The Lace Market
About
The Lace Market is Nottingham's most attractive quarter — a compact area of grand Victorian warehouses and merchant buildings that was once the global centre of the machine lace industry. The buildings are magnificent — ornate facades, large windows designed to flood light onto lace-working floors, and the kind of confident Victorian commercial architecture that only real wealth could produce. Today the area has been beautifully converted into a creative and hospitality quarter — bars, restaurants, design studios, and boutique hotels fill the old warehouses. St Mary's Church, a gorgeous medieval church at the heart of the area, is worth a visit. The National Justice Museum (in the old Shire Hall and county gaol) is excellent — interactive exhibits on crime and punishment, plus you can explore the Victorian cells and courtroom. The nightlife in the Lace Market is some of the best in Nottingham — Hockley on the northern edge has a concentration of independent bars and live music venues. The area is compact and walkable, with the character of the old buildings giving it an atmosphere that the rest of the city centre can't match. The Pitcher & Piano in a converted church is worth a drink for the building alone.
Tickets & Pricing
National Justice Museum: Adult £11.95, Child £9.95.
Opening Times
Area always accessible. Bars and restaurants vary.
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