Lace Market

The Lace Market is a historic quarter-mile square area in the centre of Nottingham, England. It was the centre of the world's lace industry during the British Empire and is now a protected heritage area. It was an area of salesrooms and warehouses for storing, displaying and selling the lace. The Lace Market adjoins Hockley, and both areas now accommodate a variety of bars, restaurants and shops.

History

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Once the heart of the world's

for storing, displaying and selling the lace. Most of the area is typical , a notable Quaker who did much to improve the typical Victorian working conditions in his factories.

There are some non Victorian parts to the area as well though, such as High Pavement which is a handsome Georgian street and home to the Galleries of Justice and St Mary's Church.

The area is sited on the area of the original

.

Another fine piece of architecture in the area is a warehouse designed by

beams and other distinctive features.

Every large British city has been affected by the decline of traditional industries. Once the principal engine of Nottingham's growth, the Lace Market powered a hosiery industry with 25,000 mostly female workers at its peak in the 1890s. Lace declined as technology changed and the working population fell below 5,000 in the 1970s with many of the factories becoming derelict and the area falling into decline. The Lace Market has undergone a renaissance and become a flagship for the city's post industrial regeneration. This change started in 1978 when Nottingham City Council led the Operation Clean Up programme offering public grants to building owners to refurbish their historic buildings.^[1] Nearly all of the old warehouses that were once run down have now been cleaned and renovated and have found new uses such as luxury apartments, high-spec offices and academic buildings. Several PR and design agencies, as well as technology companies, have made the Lace Market their home.

Some streets in the Lace Market are now tourist attractions, such as the

accidentally inscribed it, a blunder still visible today above the entrance which ironically probably got the poor stonemason severely punished. There has been a court on the site since 1375, with the present Georgian building being used since 1780.

Some of the original 19th-century lace machines are still in use today, often interfaced with computers. Tours of the area and some of the old buildings are available.

Tram stop

The area is served by a Nottingham Express Transit's Lace Market tram stop on Fletcher Gate.

References

• "St. Mary's Church, Nottingham". Information about St.Mary's. Retrieved 9 March 2005.
• "The Watson Fothergill Home Page". A site about the prolific local architect. Retrieved 9 March 2005.

External links

52°57′07″N 1°08′35″W / 52.952°N 1.143°W / 52.952; -1.143