Nottinghamshire is a county with one of the richest histories that any in the country can offer. From wonderfully innovative inventions to famous pubs to some of the more distinguished writers and poets in British history, Nottinghamshire truly has a lot to boast about.
Here are 10 significant things that originated right here in Nottinghamshire. Obviously, we haven't included everything, so feel free to share your best-known gifts Nottinghamshire has given the world in the comments.
Goose Fair (1284; at the Forest Rec since 1928)
In normal times every October, the Forest Rec is taken over with rides and food stands for Goose Fair. With thousands flocking from across the country and further afield, it's easily one of the finest things Nottingham has to offer.
Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Byron’s first poem was written at the age of ten and as an adult, Byron won early fame as the most fashionable poet of Georgian England. He is often thought of as the first ‘celebrity.'
Byron and his mother moved from their home in Aberdeenshire to his inherited ancestral home of Newstead Abbey in north Nottinghamshire, spending much time there along with Colwick Hall (now a hotel) and the market town of Southwell.
Asphalt
Not necessarily the most fascinating on the list, but perhaps the most used. Edgar Hooley, the Notts County surveyor, was passing a tar factory in 1901 when he noticed a barrel of tar had spilled over and to reduce the mess, someone had dumped gravel on it.
A year later, he patented the process – and the first road to be paved was in West Bridgford.
The Video Cassette Recorder (1963)
Nowadays it's pretty easy to record your favourite TV shows, but the technology is less than 50 years old. The first VCR was invented by the Nottingham Electronic Valve Company and was called the Telcan or 'television in a can', cost £60, and could record 20 minutes in black and white.
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem (1189)
Not necessarily the oldest pub in Britain (even in Nottingham, Ye Olde Salutation Inn would dispute that) but certainly one of the most famous.
Richard the Lionheart is said to have stayed at the inn during one of his stops in England, and if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for our list.
Salvation Army (1865)
Yes, the Sally Army was founded in the East End of London, but it was the brainchild of Sneinton man William Booth. As well as whipping out the instruments to play Christmas songs, the Salvation Army is also one of the biggest distributors of humanitarian aid in the world.
Lace (1760s)
Lace made by machine has played an important role in the industrial life of Notts since the 1760s when net was first made on the stocking frame.
By the early 1900s, Nottingham was the lace capital of the world with one third of the entire population earning their living in the trade, two thirds of them women.
The trade may be a shadow of its former self but lace is woven into the fabric of the city.
Traffc lights (1866)
It's pretty hard to imagine a time without traffic lights, but after seeing thousands killed on the roads, in 1866 Nottingham High School pupil John Peake Knight set about trying to solve the problem.
His system had a revolving gas-powered lantern with a red and a green light - with the first one placed near the House of Commons in London.
Football heritage (from 1862)
Far too many things to mention, but Nottingham has the oldest professional football club in the world in Notts County. They were also the first team to wear a uniform kit.
Over the Trent, Nottingham Forest was the first team to wear shin pads and introduce goal nets and crossbars, and a whistle for the referee.
Oh, and Forest chairman Sam Widdowson introduced the idea of defending, by playing a 5-5-0 formation rather than a 1-2-7 which most teams used.
Torvill and Dean (1984, Bolero)
Twenty-four million people watched that moment when Torvill and Dean cemented their position in history with a flawless routine to Ravel's Bolero. Their perfect 6.0s puts them at number eight in our list.
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