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I watched a tv episode on Richard the 111 and I was reminded that I saw a document in the city library many years ago  He did quite a bit of work to Nottingham castle and one document said that he planted a tree near the base of the castle rock  it then said that it grew just as crooked as he that hath planted it  Meeowed

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Good piece of Nottingham history there meeowed, be interesting to find out more, he was certainly in the area during his life with Leicestershire being just down the road

 

Rog

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Me and Richard a couple of years ago before the council moved the statue closer to his burial site

 

ROGER_&_STUFF_002.jpg

 

Tried to look posh but it dint work

Rog

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If I remember correctly, Richard III was at Nottingham castle when news reached him that his son...his only child...had died.

 

Many years ago when I worked at Rotheras on Friar Lane, the senior partner Peter Howard Mellors, was a member of The Richard III Society. He felt that Richard had suffered a great injustice at the hands of the Tudors and their propaganda and was by no means as evil as Shakespeare suggested.

 

He may well have been correct but it goes without saying that none of these claimants to the crown was a saint!

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Laurence Olivier's film portrayal of Richard III is mesmerising! He had a wonderful time with nose putty, grotesque body shape and pronounced limp! I think it did a great deal of damage to Richard's reputation and fixed the image in people's minds of a ruthless, hunchbacked, murdering despot. Much more interesting than a cultured young man who had a slight deformity of the spine.

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Just off the main road near the canal in Leicester city about half a mile from the center Jill, I think the statue has been moved near the cathedral now, his new and permanant place of rest

 

Rog

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Interesting, Rog. No one seemed to want to give his remains a home. Olivier must have done a pretty good job!  ;) Wonder if any thought was given to reburying his remains at Nottingham Castle. He would have known the place well in its previous incarnation and it might have brought a few tourists to the city!

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Nice thoughts Jill but the powers that be haven't made a very good job of promoting the history of the city that we have anyway,shame really because when I was walking around York last weekend I thought Nottingham has/had just as much history and heritage but it has never been exploited in the same way that York has with their history

 

Rog

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5 minutes ago, Jill Sparrow said:

Very true, Rog. I think they've bulldozed most of Nottingham's history, replacing it with trendy, wonky, crappy structures. I wouldn't dignify it by using the term architecture!

 

See my poem in Demolished Memories, Aprill 11, 2014.

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I think Shakespeare was more likely right with his portrayal of Richard  The fact that he executed most of the people that helped him gain power shows an insecure character and his deformity would have added to his need for revenge But saying that it was nothing new to murder your family rivals in those days  I am pretty certain that he had the princes murdered  After all Buckingham would never have dared sanction this without Richards approval after seeing what happened to anyone who crossed him No one dared breathe without Richards approval I think he was a cold blooded murderer and the way he played a reluctance to accept the crown shows he was an expert in playing to the people  A sort of early Kim Jong Un ha ha  But we will never know for sure he may have been better left under the car park  meeowed

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Rog, you're spot on regarding our diminished history, and York is a great comparison. Been loads of times, and it's a fabulous place to visit and see spectacular architecture and preserved streets. Other places I've admired are Shrewsbury, Chester, Kings Lynn, Norwich, Ludlow, Gloucester, Lincoln, Bath, Dorchester etc, and a multitude of small towns 

Here, Friar Lane and the surrounding area has been ruined. The Black Boy, Drury Hill and the original Broardmarsh / Greyfriar Gate area obliterated, and many more. I'm not advocating the return to slum living, and excruciatingly ancient work places, but so much could have been adapted suitably.

This isn't just the recent mob of incompetents, but this sad and unnecessary eradication of our history has been prevalent for decades.

I mentioned in another topic a year or so ago, about when I sat in Debenhams Cafe, and took in views around the Market Square. Every direction I looked at was depressing and heartbreaking, including the Council House.

And before any deluded beings think that I'm being anti NCC just for the sake of it. Well just take a look for yourselves next time you're in town. The results of various incompetent and unknowledgable councils are there before you !

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All very true what you say Fly,Jill,I came over to Nottingham last year with a mate from Leicester as tourists,I wanted to show him the sights, I took him to the lace market area first,lovely buildings but seemed devoid of character,the place had no people in it and what shops etc there was were mainly home made "trendy/woolen stuff from Peru" not got owt against Peru but I was in Nottingham looking for history,had a walk passed the church and walked on the pavement that was made using old headstones from the graves of the plague victims, no mention of them, Weekday cross is home to solicitors and estate agents, no mention anywhere about the public hangings in that area from times gone by,if you want to know about them you need to go to the Galleries of justice which is fine but if you don't know about it you won't go,no signage or information plaques in the area to wet the appetite for our history, over to Brewhouse yard, I was bigging this up to my friend because he likes his history, place was closed,only open on certain days, If a native of this great city of ours can't extoll the virtues of the place what chance does a visitor have?

 

Rog

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Ah, I remember the good old days when, if you wanted to trace your family history, you pitched up at The Judge's Lodgings, opposite The Shire Hall, filled in your document request on a little yellow slip and waited for an assistant to fetch it up from the bowels of the building! Sometimes, you were allowed to go down there with them.

 

While you waited, you'd sit in the oak panelled reading room, watched by the eyes of long dead worthies in the 17th century portraits hanging round the walls. They opened until 8pm a couple of nights per week. I loved that place. The new archives building can't compete for atmosphere!

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Atmosphere! thats the word Jill,sadly lacking in the city of Nottingham just soul less buildings but with plenty of tales to tell if only the powers that be would open their eyes and see what a wealth of history they have in front of them

 

Rog

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  • 2 weeks later...

A Plumber opposite the police station on Radford road had some prints hanging up of the real Nottingham castle A magnificent castle in its day  After the civil war it was almost derelict and the then Governor had it knocked down fearing that Cromwell might set up parliament in Nottingham with it being central to the country When Cromwell returned to Nottingham he summoned the governor to explain his actions  He told Cromwell he did it so as not to give any aid to Cromwells enemies To which Cromwell replied had I known of this I would not have suffered it The governor retired suitably chastend

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Nottingham has more than it's fair share of history if only the powers that be were interested in it as much as the general public (nottstalgia folk) then the word might be spread throughout the land and the city and its people could benefit from this untapped wealth, Newark have woken up to the fact that "There's money in history" and their history is starting to get exploited for the benefit of the town, So come on Nottingham city council forget your expensive foreign meetings and channel your efforts into promoting this great city,we have a lot to offer

 

Rog

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