Have you joined the Watson Fothergill Walk yet? Many subscribers have already enjoyed my tour of Nottingham’s architecture (thank you!) but maybe you’ve been putting it off? There’s no better time to give it a try or to tell friends who you think would enjoy looking up!
Booking is now open for July and new dates in August (click the dates below to visit ticket pages). All tickets £15 each plus Eventbrite fee.
If you’ve already completed my other walks, maybe you could help me design the next one? Deco in The Details is coming soon. I will be exploring Nottingham architecture and social history of the 1920s and 1930s.
Tickets have been simplified and are £10 each (plus booking fee). I also hope to run this tour again in the future. Many thanks and hope to see you soon – Lucy.
Deco In The Details: A new work-in-progress guided tour of Nottingham architecture.
Deco In The Details.
I have been commissioned by the Art Deco Society UK to put together a walking tour of Nottingham. I’m excited about this as I’ve wanted to design a new tour looking at Nottingham’s architecture of the early 20th century and I’m always on the look out for details in buildings. I would like a small group (preferably those who have already been on my other walks) to help me finalise the route and provide feedback so I can complete the tour. Tickets for this work-in-progress event are available for Thursday 18 July, 6 pm suggested donation £10 – please note these tickets can only be booked one at a time – please contact me if you have any problems booking!
Private bookings
My diary is now open for bookings if you’d like a private tour for your group then fill out the contact form to send an email with preferred dates and times, the size of the group and whether you have any special requirements. I can often do weekdays and summer evenings. Minimum charges apply. Maximum group size 20 people.
I’m busy researching buildings for what I hope will be at least one new tour in Nottingham and maybe something else for extra-keen Fothergill-spotters (all very exciting and I will share this properly with you when things are closer to being ready!)
Research!
Meanwhile, there are some of my walks coming up, including Watson Fothergill Walk and Hine Hike.
Lucy, your tour guide, being over excited about a Watson Fothergill building – in this case The Simons and Pickard Paper Warehouse 1894, now Castle Court, Nottingham.
Please check out some of the lovely reviews people have been leaving on TripAdvisor (thank you so much if you’ve taken the time to write one.) (Booking directly through me or Eventbrite is the best value option for tickets).
It’s getting harder and harder to reach new people on social media… so if you’ve enjoyed Watson Fothergill Walk please tell your friends!
So, if you live in or around Nottingham or just visiting, you’re interested in History, architecture, and eccentricity (me? the architect?) you might enjoy my tour. Plus you get your steps in & there’s a pub at the end!
Dates in June with tickets available – all details and links to tickets here or sign up to the mailing list to hear about new dates each month. Thank you everyone!
Thank you if you’ve already joined a tour this year – and thanks if you’ve told your friends or written a lovely 5-star TripAdvisor review – it’s great to get the word out!
Tickets for walks in June 2024 are now live on Eventbrite.
Thanks to everyone who has supported my small business by joining me for a Watson Fothergill Walk or Hine Hike around Nottingham. More dates now on sale, including another date for the Carrington Crawl, see below.
Thanks to everyone who has joined me so far for The Watson Fothergill Walk. The first Hine Hike of the year is sold out so I’ve added another date in April, and that month also sees the return of The Carrington Crawl. Tickets are moving fast for the city centre walk in March – there might be a couple left for 17 March if you’re quick…
Fothergill’s – the end of the city centre Watson Fothergill Walk – you can book in for a meal or stay for a drink. Photo: Lucy Brouwer
The stories behind the domestic architecture of Watson Fothergill and his chief assistant L.G. Summers in Mapperley Park, Sherwood Rise and Carrington.
An introduction to the buildings of Thomas Chambers Hine, prolific architect of Victorian Nottingham. Takes in some of his houses near The Park Estate and industrial architecture of the Lace Market.
I hope you can join me for a tour of Nottingham’s beautiful architecture. If you have a group of 5 or more and would like a tour at a time to suit you – please send a message here.
The price of each book includes a donation to Nottingham Civic Society – you can join them and attend their program of talks and walks for just £12 per year.
Thanks to everyone who joined me for a walk, bought a voucher or listened to a talk this year. Your support really means a lot! Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year…
Tickets are £15 each – book early and save on Eventbrite fees. If you have gift vouchers there is now a specific ticket category for you to use.
If you need a last-minute present for someone who you think would like to explore Nottingham – Watson Fothergill Walk Gift Vouchers are still available. They are valid for 12 months. They can be purchased and sent by email:
Observant Nottinghamians will have noticed some changes taking place in one of the city’s largest Fothergill buildings recently. The sports bar chain Box has moved into the Former Nottingham & Notts Bank (lately All Saints and before that Nat West) on the corner of Pelham Street and Thurland Street.
Picture of how the Thurland Street Nottingham and Notts Bank looked circa 1898 from The Builder (found at archive.org) Building was completed 1882 – “Fothergill Watson” carved beneath the date stone as this predates his 1892 name change.
Thurland Street Bank, November 2023. Note how the chimneys have changed over the years (there is one fancy one left at the back of the building). Photo: Lucy Brouwer
I’ve waited a long time to get inside parts of this building and my ambition to have a look at the stained glass upstairs was finally realised as the bar opened to the public last week. Thanks to the friendly staff for letting me have a look around. The building has been developed with strict rules about how the listed interior can be used, so hopefully the fabric of this fantastic example of Fothergill’s work will survive this regeneration for use as a party venue!
I’ll hopefully get time to do a more thorough post on the history of the building soon but meanwhile here are some photos of the stained glass, which is in a part of the building that is not open to the public.
The oriel window features Chaucer and Shakespeare. The motto: Tolle Lege “Take up and read”. Photo: Lucy Brouwer
Fothergill has form with Chaucer – inside his office, there is a carved quotation:
“The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne, Th’assay so hard, so sharp the conquerynge”.
Fothergill was also fond of a religious quotation “Tolle lege” are the words spoken to St Augustine during his conversion to Christianity…
Chaucer – was one of the authors revered and published by William Morris also an inspiration to Watson Fothergill? Photo: Lucy Brouwer
William Shakespeare – recognisable even from outside when back to front! Photo: Lucy Brouwer
From the outside this window looks like it was once on a staircase, that is long gone like the rest of the interior decoration upstairs, but the quality of the work shines through. Photo: Lucy Brouwer
The female figures on this window represent Art, Science, Agriculture, Commerce, Manufacture and Mining. This chimes with the frieze on the exterior that represents the three major industries of Nottinghamshire in the 1880s – Agriculture, Textiles and Mining. The quotation underneath is:
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. For there is no work nor device for knowledge nor wisdom in the grave wither thou goest. The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong neither yet bread to the wise nor yet riches to men of understanding nor yet favour to men of skill but time and chance happeneth to them all.”
Ecclesiastes Chapter 9 verses 10 & 11, King James Bible Version
I’d love to track down evidence of the artist who designed this stained glass, so if anyone has any leads please get in touch!
A first attempt at video so forgive the portrait mode!
