Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/102

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90

NOTTINGHAM. 90 NOTTINGHAM. passed for their enclosure, and they have since been rapidly covered with factories and dwelling-houses. A space of about 18 acres was, however, reserved for recrea- tion, and has been laid out as an arboretum, which is open to the public on Sundays, Mondays, and Wednes- days, subscribers alone being admitted on other days. The land immediately surrounding it is occupied by rows of houses. The market-place contains about 5 acres, and is one of the largest in the kingdom. The houses round it have projecting upper stories, forming a colonnade in front of the shops. The E. end is occupied by the New Exchange, a brick building erected in the last century, and repaired in 1814. The N. side contains offices for the clerks of the magistrates and for the police, and the remainder of the ground floor is occupied by shops, over which are largo rooms for assemblies and other public business. The market-place formerly con- tained two crosses. The County Hall, a stone building on the High Pavement, was built in 1770, and repaired in 1854. It contains two courts, with every convenience for the judges, juries, &c. The townhall, Weekday Cross, a plain building, was erected in 1741 on the site of an earlier edifice. The house of correction, in St. John- street, stands on the site of a house of the order of St. John of Jerusalem. The corn exchange, a building 77 feet by 55, was erected in 1850 from the designs of Mr. Hino, but is now used by the General Exchange and Commercial Association. An old house named Thurland Hall, built in 1651, is used for public dinners. There are extensive cavalry barracks in the Castle Park, and near the Castle Gate a building formerly used as a riding school for the yeomanry, but now as a circus or for other public purposes. A new post-office has been built at St. Peter's Gate, and near it are the offices of the Sanitary Committee and the corporation accountant. There is a small theatre in the town. The bridge over the Trent, to the S. of the town, was built in 1683, but has been frequently repaired in various styles. It re- placed that built by Edward the Elder. There are five banks, besides savings-banks, in the town. Turkish baths, with swimming and hot baths, have been built in Gedling-street, and the corporation has also erected sheds for bathing purposes on the Trent, a short distance above the bridge, the use of which is free. The prin- cipal manufactures in Nottingham are cotton and silk stockings, bobbin-net, and lace. The handlooms used in these manufactures are let out to workmen at a weekly rent ; but of late years steam machinery has come into use, and the number of large factories has of course increased. Most of the machinery ia made in the town itself, and there are also several mills for spinning cotton and woollen yarn and for throwing silk, and works for dyeing the various goods manufactured. At Kadford there are coal-pits, and there is one iron-foundry in the town. Other manufactures are white lead, pins, wire, and. brass fenders. Nottingham alo is celebrated for its good quality in the midland counties, and a large trade in malt is carried on also. The local government of Nottingham is carried on by a mayor, 14 aldermen, and 42 councillors, with the style of the " mayor and burgesses of the town of Nottingham." The first charter of incorporation was granted by Edward II., and the town was constituted a county excluding, however, the castle and gaol in the 27th year of Henry VI. The revenue of the borough is about 12,700. The limits of the municipal and parliamentary boroughs are co-exten- sive. Two members have been returned to the House of Commons since the reign of Edward I. The population in 1851 was 57,407, with 11,549 inhabited houses, while in 1861 the number of persons was 74,693, and the number of houses 15,441, showing an increase in the decennial period of 17,286 inhabitants. The Poor- law Union contains the three parishes of the town and Standard Hill, and the superior registry is of the same extent. The new County Court district comprises the above, with Radford and Basford (excluding the parsishes of Annesley with Fclley, Ilkestone, Heanor, Selstone, and Kirkby-in-Ashfield), and the parsishes of Brancote, Stapleford, Tollerton, Plumtree, Attenborough, Key- worth, and Edwalton. The courts held in the town are the assizes for the county, the quarter sessions for South Notts, and the county court, which are held in the Shire Hall, and the assizes and quarter-sessions for tho county of the town in tho townhall. Courts leet and baron are also held every six months, the mayor being lord of the manor. The earldom is held by the family of Einch Hatton. The archdeaconry of Nottingham, in Lincoln diocese, comprises the deaneries of Nottingham, Newark, Eetford, Southwell, and Bingham, which con- tain about 200 benefices. Nottingham deanery is divided into three sections. The first includes the benefices of Annesley, Awsworth, Basford with Cinder Hill, Beestoa, Billborough, Bramcote, Bulwell, Eastwood, Greasley, Hucknall Torkard, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Lindby, Mans- field with St. John's, Mansfield Woodhouse, with Skeg- by, Nuthall, Papplewick, Selstone, Stapleford, Sutton-in- Ashn'eld, Tevershall, Trowell, and Wollaton with Cos- sail f tho second contains Arnold, Attenborough, Burton, Joyce with Bulcote, Carrington, Colwick, Epperstone, Gedling with Stoke Bardolph, Goralstore, Hoveringham with Thurgarton, Lambley, Lowdham, and Sneinton; the third contains Hyson Green, Kimberley, Lenton, the benefices in Nottingham and Kadford, with Christchurch. The livings in the town are as follows : St. Mary's is a vie.,* val. 450. Tho church, a cruciform building in the perpendicular style, with a pinnacled tower in the centre, is known as the High Church. It stands on an eminence in the centre of the town. The S. porch and the windows arc decorated, but the W. front has been spoiled by restoration. It is calculated to hold 2,000 persons. There are remains of a few ancient brasses, and there is a font with a Greek inscription which reads the same both ways. St. Nicholas is a rect.,* val. 216. The church, which stands in Castle-street, was pulled down by Colonel Hutchinson, and rebuilt 1678, and was twice enlarged in the last century. It is built of brick, with stone lacings. St. Peter's is a rect.,* val. 400, in the patron, of the lord chancellor. The church is near the market-place, and was built in the perpendicular style, but has been much altered. There is a tower at the W. end, surmounted by an octagonal spire. St. James's is a perpet. cur., val. 200, and is extra parochial, being on Standard Hill. The church, a late English building with a tower, was erected in 1808 on the site of the chapel of tho White Friars. St. Paul's, in St. Mary's parish, is a perpet. cur. The church is in the Grecian style, and was erected in 1822. Trinity is a perpet. cur., val. 400, in the patron, of four trustees. The church was built and the endowment raised by subscription in 1840. The style is Gothic, with a spire of 117 feet. St. John the Baptist, at Leenside, is a perpet. cur.,* val. 150, in the patron, of the Bishop of Lincoln. The church is in the early English style, and was built in 1843. St. Ann's, lately erected as a chapel-of-ease to St. Mary's, stands in the old burial- ground. St. Luke's, Carlton-road, is a perpet. fur., val. 150, in the patron, of trustees. The church was opened in 1863. St. Matthew's, Upper Talbot-street, is a perpet. cur., val. 200. St. Mark's, St. Michael-street, opened 1855, is a perpet. cur., val. 400, in the patron, of trustees. Trinity Free Church, Bunker's Hill, is a chapel- of-easo to Trinity Church. A new church St. Saviour's is being built in Arkwright-street. The Roman Catholic church of St. Barnabas was built by Pugin in 1841, in the early English style. It is 180 feet in length, with a spire of 164 feet. The stained-glass windows and other decorations were given by the Earl of Shrewsbury. The Jews have a synagogue in the i town, and there are about 20 chapels, belonging to the Independents, Baptists, Unitarians, Quakers, and Me- thodists. The Independent chapel at Castle Gate it being rebuilt on the site of the old chapel. The free grammar school was founded by Mrs. Agnes Mellor in 1513, but was reorganised by the corporation in 1807, and it has recently been rebuilt. Thorpe's blue-coat school, founded 1723, was removed in 1853 from Middle Pavement to the Mansfield-road. The present building is in the Elizabethan style. There is a government