Brewhouse Yard Museum, nestled in the rock below Nottingham Castle, makes full use of all available space in this row of 17th-century cottages. It depicts life in Nottingham over the last three centuries and is so crammed with exhibits that I’d be surprised if you managed to take it all in one trip. The museum is free to visit during the week, but there’s a small admission charge on weekends.
Over the years, the museum’s curators have collected an astonishing number of everyday items from across the centuries, and these have often been placed in context around this person-friendly museum. There are several "mock-up" shops (including a chemist, grocer, and cobbler) with the original packaging displayed, and I can virtually guarantee that you’ll hear grandparents trying to explain to their grandchildren what was contained within. I saw whole rows of now-defunct goods, and with that came a flood of childhood memories. Brewhouse Yard is good for triggering off those previously forgotten experiences. There are period rooms equipped with objects from the Victorian days: a play room cluttered with old toys, including a hoop and stick, bagatelle, whip, and top; a Victorian kitchen (no microwaves here!); and a formal dining room. These are filled with memories of the days when Nottingham was renowned worldwide for its lace, bicycles, and cigarettes. Adorning the wall are collections of "cigarette cards," and I couldn’t help but recall my childhood days when I played "Faggies" with what are now very collectable card sets.
There are a few models of early Nottingham, when the river had taken a much different course than years past and would have licked the cliff face along Castle Boulevard. I also learned that the yard itself was once a haven for criminals, as an ancient charter had given it the status of a haven. That is not the case now!
A glimpse of Nottingham’s recent history can be explored as you progress through the museum, as carved into the rocks are the house’s cellars. These were World War II air raid shelters, and it is not hard to imagine families cramming into this confined space every time the sirens sounded. There are some really interesting displays in this section of the museum.
As a museum, it also has a large number of "cased exhibitions," with displays of local archaeological finds, coins and medals, some original music scores alongside musical instruments, some early "new technology," and a wealth of social history backed up with local archives.
In a separate adjacent building you can explore a Victorian School Room – this is a favourite with children as they struggle to understand that their grandparents would have written on a chalkboard or dipped a crude nib-pen into ink.
When you’ve finished your tour of the museum, I suggest you pop into The Trip. This pub claims to be the oldest hostelry in town (although others would contest that), and it’s worth having a quick drink in this fairly unique building.