Nottingham Legends

[tomlinson 879]

Whenever I tell anyone I originate from Nottingham, I always get the same remarks.

1. There are more women than men in Nottingham. (This seems to be a country wide idea).

2. Whenever a virgin passes the Council House, the stone lions roar.

3. Once a year, the virgins of Bulwell hold a meeting in a telephone kiosk.

Does anyone else suffer these misapprehensions? Is anyone aware of more?

[mick2me 3,033]

We are supposed to have the best looking girls

[denshaw 2,872]

When you mention Nottingham "do you know Robin Hood?"

[.... 23]

When in Canada and being asked where I'm from and replying 'Nottingham', I've had the retort a time or two 'Nah, Nottingham? that's just a legend isn't it?'

In answer to the question in the opening post, I'm afraid the questions thee days are more in the 'There's lot's of gun crime in Nottingham isn't there?' mould.

[rob237 89]

3. Once a year, the virgins of Bulwell hold a meeting in a telephone kiosk.

Misapprehension! - no way...

Sure we've had a couple of pics of the event, in earlier threads...

Apparently, in recent times the reducing number of kiosks - combined with the rapid growth in obesity (thus reducing the kiosk capacity) has created difficulties for the BV General Secretary.

Cheers

Robt P.

[Limey 242]

I still pronounce the name of my home town the way it is pronounced by the folk who still live there "Nottingum". I am frequently asked where in England I am from, and always reply with the correct pronunciation - and frequently get blank looks in return - to which I say "you know, where Robin Hood is from" - to which I invariably get the, somewhat vulgar to my ears, reply of "Oh, Notting HAM".

It drives me nuts - maybe 32 years here is not enough to get used to it!

[mick2me 3,033]

I remember being in a T shirt shop on the coast of South East Florida, some years ago, with a certain Nottstalgia member.

The conversation went something like this when the shop assistant asked where we were from..

(NM) "Were from Nottingham where are you from?"

(SA) "Isreal... Nottingham???"

(NM) "You know Nottingham... Robin Hood?"

(SA) Blank expression

(NM) "Yeh, You know... Torville and Dean?"

(SA) Still blank

(NM) "Oh I know... LESLIE CROWTHER"

[.... 23]

If football is remotely on the agenda then of course everyone wants to talk to you about Brian Clough! Not least with the recent Damned United film and book being released, I find there is still a fascination in general football circles for the legend that was Cloughie.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

To be fair Eric, Americans emphasize the "ham" as it's the way our forebears would have pronounced it. "Ham" meant hamlet in old England.

I've found many American spellings and pronunciations are the old way our GGGG parents would have spelled a word and probably pronounced that word. (if they could write.)

Just one example, no two, "buzzards" and "hogs" both old English words Americans have hung on to.

A book I read last year by an American Journalist living and working in England now, educated me more on our common language. It's certainly an eyeopener!

[mick2me 3,033]

What book is that John?

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

I knew someone would ask, now I've got to dig it out!! LOL

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

The Mother Tongue, "English & How It Got That Way" by Bill Bryson

Well worth buying/borrowing or stealing!!

[.... 23]

A book I read last year by an American Journalist living and working in England now, educated me more on our common language. It's certainly an eyeopener!

Bill lived in Yorkshire for most of his writing career before moving back to the States for a few short years. He came back to England a good few years ago. If anybody hasn't read his travel writing I urge them to do so. Finely observed and absolutely hilarious!

[Limey 242]

Yep, his "Notes from a Small Island" and "Notes from a Big Country" are both hilarious - as is "A Walk in the Woods"! Highly recommend all his books!

"A Short History of Nearly Everything" is also a fun, and surprisingly easy, read too!

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

I'll have to get those books, I really enjoyed The Mother Tongue.

[Beefsteak 305]

I remember being in a T shirt shop on the coast of South East Florida, some years ago, with a certain Nottstalgia member.

The conversation went something like this when the shop assistant asked where we were from..

(NM) "Were from Nottingham where are you from?"

(SA) "Isreal... Nottingham???"

(NM) "You know Nottingham... Robin Hood?"

(SA) Blank expression

(NM) "Yeh, You know... Torville and Dean?"

(SA) Still blank

(NM) "Oh I know... LESLIE CROWTHER"

I'm sure I , sorry Nottstalgia Member, also mentioned Sue Pollard!!

[rob237 89]

Have to agree with everyone else that Bill Bryson is one of the best humorous writers.

IIRC, 'Small Island' and 'Big Country' were his first two books and both fell into the 'can't put it down' category!

Wasn't 'Small Island' the subject of a TV travelogue series, starring Bill as the presenter, when he was resident at Bell Busk in the Yorkshire Dales?

Cheers

Robt P.

[Beefsteak 305]

I read a couple of Bill Brysons books a couple of years back , the one about the railway journey around GB and that History of nearly everything , a very good read and well recommended

[.... 23]

Have to agree with everyone else that Bill Bryson is one of the best humorous writers.

IIRC, 'Small Island' and 'Big Country' were his first two books and both fell into the 'can't put it down' category!

Wasn't 'Small Island' the subject of a TV travelogue series, starring Bill as the presenter, when he was resident at Bell Busk in the Yorkshire Dales?

Cheers

Robt P.

Yes indeed Rob. I think Bill Bryson's travel writing in particular is 'laugh out loud' stuff - there are very few authors one can attribute that to. The TV travelogue series was nice, a Sunday evening showing if I recall correctly?

Perhaps one of the most interesting facets of his travels is that he tends to visit and explore lesser-known places that interest him personally. Welbeck Abbey was a good example of that.

Apart from his travel and other stuff documented on this thread, I can very much recommend the tales of his childhood in The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid His nostalgic look into his youth in Des Moines, Iowa will have you crying with laughter!

[rob237 89]

Yes indeed, Stu...I've read Thunderbolt Kid.

Recall beginning the book during a long-haul flight and disturbing several would-be sleepers with my amusement.

Especially remember his hilarious encounter with some weird family at an open air swimming session.

My other long time joint favourite writing humourists are Rod Liddle and, for sport, Giles Smith - both Times columnists. Smith has two collections of his writings out in 1p Amazon paperbacks, 'Midnight in the Garden of Evil Knievel' and 'We need to talk about Kevin Keegan'...both being non-stop hilarity, particularly the first!

A problem with reading a funny book is the trap of then lending it to someone with a similar humour to yourself, and never seeing it again...

Cheers

Robt P.

[mick2me 3,033]

I'm sure I , sorry Nottstalgia Member, also mentioned Sue Pollard!!

They probably did, It was a long time ago.

[.... 23]

Yes indeed, Stu...I've read Thunderbolt Kid.

Recall beginning the book during a long-haul flight and disturbing several would-be sleepers with my amusement.

Especially remember his hilarious encounter with some weird family at an open air swimming session.

My other long time joint favourite writing humourists are Rod Liddle and, for sport, Giles Smith - both Times columnists. Smith has two collections of his writings out in 1p Amazon paperbacks, 'Midnight in the Garden of Evil Knievel' and 'We need to talk about Kevin Keegan'...both being non-stop hilarity, particularly the first!

A problem with reading a funny book is the trap of then lending it to someone with a similar humour to yourself, and never seeing it again...

Cheers

Robt P.

In my experience there are very few writers that can make one physically laugh out loud but I find that Bill Bryson does this for me with ease. This can be disconcerting for others in the locality! An aspect of Bill's writing which I find both unique and extremely appealing are his regular and surreal flights of fantasy spliced seamlessly amidst his more down-to-earth tales.

Whilst on this subject I might recommend McCarthy's Bar: A Journey of Discovery in Ireland by the late Pete McCarthy to anyone that hasn't had the good fortune to read it. The light premise is for McCarthy to travel around the Emerald Isle of his mother's birth in order to discover 'how Irish' he is. This is singularly the funniest book I have ever read. McCarthy followed up with his second and final book The Road to McCarthy before his untimely death. The latter was very amusing in its own right but I personally never felt it lived up to the high standards of the first book which was a comedic masterpiece.

Thank you for the recommendations, Rob. I shall clearly have to look up the musings of Rod Liddle and Giles Smith. I'll look forward to that.

[Froggy 3]

Everywhere that I've been outside the UK I've been asked where I'm from. I got so sick of describing where Nottingham, or the current residence, was that I eventually just said 'London'. I'm asked more times than ever in Thailand and it now hacks me off. They only want to know which country and I get 'Ah, Man U' or 'Ah, Libberpool' in reply. It's none of their business anyway so now I tell them the name of my village here and have a laugh at their puzzled expressions.

Another favourite pastime of the more ignorant or remotely domiciled here is to shout 'Farang' after every white skinned foreigner that they see. Jeez, if I went around Nottingham shouting 'Paki' I'd be locked up. They don't mean to be rude but I don't like it. Now I shout back 'Khun Lao', indicating that their ancestral origin is a poor country looked down upon by Thai people. The more enlightened locals fall over laughing at that.