With the introduction of a tram, the closure of Broadmarsh and the updating of the venues, there used to be a lot to do in Nottingham that you can’t do anymore.
As the streets and layout of downtown changed over the decades, iconic shops and buildings had to give way to new developments.
Other big changes could come in the next few years, such as with the Debenhams store in Old Market Square and a certain former shopping center between the train station and Market Square, which is currently partially demolished.
In response to Nottinghamshire Live, readers told us what they miss most, what they used to be able to do.
Read more: Nottingham artist Bru-C makes a point after a live performance in the market square led to the arrest
Bulwell Lido
A group of teenagers are having a great time at Bulwell Lido in July 1990
This popular spot was the last bathing beach in Nottingham to be closed in September 2003 – despite local protests.
Low use and high costs for necessary repairs were the reasons for the closure of the lido, which opened in 1937.
Despite protests, the lido – a public outdoor pool – was closed and is slowly becoming a thing of the past.
Dance palace
Palais, 1998
The Palais de Danse opened in Nottingham in the 1920s to take to the dance floor.
The fondly remembered venue was a popular place to enjoy the Saturday evenings.
Sometime in the late 1990s there was a “second coming” to the Palais when it returned to Nottingham after the venue was previously a Ritzy club for a while.
It wasn’t long before the palace was gone and turned into an Oceana and now PRZYM nightclub.
The music, lighting and crowd may have changed, but the spirit of Nottingham nightlife has certainly not faded.
The Wimpy Restaurant at Broadmarsh Center in 2006
Wimpy, Broadmarsh Center
It used to be the home of the shanty (fish) salad, the delta brunch (pork burger) and the legendary Knickerbocker fame.
There used to be a wimpy on every high street – now there isn’t one in Nottingham.
The city’s last remaining wimpy – located in Broadmarsh Center since 1975 – closed earlier this year to the horror of residents across town.
The franchisee said he was asked to move to a different unit on the ground floor as part of the redevelopment, but the mall did not make it available in time for its Jan 5 closing date.
The lack of development at Broadmarsh means a return from Wimpy to Nottingham is very unlikely.
King Street looking north towards Parliament Street, Nottingham, 1972. Taken from City Hall at the junction with Long Row.
(Image: Image Nottingham / Nottingham City Council)
Drive around the market square
In what seemed like a completely different time, in the 1950s, bus conductors stopped in the market square for a cup of tea in the morning.
In the past, drivers could drive around the Old Market Square before it became a traffic-free pedestrian zone.
First cars were banned and later buses disappeared from the UK’s second largest public square to make it more pedestrian-friendly, with less noise and fewer emissions.
Meet friends at the Emett clock
Emett Clock, Victoria Center Victoria
(Image: dbsilverfox)
When the Victoria Center shopping mall opened in 1973, its musical clock fountain was one of its showpieces and attractions.
The fountain was also a point for those who hang out with friends to do some shopping in the center when it was on the first floor outside of Boots.
Today it is upstairs outside of Menkind, away from the hustle and bustle of the shopping center on the ground floor.
The Roland Emett-designed clock fountain was just beyond the main entrance, off Lower Parliament Street.
The center was officially opened on March 16, 1973 by Geoffrey Rippon QC MP, Secretary of State for the Environment.
Kiosk under Maid Marian Way
The underpass on Maid Marian Way in 1967. The Preston and Son newsagent’s kiosk was a well-known landmark
Before Maid Marian Way was converted into an expressway with pelican crossings, the only safe crossing was a 1960s subway.
It looks creepy at times, the kind of place you would worry about your safety on your own. Maybe it’s for the better, it’s out of town.
The best part about the underpass was the Preston & Son kiosk selling cigarettes, newspapers, candy and flasks. Closed and pumped with concrete in 2003, the metro became the intersection and traffic light we know today.
Christmas grotto in large co-op
1980 Santa Claus arrived by stagecoach at the Co-operative House on Upper Parliament Street in Nottingham to settle in the store’s “Winter Wonderland Grotto”.
(Image: Nottingham Post)
A loving highlight of the festive season in recent years was seeing Santa Claus in his grotto in a winter wonderland in Nottingham’s main cooperative.
Santa Claus used to come to the store on Upper Parliament Street in a horse-drawn sleigh and was greeted by a crowd.
To celebrate the year man landed on the moon, visitors entered the 1969 Christmas exhibition via a rocket and stepped on a lunar landscape.
How times have changed since then.
Take a train from Victoria Station
A steam engine under the cavernous roof of Victoria Station.
The Victoria Center, the city’s only shopping center, used to be Nottingham Victoria Railway Station.
It opened in 1900 and operated until 1967.
Older residents of the city may remember taking trains south from the station with nothing left but the bell tower.
Since the mid-1960s, Nottingham Station on Carrington Street has been the only place in town where you can now catch a train.
1985 The new food court opens in the Victoria Center in Nottingham.
(Image: Nottingham Post)
Food Court outside the House of Fraser, Victoria Center
In 1985, the new food court opened in the Victoria Center in Nottingham, outside what is now the House of Fraser.
It has since left the mall but was a great place to stop for a bite to eat while out shopping in town.
Today, other restaurants are located throughout the mall instead.
Shopping in Debenhams
Debenhams, Long Row, Nottingham
(Image: PA)
This iconic building was home to Griffin and Spalding department stores before Debenhams moved in.
From 1973 until the beginning of this year, the store welcomed customers through its doors.
It remains to be seen what will fill the vacant store, but given the setbacks the main streets have seen in recent years, some say it is unlikely to be another department store.