Nottingham Castle
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Nottingham Castle in Nottingham, England, is located in a commanding position, with 130 foot cliffs to the south and west.
[edit] Medieval history
There is some indication that a castle of sorts may have existed on the site before the Norman Conquest, although we cannot be certain. If there was it would have been a smaller and far less elaborate in design than the one that was to stand there afterwards, keeping in line with Anglo-Saxon architectural tradition.
The first Norman castle was a wooden structure and of a motte-and-bailey design, which was built in 1067, a year after the Battle of Hastings, at the orders of William the Conqueror. This wooden structure was replaced by a far more defensible stone castle during the reign of Henry I (1100-1135), and was imposing and of a complex architectural design.
For centuries the stone castle served as one of the most important castles in England for nobles and royalty alike. It was in a strategic position due to being relatively in the dead centre of the British Isles; and also it was also known as a place of leisure being close to the royal hunting grounds at Tideswell, which was the “Kings Larder” in the Royal Forest of the Peak, and also the royal forests of Barnsdale and Sherwood Forest.
Whilst the King of England Richard the Lionheart was away at the Third Crusade, and a great number of English noblemen were away with him, it was said that Nottingham Castle was left derelict and it was occupied by the Sheriff of Nottingham. In the legends of Robin Hood, Nottingham Castle is the scene of the final showdown between the Sheriff and the heroic outlaw in many tales.
In 1194, a historic battle took place at Nottingham castle when the supporters of Prince John captured it. The castle was the site of a decisive siege when King Richard I, returned to England and designed the castle with the siege machines he had used at Jerusalem. Richard was aided by Ranulph de Blondeville, 4th Earl of Chester, and David of Scotland, 8th Earl of Huntingdon.
The castle was expanded by many of the following monarchs until rendered obsolete in the 16th century by artillery. A short time following the break out of the English Civil War, the castle was already in a semi-ruined state after a number of skirmishes occurred on the site. Towards the end of the Civil War, Charles I chose Nottingham as the rallying point for his armies, but soon after he departed the castle rock was made defensible and held by the parliamentarians. Commanded by John Hutchinson (Colonel), they repulsed several Royalist attacks, and they were the last group to hold the castle. After the execution of Charles I in 1649, the formerly imposing castle was finally razed completely down to the foundations.
Only a few sketches remain of the castle dating from medieval times. From these we can deduce that, in its day, it had been a majestic and impressive castle.
[edit] The present 'Castle Mansion'
After the restoration of Charles II in 1660, the present 'Castle Mansion' was built by Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle on the foundations of the previous structure. However, it lost its appeal to the later Dukes with the coming of the Industrial Revolution, which left Nottingham with the reputation of having the worst slums in the British Empire outside India. When residents of these slums rioted in 1831, they torched the mansion.
The mansion remained a derelict shell until 1878, as a reminder to the people of Nottingham of what they had done. Eventually it was restored as the Nottingham Castle Museum in 1875, then opened in 1878 by the then Prince of Wales, King Edward VII.
The Castle Mansion was the first municipal art gallery to open in the UK outside London. It is still used as a museum today.
In the past few years, Nottingham City Council has considered demolishing the mansion house and rebuilding the original castle, since many tourists expect to see a medieval castle but are disapointed to find a mansion house. These plans have been scrapped.
In 2005, the Castle was the only venue outside the USA to host the 'Waking Dreams' touring exhibition of Pre-Raphaelite art. The show attracted visitors from all over Europe and brought the Castle to international attention as a gallery space.
