passed in 1961 and Newark-on-Trent was by-passed in 1964, and the A1 now runs between Retford and Worksop past the village of Ranby
Ranby, Nottinghamshire
Ranby is a small village in the north of Nottinghamshire, next to the Chesterfield Canal and adjacent to the A1. It is known for its two schools, the prep school Ranby House and the primary school Ranby Primary School, and the nearby church All Saints Babworth.Ranby Prison is located on the A620 to...
. Many historic coaching inn
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
s can still be seen along the traditional route.
East Midlands Airport is just outside the county in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, while the Robin Hood Airport lies within the historic boundaries of Nottinghamshire. These airports serve the county and several of its neighbours. Together the airports have services to most major European
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
destinations, and East Midlands Airport now also has services to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. As well as local bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
services throughout the county, Nottingham and its suburbs have a tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
system, Nottingham Express Transit
Nottingham Express Transit
Nottingham Express Transit is a light-rail tramway in the Nottingham area in England. The first line opened to the public on 9 March 2004, having cost £200 million to construct. The scheme took sixteen years from conception to implementation...
.
Places of interest
- Clumber ParkClumber ParkClumber Park is a country park in the Dukeries near Worksop in Nottinghamshire, England. It was the seat of the Pelham-Clintons, Dukes of Newcastle.It is owned by the National Trust and open to the public.-History:...
- Creswell CragsCreswell CragsCreswell Crags is a limestone gorge on the border between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, England near the villages of Creswell, Whitwell and Elmton...
- Rufford Country Park
- Rushcliffe Country ParkRushcliffe Country ParkRushcliffe Country Park is an open park space covering approximately , located on Mere Way just south of Ruddington on the A60 in the borough of Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire....
- Southwell MinsterSouthwell MinsterSouthwell Minster is a minster and cathedral, in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. It is six miles away from Newark-on-Trent and thirteen miles from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.It is considered an outstanding...
- Sherwood ForestSherwood ForestSherwood Forest is a Royal Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, that is famous through its historical association with the legend of Robin Hood. Continuously forested since the end of the Ice Age, Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve today encompasses 423 hectares surrounding the village of...
- Ye Olde Trip To JerusalemYe Olde Trip To JerusalemYe Olde Trip To Jerusalem in Nottingham is one of the 20 public houses which claim to be the oldest drinking establishment in England. Its painted sign states that it was established in 1189 AD...
- HawtonHawtonHawton is an English civil parish of some 70 inhabitants. It is situated to the south of Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, near the River Devon....
Church - Nottingham CastleNottingham CastleNottingham Castle is a castle in Nottingham, England. It is located in a commanding position on a natural promontory known as "'Castle Rock'", with cliffs high to the south and west. In the Middle Ages it was a major royal fortress and occasional royal residence...
- Wollaton HallWollaton HallWollaton Hall is a country house standing on a small but prominent hill in Wollaton, Nottingham, England. Wollaton Park is the area of parkland that the stately house stands in. The house itself is a natural history museum, with other museums in the out-buildings...
- Welbeck AbbeyWelbeck AbbeyWelbeck Abbey near Clumber Park in North Nottinghamshire was the principal abbey of the Premonstratensian order in England and later the principal residence of the Dukes of Portland.-Monastic period:...
- Newstead AbbeyNewstead AbbeyNewstead Abbey, in Nottinghamshire, England, originally an Augustinian priory, is now best known as the ancestral home of Lord Byron.-Monastic foundation:The priory of St...
- Sherwood ObservatorySherwood ObservatorySherwood Observatory is an amateur astronomical observatory in Nottinghamshire, England, owned and operated by Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society. The main dome is 6.5m in diameter and houses a 0.61 m Newtonian Reflecting telescope. There is a club meeting room that hosts society meetings...
- The Harley Gallery