Stuffed Animals and Legends of Nottingham

Wollaton Park
We woke up rested and ready to explore Nottingham. At its founding the region was known as Snottingham after a Saxon chief named Snot who ruled the area in the 7th century. Eventually, the S was dropped because of the difficulty in pronouncing the name and the city became Nottingham. The area is best known for Sherwood Forest and its ties to the Robin Hood legend; however, there are many other important aspects to the city. During the Industrial revolution, Nottingham developed a Lace making industry that became world renowned.
One of the "stuffed animals"
We hopped in Eric's new Mercedes and drove to Wollaton Park. These deer-filled park-lands are the grounds for Wollaton Hall; Wollaton sits upon a hill overlooking views of the city. The house was built in the late 1500's for Sir Francis Willoughby, who was an industrialist and coal mine owner. Today, the estate is a natural history museum dedicated to the art of taxidermy, or as Eric puts it "stuffed animals".
The greenhouse
We walked through the lovely grounds and up the hill towards the estate. Immediately, upon entering, you find yourself in a large hall with an old pipe organ on one end. Above the hall is the prospect room from which one can look down across the park and city. We toured the rooms and looked at the "stuffed animals". Admittedly, while there were many interesting specimens, it was a little creepy to see so many beautiful animals frozen in time. The museum maintains that this is a great way to preserve wildlife, by teaching many children about wildlife, without having animals caged in a zoo. We then headed over to an old stable area for coffee. Continuing on, we walked through the park gardens and a beautiful iron greenhouse. The structure was reminiscent of Palm House at Kew gardens; Rosemary told us that the greenhouse at their last home had been constructed by the same individual.
Our Trip to the Trip
Leaving the park we headed towards the city center. After parking, we walked past the 11th century Nottingham Castle. Being a Monday, the Castle was closed but we were able to peer through the gates. Due to its strategic position near the river Trent and rich hunting grounds known as the king’s pantry, this castle was once very important. Occupied by Richard the Lionheart, it was said to have been commandeered by the Sheriff of Nottingham while the King was at war. This is also the setting for Robin Hoods final showdown with the evil sheriff.

Rosemary, Eric, Jane
and Robin Hood
Next we stopped for lunch at the "Trip to Jerusalem". Believed to have been constructed in 1189 the Trip claims to be the oldest drinking establishment in England. The pub is believed to have been a stopping point for knights who were journeying to Jerusalem to participate in the crusades, hence its name. The building extends into the caves, eroded in the sandstone cliff, known as castle rock. This is where Nottingham Castle sits. Also, within this rock is an extensive system of caves that were originally the brewery.  

View of the Trip from inside
The Trip also has two interesting legends. The first relates to a small model of a ship, known as the Cursed Galleon. Claimed to be that people who have cleaned it, have all met a mysterious death. It is forbidden to clean the ship and it has accumulated many years of dust and soot. The second legend involves an old chair upon which any woman who sits will likely become pregnant. Jane made sure to avoid this piece of furniture. 
The Left Lion

We then strolled around Old Market Square and saw the Left Lion. This stone statue is one of a pair (the other being on the right of course) in front of the Nottingham Council House and is a well known meeting point for city residents.

Church cheers!
After lunch we returned to Eric and Rosemary’s house for a quick rest and to get ready for our next meal. 

 We hopped in a London style cab and drove over to Jane’s cousin Laura’s house to pick her up. Before dinner we stopped at the Pitcher and Piano for a quick drink. This local bar was once a church and the interior still retains much of the stained glass and vaulted columns. The five of us then moved on to a local Spanish restaurant where we ate plate loads of delicious Tapas. With full bellies we returned to Eric and Rosemary’s and watched another movie in their cinema before heading to bed. Thank you Rosemary and Eric for making our visit a wonderful time in Nottingham!







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