10 Things I Didn't Know About Nottinghamshire

Have you ever moved to a new city and felt the urge to unravel its mysteries? This blog is dedicated to all of those who are excited to look behind the curtains and discover why Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are more than just the home of Robin Hood. It is a treasure waiting to be discoverd so keep on reading for more curious facts.

Ibuprofen was invented in no place other than Nottingham. Dr Stewart Adams, one of our local heroes, winner of an OBE, began to design a new drug to treat rheumatoid arthritis in the late 1950s, while working for Boots, then known as 'Boots the Chemists', in Nottingham. In 1984, after a long process of continuous trials, FDA approved the sale without the doctor’s prescription of the new drug, which has proved to be even more effective than Aspirin and Paracetamol for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.

(image: Nottingham Post/BPM Media)

Nottingham’s recognition as a sweet spot for innovation was also made possible by something that is known today as an icon of British culinary culture: the HP Sauce. The taste buds of brown sauce enthusiasts from all over the world have been leaping for joy ever since 1903 and it’s all because of a grocer from Nottingham - Frederick Gibson Garton, who invented the iconic sauce. After hearing that a restaurant in the Houses of Parliament had started serving the sauce, he decided to name it HP. Later on, Midlands Vinegar Company purchased the recipe for £150 and launched the product in 1903.
(Image: HP Sauce)

Turning on a tap seems a mere trifle today, but in the early 1800s, the shortage of water supplies was a fine kettle of fish. Water pioneer Thomas Hawksley was working for the Trent Waterworks Company during the cholera and typhoid epidemics which escalated alarmingly due to a lack of clean water available to cater for the fast-growing population of Nottingham. But Hawksley had the life-saving answer: the country’s very first water system, which meant water would no longer be distributed manually, but supplied at constant high pressure to a tap.
(Image: Nottinghamshire Live)

Nottingham’s pride and joy, Goose Fair is over 700 years old! The history of this long-awaited land of whoopee is somewhat of a mystery, but the legend has it that hundreds of geese have once been transported from Lincolnshire to Nottingham, thus explaining the name of the festival. Curious to find out more? Why not take a look at our Goose Fair History blog!
(Image: BBC)

‘Batman’s House’ is no other than Nottingham’s beloved Wollaton Hall. ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, filmed at the grand country house in 2011, brought 175,117 visitors to the renowned Elizabethan manor after it's role as Wayne Manor in the film.
(Image: Unsplash)

The Nottinghamshire town of Southwell is home to the best-preserved workhouse in the country. The principle on which this house had been erected was to provide food, shelter and medical care for the poor, in exchange for their work. Inmates who came together as a family would be separated here and forbidden from seeing each other, because of the ‘segregation’ principle, which implied the division into two distinct categories: the ‘blameless’, those unable to work, and the ‘idle and profligate able bodied’, the adults capable of physical labour, who couldn’t secure employment otherwise.
(Image: The Workhouse)

Nottingham’s infamous, ‘Little John’ could be the next Big Ben. The hour bell in Nottingham’s Council House, is considered the loudest clock bell in Britain, which is why Nottingham City Council offered to lend it to Westminster Palace in the scenario of Big Ben falling silent.

Our renowned romantic poet, Lord Byron inherited Newstead Abbey when he was only ten years old and his name is widely associated with this former Augustinian priory. Living at the residence from around 1808 - 1814, he spent much of his time writing poetry - did you know whe wrote his first poem at the age of ten? 

The cave art discovered at Creswell Crags is of significant importance, as it is Britain’s only known figurative art dating back to the Ice Age - harbouring secrets from our Prehistoric past. The site, considered one of Midlands’ marvels, appeared in 2005 in ‘Seven Natural Wonders’, a television programme designed by BBC Two.
(Image: Creswell Crags)

The first city where braille signage for visually impaired people was installed is … Nottingham!
(Image: Unsplash)

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This blog was written by Andra Elekes, Marketing Intern at Visit Nottinghamshire