The village of Bingham was reissued its town status in 1975 (coincidentally, the year we moved into Nottinghamshire!), having being granted its original charter in 1314 by Edward II. Central to the town is the marketplace, and in the middle of this is the town’s Buttercross, built in 1861 in commemoration of a John Hassal, a popular local land agent. This eight-sided arched construction is said to have gotten its name from the market traders from the local creameries who clustered under it to sell their dairy products. Now it’s a focal point and "emblem" to the town.
I get very blasé about Bingham, but it is littered with old buildings, some dating back to the mid-17th century. The majority are private dwellings or business premises, so they cannot be internally inspected, but both The Wheatsheaf (1792) and The Horse and Plough (1818) are public houses that will welcome you. The ironic facts about The Plough is that it was originally a Methodist chapel (the plaque is still visible) that became a Salvation Army Hall before becoming a betting office and, finally, a pub. Opposite The Wheatsheaf is the current post office and a much earlier building than the other two. This used to be a hotel called The Vaults, and if you carefully examine the small windows next to the post box, you will see confirmation of that etched in the glass.
Continue past the post office and you’ll pass the mock Tudor cottages that are the oldest habitable houses in Bingham. Walk slowly enough and you’ll catch a glimpse of the compact downstairs rooms, with their low ceilings and inadequate natural lighting. Keep walking and the impressive regency house (at one point, the local "tea rooms") with its rounded corner will be on your left. Now you’re heading back towards the square. As you head for the church (see separate journal entry), you’ll pass the 19th-century worker’s cottages. The 1850s courthouse now houses the town council, but a single cell remains intact. One can only speculate what use it is put to!
Fairfield Street and Kirkhill have an interesting array of buildings, ranging from the old Wesleyan School (1850) nearest to the level crossing to the late 19th-century white-fronted houses with their "cart entrances" and the late 18th-century house adjoining the White Lion. It is believed that the house (now a shop) was originally the Stingo Tap – one of Bingham’s many old drinking houses.
Leaving Fairfield Street, head up Tythby Lane before taking a left turn down the Banks. On this road there are old Methodist manses and prestigious properties that at one point Make a left down Fisher Lane and keep an eye out for Priory Mews and Lushai Cottage. Both are fascinating dwellings in their own right.
It is a great town to view in spring or summer.