| A
history of Nottinghamshire |
| |
| Canals
and railways |
 |
| Nottingham
canal |
Canals provided
vital links in the county's transport system. The Chesterfield
Canal (opened 1777) cut across north Nottinghamshire, linking
Derbyshire with the inland port of West Stockwith. The Nottingham
Canal (opened 1796) connected the River Trent, at Trent Bridge,
with Langley Mill, near Eastwood. |
| |
| Time
marches on |
|
The earliest
railway in Nottingham is thought to have been a wooden line
from the Willoughby coal pits at Wollaton to Nottingham that
existed in the 1600's.
In 1819
a railway, at first using horses to pull the wagons, was opened
between Pinxton Wharf and Mansfield.
In May 1839
a steam railway line connecting Nottingham to Derby was opened
by the Midland Counties Railway.
 |
| Victoria
Clock |
In the 1890's
a railway was cut right through Nottingham, which required navvies
to dig a series of tunnels right under the city. The Victoria
station was opened on 24th May 1900. It was demolished in 1967
and today only the clock tower remains.
|
| |
| Industrial
heritage |
| Even
in medieval times industry was important in Nottinghamshire. Coal
was dug in outcrops near the Derbyshire border; cloth manufacture
and dyeing were vital to trade and Nottingham was famed throughout
Europe for its alabaster monuments (examples of which are still on
display at Nottingham
Castle). |
| |
| Lace |
| The
invention of the stocking frame in 1589, reputedly by the Rev.
William Lee of Calverton, lay at the heart of industrialisation. |
| |
 |
| Nottingham
Lace Centre |
By the late
1700's hose production employed thousands of framework knitters
in and around Nottingham. Poor conditions in 1811 led to Luddite
riots in the city, with many knitting frames being smashed.
Yet Victorian
times saw a dramatic expansion of the lace industry and around
St. Mary's Church in Nottingham the streets were lined by towering
lace warehouses which exported the material all over the world.
|
| |
| Wheels,
pills and pits |
|
Nottingham
also became the centre for several major companies including
the Raleigh Cycle Company and Players cigarettes.
 |
| Jesse
Boot |
The Boots Company
was founded by Jesse
Boot who was a great benefactor to the city. He donated land
for the new University at Highfields, opened in 1928.
 |
| Clipstone
colliery |
The 19th
and 20th centuries saw the rapid growth of coal mining in the
county. It transformed whole landscapes and communities but
in recent years it has declined dramatically creating major
problems for the survival of former mining areas.
|
|
|
