Five Historic Places To Visit In Nottingham

Nottingham has a long-standing tradition as a trading hub and manufacturing centre and is known for its fine lace. We are known for being the last of the UK’s framework knitting firms. Our heritage and history in Nottingham is what makes G.H.Hurt & Son the brand it is today.

Here are some of the top places to visit when you go to Nottingham:

G.H.Hurt & Son Shawl Factory 

We open our Factory Shop most Saturdays from 10-12pm, where you can come and visit and have a browse with the opportunity to buy from a range of Baby Shawls, Womens Scarves, Shawls & Stoles and contemporary Mens Scarves. 

Heritage Open Day 

Once a year at G.H.Hurt & Son, we open our Shawl Factory gates to the public as part of the national ‘Heritage Open Days’ event. Visiting The Shawl Factory, provides an opportunity to see our historic Handframes, plus over 100 years of knitting machinery and to learn about our unique lace knitting heritage. Keep an eye out for our next Heritage Open Day which will be announced on our social media channels.

Wollaton Hall 

Wollaton Hall is an Elizabethan mansion built between 1580 and 1588 by a local coal mine owner. This decadent Elizabethan mansion was owned by the Willoughby family for 345 years and is known for featuring in the batman film: The Dark Knight Rises. The mansion now houses the Nottingham City Museums and Galleries’ Natural History Collection and the Nottingham Industrial Museum. There is a beautiful park, lake and gardens surrounding Wollaton Hall that you can walk around, including play areas for children. Since the fourteenth century, herds of deer have roamed Wollaton’s 500 acres of parkland. 

Nottingham Castle

Nottingham castle affords excellent views of the city and it is well known for its bronze statues of Robin Hood and his merry men by sculptor James Woodford, born in Nottingham. It was destroyed in 1651 by Parliamentary forces, the original castle was replaced by an Italian-style palace belonging to the Duke of Newcastle. It is now home to two collections: the Sherwood Foresters Regimental Museum and the Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery. 

The City of Caves

More than 450 caves exist in the sandstone beneath Nottingham and have been used for centuries for storage and defence. Public tours of the caves are available in Garner’s Hill, Nottingham. 

Framework Knitters Museum 

The Framework Knitters Museum in Ruddington is a unique surviving example of the 19th century framework knitters’ yard. The site has been lovingly restored as a living history museum. They show the 400 year history of framework knitting. It is a beautiful museum were you can learn a lot about the history of framework knitting which is very relevant to our brand today due to being the last of the UK’s framework knitting firms.

We hope you enjoy your visit to Nottingham!