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History & Heritage Trails
Our selection of history and heritage trails celebrate a variety of themes including architectural styles and Nottinghamshire’s rich history.
Follow the footsteps of the English Civil War heroes and villains with the Nottinghamshire Civil War trail, tour around the city with Watson Fothergill Architect Trail featuring many of the architect’s finest buildings including places where you can sample and enjoy Castle Rock’s Watson Fothergill celebration beer, or take a journey through the heart of D. H. Lawrence country with the Blue Line trail. Now you can also take a deeper look into Nottingham’s past than ever before - discovering the city’s hidden history - thanks to the new Cave App & Trail.
Civil War
Nottinghamshire's Civil War trail includes sites and landmarks across Nottingham, Southwell and Newark. Nottinghamshire played a pivotal role during the tumultuous years of the English Civil War as King Charles I’s Royalist army and Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarians fought to control the country. Embark on a journey across the county and discover sites related to this crucial period in the history of Nottinghamshire.
To learn more about the Civil War in Nottinghamshire, click here.
General History
Travel north into Nottinghamshire and you will discover the history of the Mayflower Pilgrims. Discover more about the historic sites associated with the principal players in the Pilgrim Fathers story at your own leisure on the Mayflower Pilgrims Trail.
The Ashfield and Mansfield Trails explores some of the heritage attractions just north of Nottingham. In the Mansfield Way, you will trace the route of the Mansfield-Southwell railway to Rainworth and pass the Sherwood Pines Forest Park.
Why not go for one of the Curious About heritage trails to discover both the infamous landmarks and lesser known hidden treasures of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Learn some interesting facts and uncover the heritage and great historical past of Nottingham, Newark and Southwell. To add an extra element of fun, the trails have a quirky treasure hunt theme - detect answers to addictive clues and match pictures to places as you uncover the sights!
Discover the life and work of William Booth, Nottingham’s most famous preacher and social reformer and founder of The Salvation Army – at The William Booth Birthplace Museum and with the help of the William Booth Trail throguhout Nottingham city centre.
Go Quest Adventures offer a self-guided treasure hunt adventure through the streets of Nottingham! The Nottingham Quest is a fun, challenging and engaging way to explore the city centre from a whole different perspective. It's like no treasure hunt you've done before and stops at notable landmarks like Old Market Square and Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem. During your Quest, you will unlock a hidden trail by finding clues, solving puzzles and completing group challenges, earing points along the way all self-guided through the Go Quest Adventures app. It's like a walking tour with an escape room twist!
Discover the city's hidden beautiful bits, sneak inside the oldest pub in Britain, and wander around a peaceful park in the shadow of the Castle with Treasure Hunt Nottingham. Spot things you wouldn’t normally notice, like the stone monkey, burdened by the weight of its mortgage. You can go at your own pace with no rush ont his self-led adventure, and you can start playing in 60 seconds! It’s all on your phones, there’s nothing to print or collect.
Newark is a charming market town located just off the A1 on the east side of Nottinghamshire. The historic and picturesque market town boasts many heritage attractions and activities along with a range of hotels and breakfasts for an overnight stay. Download various trails on this page, including the Newark Medieval Trail and Historic Riverside Trail.
Architecture Trail
Victorian architect Watson Fothergill's distinctive red-brick buildings can be seen throughout the city. Download the Watson Fothergill Architect Trail, produced in conjunction with RIBA East Midlands and Castle Rock Brewery, and see the grand banks and newspaper offices - as well as his own elaborate offices in the Lace Market.
Caves
Nottingham’s riddled with manmade caves, which date back as far as the Medieval period and beyond. The Nottingham Cave App is the perfect way to explore the wonders which stretch below the city’s streets, featuring stunning flythrough videos that give virtual access to the city's sealed off sandstone caves.
Join Nottingham Castle's Cave Tours and descend into the remarkable caves that snake through Castle Rock on a 25-minute tour exploring the foundations of the medieval Castle. Suitable for families and young children, you will hear tales of Nottingham and its historic Castle in the atmospheric underground caves where the stories actually took place. Pre-booking is highly reccomended for these popular tours!
Creswell Crags in North Nottinghamshire is a limestone gorge honeycombed with caves and smaller fissures. It is home to the UK's only known Ice Age rock art and boasts the biggest concentration of ‘witches’ marks’ found in British caves. They offer a variety of tours including Witch Marks Tours, Rock Art Tours, and Ice Age Tours.
Nottingham has the UK's largest network of caves - over 800 are hidden beneath its streets. At The City of Caves, you can discover the largest publicly available section of this vast underground network. Enjoy a memorable adventure in history at the heart of this subterranean wonder.
Sherwood Forest
We all know that Sherwood Forest was the hiding place of Robin Hood, but did you know that it was also used to hide tanks, ammunition and even a whole railway system during the Second World War? The Sherwood Forest and Newark area is steeped in modern history as well as medieval which is the focus of the Spirit of Wartime Sherwood Trail. A collection of seven heritage sites with a connection to the Second World War have come together, including the Newark Air Museum and The National Holocaust Centre and Museum.
Put on your walking shoes and step along to the Sherwood Voices Audio Walks! Get your headphones ready, put your best foot forward, set your own pace, and join the journey into the heart and soul of the Sherwood Forest area. As the saying goes, you can’t truly understand someone, or the place that has shaped them, until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. That’s why this series of six audio walks was created, written and directed by Excavate's Andy Barrett, and led by Sherwood people, who will take you on a journey through the stories and culture of the Sherwood Forest area.
Heritage Venue Tours & Trails
Why not explore the history at some of Nottinghamshire's most beautiful venues?
Historic House tours at Newstead Abbey take place on Saturdays & Sundays at 3pm. Meet one of their tour guides to explore some of the fascinating history of Newstead Abbey and find out more about its most famous resident, Lord Byron, and hear some of the stories of the time he spent at Newstead Abbey. Please note that tours must be booked in advance and they take place periodically throughout the year.
Take a tour of the State Rooms at Welbeck Abbey and see treasures from the world-class Portland Collection of Art. Objects and artworks from the world-class Portland Collection decorate the State Rooms. Works on show at Welbeck Abbey include pieces by Sir Peter Lely, John Wootton and Sir Joshua Reynolds. Dates for these tours vary dependingon the time of year so we recommend checking with the venue directly ahead of booking. While you're there, don't miss the Unseen Treasures of The Portland Collection, on display until 31 December 2025.
Take a look around the historic home of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club with A Guided Tour of Trent Bridge. You’ll see behind the scenes and hear about some of the great players and matches that have made Trent Bridge one of the most renowned and admired cricket grounds in the world. You can expect to see inside the world-famous 1880s Pavilion and visit the members’ facilities, one of the players' dressing rooms, walk around the pitch and onto the hallowed turf (conditions permitting), and explore the spectator, playing and media facilities in the Radcliffe Road Stand. Join them most Tuesdays and selected Saturdays throughout the year.
The National Holocaust Centre and Museum often run weekday tours of their galleries, exhibitions and gardens. The National Holocaust Centre and Museum is so much more than a museum. It’s a vibrant memorial, a place of testimony and a Centre of learning for communities of all faiths, and none, across the UK. Since the Centre was established in 1995, it remains the first and only place of its kind in the UK. Dedicated to Holocaust remembrance and education, the surrounding countryside provides a peaceful setting and the Centre itself is surrounded by a beautifully landscaped Memorial Garden. Visit their website for more info.
Step inside Wollaton Hall for a Hidden History Tour. Hear the tales and discover the characters of the Hall, explore the Prospect Room, the Tudor Kitchens, the Cave and Admiral’s Bath. Please note that these tours are not suitable for under 3s due to the nature of it being a walking tour.
Guided tours of the Rock Cemetery Catacombs will provide an introduction and background to the Rock Cemetery itself followed by a tour of the catacombs and Robin Hood’s Cave. The meeting point is at the Cemetery Lodge, which is just inside the main entrance to the Cemetery, junction of Forest Road East and Mansfield Road. Please note that the tours are not suitable for wheelchairs or prams/buggies, and sensible footwear and warm clothing must be worn. Those aged under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
The astonishing Iron Giant of the Erewash Valley, Bennerley Viaduct is a survivor from the age of steam and coal, the longest Victorian wrought iron viaduct still standing the UK. Given a new lease of life in 2022, the viaduct is now open for walking and cycling, and visitors are invited to enjoy the views from the deck and explore nature on the path underneath. Connected to the towpaths of the Nottingham and Erewash canals, and several local walking and cycling routes, it is a local landmark worth including in your plans.
Click here to learn more about Historical Homes & Castles in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
Tour Guides
There's no better way to understand our history than with a tour guide. The ability to ask questions often allows the subject matter to come alive and capture your imagination better than a self-led trail. Many of our tour guides incorporate the history of Nottingham and our wider county into their routes, pointing out buildings and attractions of historical significance, sharing stories about the area you are standing in and providing much needed context to historical events.
Click here to learn more about our fantastic tour guides in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
For more tours, trails and guided walks around the city and the county including Robin Hood and the LQBTQIA+ trail, please go to our Walking Trails page.
