The Arboretum is a

city park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The Arboretum was the first designated public park in Nottingham, selected under the authority of the

Inclosure Act The Inclosure Acts, which use an archaic spelling of the word now usually spelt "enclosure", cover enclosure of open fields and common land in England and Wales, creating legal property rights to land previously held in common. Between 1604 and 1 ...

1845. The

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and

horticultural Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

publisher, Samuel Curtis, oversaw the design of the park. The park officially opened on 11 May 1852. In 1986 it was Grade II* listed with

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

. The

Arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

is a

Green Flag Award The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...

-winning park that contains more than 800 trees belonging to 65 species.

History

Nottingham Arboretum - refreshment rooms

Nottingham Arboretum, the bandstand - geograph

The arboretum was the first designated public park in Nottingham, it was selected for this purpose under the authority of the British government's

in 1845. The

and

publisher, Samuel Curtis (1779–1860), oversaw the design of the park, which opened on 11 May 1852. The park was opened by the Mayor of Nottingham, the lace manufacturer Mr W Felkin, and the Sheriff of the Borough of Nottingham, a Mr Ball, in front of a crowd of 30,000 people. The park was designed as a

botanical Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

collection, and as a tranquil place in which to relax, forming a major attraction in the heart of Victorian

. From 1852 it was open free of charge on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, but was 6d admission () on other days, or £1 () for a yearly permit. Refreshment rooms built in the Tudor style were opened in 1852 to the designs of

Henry Moses Wood Henry Moses Wood (1788–28 September 1867) was an architect based in Nottingham. Career He studied in the practice of Edward Staveley, and continued the business after Staveley's death in 1837. One of his pupils, William Booker established ...

by James Ebrank Hall, builder, with a banqueting hall occupying the entire frontage. The building also comprised a Ladies’ room, Refectory and Kitchen. An entrance hall and staircase led to three chambers upstairs. The whole building was constructed of brick with stone facings and was castellated along the front. The wings of the refreshment rooms were demolished in 1932. The remainder of the building traded as a hotel and restaurant and as a pub as The Arboretum Rooms, The Arboretum pub (also known as The pub in the Park), Arboretum Hotel and Arboretum Manor. In 1965 the building was severely damaged by fire and had to be almost completely rebuilt. In 2006, another fire resulted in its demolition. The Circular Aviary was opened in 1889 with the original cast-iron uprights and roof struts covered with modern steel mesh. The Main Aviary of brick was constructed in 1955/6. The Upper Aviary was built in 1934 to house tropical birds. The first bandstand was moved here from the green in Nottingham Castle in 1881 and placed in front of the Refreshment Rooms. The bandstand was replaced in 1907 with a new one designed by

Frank Beckett Lewis Frank Beckett Lewis ARIBA (27 September 1861 – 1 November 1932) was an English architect based in Nottingham. Career He was born on 27 September 1861 in Nottingham, the son of William Lewis (Cork Merchant) and Elizabeth. He was articled to Art ...

the City Architect.

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

has designated the site

Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

status on the Register of Historic Parks & Gardens and the park's Bell Tower,

bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an orname ...

and Circular

Aviary An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. Avi ...

have all received Grade II listing protection. Arboretum was the name of a ward in the City of Nottingham until 2019, when it was merged with the Hyson Green ward to form the Hyson Green and Arboretum ward. At the time of the 2011 census, the former Arboretum ward had a population of 13,321.

Facilities and events

There is an

built in 1889 that is

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

, and a

built in 1907 by

that is also Grade II listed. There have been many functions held at The Arboretum including the annual

Nottingham Pride Nottinghamshire Pride is a registered charity in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It organises an annual LGBT pride festival with the same name, held within the city of Nottingham. The event usually takes place during July. The charity has ...

festival.

Listed buildings within the Arboretum

*Gateway, Screen Walls, and Railings at South West Entrance to Arboretum, 1851-52 by

. *Lodge at South West Entrance to Arboretum, 1851–52 by

*Lodge, Gate and Screen Walls at East Entrance to Arboretum, 1851–52 designed by

and constructed by East and Hill.

*Memorial to Samuel Morley (MP) 1920 by

Joseph Else Joseph Else FRBS (8 February 1874 – 8 May 1955) was a sculptor from Nottingham best known for his work on Nottingham Council House. Career He was the son of William Else, a leather cutter, and Eliza Cowilshaw. He studied at Nottingham School ...

. *Pedestrian Subway, Railings and Walls on East Side of Arboretum, 1851–52 by

. *Statue of

Feargus O'Connor Feargus Edward O'Connor (18 July 1796 – 30 August 1855) was an Irish Chartist leader and advocate of the Land Plan, which sought to provide smallholdings for the labouring classes. A highly charismatic figure, O'Connor was admired for his ...

on South Side of Arboretum, 1859 by JB Robinson of Derby

*War Memorial to the

59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot The 59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1755 in response to the threat of renewed war with France. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment ...

on South Side of Arboretum, 1862-63 by

Marriott Ogle Tarbotton Marriott Ogle Tarbotton MICE, FGS, FRMS, was born in Leeds on 6 December 1834 and died in Nottingham on 6 March 1887. He was Borough Engineer for Nottingham from 1859. Career Tarbotton was Borough Engineer at Wakefield from 1855 until he was ap ...

. The cupola contained a bell which was looted by British troops from a temple in Canton during the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire#Britain's imperial ...

. This was removed to the regimental museum in 1956. Two cannon were captured at Sebastopol in 1854-55 during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

and the other two are replicas.

References

External links

Nottingham Arboretum park information
by

Nottingham City Council Nottingham City Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, England. It consists of 55 councillors, representing a total of 20 wards, elected every four years. The council is led by David Mellen, of ...

Hyson Green and Arboretum ward information
by Nottingham City Council

Tourist attractions in Nottinghamshire Gardens in Nottinghamshire

Parks and open spaces in Nottinghamshire

Grade II* listed parks and gardens in Nottinghamshire {{coord missing, Nottinghamshire