Nottingham and the Cratch

As forecast, the day was mostly dry with just a brief show around 5pm. The morning was spent restocking the galley from the nearby supermarket and applying the first topcoat to the cratch window frames. That’s two undercoats and one topcoat.  If the weather remains fine tomorrow the final top coat will be applied.  I’ve just noticed the cratch floor needs some attention so that’s another job to be added to the list.

In the afternoon we went for a local walk discovering the oldest pub in England (or so they claim).  ye olde trip to jerusalem is located at the base of Nottingham castle.

The pub claims to have been on the site since 1169AD but no part of the current structure is older than 1650AD.  However it is attached to several caves under the castle which were used for brewing and the first castle on the site dates back to 1068AD. 

You can see part of the castle in the above photo.  The first thing I noticed was it’s certainly not medieval.  Wikipedia states the piece of high ground is known as Castle Rock and there was a castle here during the middle ages.  However during the middle of the 17th century it was demolished and the Duke of Newcastle subsequently constructed a mansion on the site.    In 1831 the mansion was burned down by rioters.

Robin Hood’s statue can be found outside the walls in the NE corner of the castle

 

I have to say, he doesn’t look very English to me!  And he appears to have lost his sword?  My boyhood fantasies have been crushed after reading almost all of Robin’s adventure are almost certainly untrue.  I couldn’t find a statue of the Sherriff of Nottingham?  I guess he just went around robbing people.

This reminds me. Apparently it was very cold in London yesterday.  So cold that some politicians were seen with their hands in their own pockets!

The Canalhouse was looking very busy in the warmth of a sunny Saturday afternoon.

But that’s not what caught my eye.  It was the former canal warehouse with Fellows Morton and Clayton name below the gable.  A second, and very faded sign lower down, reads “canal museum”.

The building is now a pub retaining the same name.