Nottingham

Nottingham stands above the River Trent, with its castle occupying a sandstone height overlooking the town. Its market and crafts made it an important centre in the Midlands, while the nearby woods of Sherwood became inseparable from the legends of Robin Hood. The castle guarded the town and its approaches through centuries of conflict.

In August 1642 Charles I raised his royal standard near Nottingham Castle, an act that marked the beginning of the long English Civil War. The king soon left, and the town became a Parliamentary stronghold for most of the ensuing conflict between king and Parliament. Royalist attempts to regain the castle failed, leaving Nottingham an important base opposed to the king's garrison at nearby Newark on the Trent.