The Lace Market, Nottingham

St Mary's in the Lace Market

This area of Nottingham city centre is jam packed full of historic buildings with the beautiful St Mary’s Church as its centre piece.  Parts of the church date back to the 1400s and it is open to visitors Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30am – 2.30pm.  Although the area surrounding the church dates back to Saxon times, the current buildings were part of the explosion in the lace industry in the 1800s.  Nottingham became famous for its lace and at its height, this area had 130 factories making it.

The Adams Building

Today the area is known for its lovely buildings, hotels, trendy bars and restaurants.  Apart from St Mary’s, don’t miss the Galleries of Justice from where an audio tour of the Lace Market called the “Lace Market Heritage Audio Trail” is available for a charge of £2.95 (2012 prices).  The Lace Market is signed from the shopping centres and has its own tram stop.  This is an extract from our free Nottingham City Guide.

The attractive modern square in the Lace Market, Nottingham

Other buildings to look out for in the Lace market include the Adams building, which was one of the largest lace factories and is now a further education college.  It’s not open to the public, but you can appreciate the Victorian architecture from outside on Stoney Street.  Another interesting building is the former Unitarian chapel on High Pavement which is now a Pitcher & Piano bar.  A few years ago, a new Lace Market square was created just off St Mary’s Gate which can be pleasant to sit in or walk through, although it’s not as popular as was hoped (pictured above).

MORE ON NOTTINGHAM’S LACE MARKET

Hotels near the Lace Market – Great rates from Hotels.com
St Mary’s Church - Official Website
Wikipedia - The Lace Market
The Lace Market Hotel – One of our recommended Nottingham hotels is in the Lace market
More Nottingham Hotels - Massive discounts from Expedia
Books on Nottingham – Amazon.co.uk

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