4 examples of historical Fothergill buildings unique to Nottingham

There are lots of different buildings across Nottingham that showcase the signature style of the architect including towers, turrets with blue and black bricks. He designed buildings in the Gothic revival and Old English vernacular style which were hugely popular at the time. Inspired by medieval churches and 16th century Tudor buildings.

The Victorian period in Nottingham was a time of great growth and a lot of change. Demand for new factories, offices and warehouses skyrocketed as industry boomed. It also meant there was a need for more housing, railway expansion and services such as churches, banks and pubs.

Watson Fothergill built hundreds of buildings across the city centre between 1870 to 1906 of which many exist today. It can be fun to have a stroll around the city centre and see how many you can spot. Although some have completed different uses today to what they were designed for back in their day.

Nottingham World took to the streets to find some of the remaining buildings. Here are some of the best exapmles you can find in the city centre today.

The Nottingham Express building was once a thriving newspaper hub that housed the Nottingham Journal and Express. Designed in 1876 and was spread across three floors before a fourth was added as part of an extension in 1899. The elaborate doorway has three heads which represent liberal statesmen Richard Cobden, William Gladstone and John Bright along with tles that depict Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Lord Palmerston and John Russell.

In more recent times, author Graham Greene once worked in the building as a trainee subeditor in 1925 which is commemorated with a plaque inside the building. The newspaper offices closed and it is now flats.

The building was damaged in 2019 after a Tesco lorry backed into one of the pillars causing it to split. However quick and clever repair work means that you cannot see where the impact took place.

The Queen’s Chambers on Market Square were built in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s 60th Jubilee. If you look carefully, you should be able to see a bust of the queen on the chimney. The building accomodated four shops below on Long Row and was biilt for Edward Skipwith, a wine merchant.

The shops below exist today although they now house a White Rose charity shop. The building itself is now flats after a £500,000 refurbishment in 1993 which kept the apartments as close to the orginial design as possible. Imagine waking up in a tower overlooking the market square every morning.

The Rose of England Pub on Mansfield Road is a prime example of the Fothergill style as it has a tower, false balustrades, red brick and a carved Tudor rose on the exterior. It was built in 1898 as a pub which is still in use today.

It was originally called The Rose of England but has had several names over the decades including The Yorker during the 80s and 90s. However, it was renamed in 2003 and has been the Rose ever since. Many Nottinghamians will remember getting a pint in here as it was incredibly popular.

Another example of the architect’s style can be found in his offices on George Street. The building is still used as offices but also as flats. It backs onto Brewits Yard which is a private yard thought to be one of the last remaining examples of back-to-back cottages in the city. There are occasionally houses for sale in the yard even today.

The offices are made of red brick and were built in 1894 with Fothergill’s usual flamboyant style. YOu can see examples of carvings along with ornate sunflower tiles and stunning stained glass windows. There are oriel windows along with towers that feature windows decorated with coloured brick and stones.