In and Around the East Midlands

Pontefino Italian Restaurant and Bar

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Restaurant | "Italy on the Trent"

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It's not every day that a new restaurant opens in a small rural Nottinghamshire village. Nor is it every day that my local shuts for a private function on an evening. However, due to the latter, and the fact that I had a craving for a great big bowl of pasta, for my Sunday evening tea, I somehow ended up at Pontefino's in Gunthorpe, Notts. Gunthorpe is actually home to three Trent waterfront restaurants, the other side of the river from my house, but nevertheless within an easy stroll. The third of these was the Anchor pub, and somewhere I had frequented only once in the last 4 years. This old pub was unable to compete with the modern competition of the massive chain rest...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 6, 2011

Pontefino Italian Restaurant and Bar
Restaurants,
Nottingham, England
0115 9663711

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City of Caves

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Attraction | "Going Underground"

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Having lived close to Nottingham for a few years now, one attraction which seems to stand out is the Nottingham Caves. As you drive into Nottingham you cannot but fail to notice that the town is situated on sandstone, and the prominence of caves are apparent in the Castle area and Brewers Yard. The part I never fully understood was the shop front within the 1970s shopping arcade known as the Broadmarsh advertising the city caves and yet seemed to sell nothing but miniscule rock trinkets, but which in fact is the modern façade built on top of several hundred years of Nottingham history. The Broadmarsh shopping centre in itself is one of those modern buildings that were dreamt about in the l...Read More

Having lived close to Nottingham for a few years now, one attraction which seems to stand out is the Nottingham Caves. As you drive into Nottingham you cannot but fail to notice that the town is situated on sandstone, and the prominence of caves are apparent in the Castle area and Brewers Yard. The part I never fully understood was the shop front within the 1970s shopping arcade known as the Broadmarsh advertising the city caves and yet seemed to sell nothing but miniscule rock trinkets, but which in fact is the modern façade built on top of several hundred years of Nottingham history.

The Broadmarsh shopping centre in itself is one of those modern buildings that were dreamt about in the late 1960s to help revolutionise town centres. Now granted I wasn't about for the early 1960s but looking at the Broadmarsh centre today it is hard to believe that the 1968 vision was to cement in the medieval caves to build this modern shopping centre above. Thankfully, historical societies intervened and as such residents and visitors to Nottingham can still go underground and experience Nottingham from centuries ago - in this part of town at any rate.

The attraction of the City of Caves has been affiliated with the Galleries of Justice, and until recently it was possible to buy joint tickets. Recently that is no longer the case and a ticket to the City of caves attraction will set you back around £5.50 for an adult ticket with concessions costing £4.25 and family tickets also available.

We arrived just a couple of minutes before the tour was due to depart, on a Sunday afternoon. Closing time is 430pm with the final tour departing 30 minutes before that. Personally I do not recommend that as I really don't think it gives ample time, although the 330pm tour gives an hour, which is reasonable. You are given a brief introduction to the geology of Nottingham and encouraged to wear a hard hat before descending the short flight of stairs to the caves below. There were about ten adults on our tour, although the numbers earlier in the day were in the mid twenties and there were no kids on our particular trip.

There are five key areas of the underground tour and the first is the "Enchanted Well". The water was believed to be a gift, and was worshipped by both pagans and later religions, who often laid flowers around wells. During this early few minutes of the tour, you are largely unguided although there is opportunity to read some of the information boards giving insight into Nottingham's history. Before long you stumble upon the "Medieval Tannery" where the next guide will be waiting for you.

The tannery was in operation for about 150 years in the period 1500 onwards and in common with industry of the time employed child labour. It was also scorned upon by the residents of the city, due to the dreadful smells the tannery gave off (apparently essential in the process). I have to say that the tour is geared towards youngsters with the role play being the major part of the tour, as opposed to more general information about living conditions in the period. Nevertheless it was informative even if the information was a little basic. You do get to see Pillar Cave, dating from the thirteenth century, a kind of medieval latrine where pits were used to treat skins to turn them into leather.

For me the fast forward into the 20th century was rather too much, when we turned the corner to find ourselves into an air raid shelter, the major use of the caves during the second world war. We did spend a considerable part of our time in this air raid shelter with our next guide who did play a good part in re-enacting his role in the war, but somehow I felt cheated out of a few hundred years of history.

From the air raid shelter you move into the "Slums of Drury Hill". This is the original basement walls of the homes on Drury Hill in the Narrow Marsh area - an area which had been affluent in medieval times, but was the scene of deprivation in the nineteenth century, with many families renting out basement areas making the area nothing but a slum.

What is really bizarre, despite the fact that the entrance to the caves started here, but you finally end up in the underground area below the Broadmarsh shopping precinct. Here you can see where old meets new, literally the old slums (numbered) of the streets below contrast with the modern construction of this 1960s shopping centre and merge with the remains and foundations of old city centre public houses, the artefacts of which are displayed in glass cases underground.

I am glad I have seen the attraction, having lived in the region for over two years, but I do feel slightly cheated. I feel the attraction is overpriced as it does seem a little over commercialised and leaps too quickly from one historical period to another. By the same token, I am relieved for the tenacity of the local volunteer groups of 1960s Nottingham who did ensure that these caves were not concreted and therefore lost for ever.

Entrance fees are £6 per person at the time of writing and concessions available for £4.25. I feel if these were £1-2 cheaper then it might represent better value for money for most people. However if you hunt aruond you can find discount codes on line. Obviously, with this type of attraction, there are a reasonable amount of steps and while you do not have to be particularly fit, this is not suitable for those in wheelchairs or those with push chairs. I am not a lover of tourist attractions which involve a degree of role play, although I can appreciate this might appeal to a wider audience.

The caves are open every day and you can see www.cityofcaves.com for further information. .. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 4, 2011

City of Caves
86 Broadmarsh Shopping Centre, Drury Walk Upper Level
Nottingham NG1 7LS
0115 988 1955

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Thailand No. 1

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Restaurant | "No 1 in Lincoln"

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Ever since I first stepped foot on the Bailgate area of Lincoln, the Thailand No 1 restaurant has appealed to me. This award winning restaurant, close to the Cathedral and Castle, is contemporary in décor and since I moved into the city a few weeks ago, I was dying to seize the moment to eat here. That opportunity came when I had a friend over to stay and we had decided to go out to eat. My friend was pretty flexible with dining options, and there are plenty of different choices on the Bailgate, but I do find Thai food difficult to turn down. We entered the restaurant at around 700pm on a Saturday night, and my first impressions were the sheer size of the place, and its popularity. From th...Read More

Ever since I first stepped foot on the Bailgate area of Lincoln, the Thailand No 1 restaurant has appealed to me. This award winning restaurant, close to the Cathedral and Castle, is contemporary in décor and since I moved into the city a few weeks ago, I was dying to seize the moment to eat here. That opportunity came when I had a friend over to stay and we had decided to go out to eat. My friend was pretty flexible with dining options, and there are plenty of different choices on the Bailgate, but I do find Thai food difficult to turn down.

We entered the restaurant at around 700pm on a Saturday night, and my first impressions were the sheer size of the place, and its popularity. From the street, I had only seen the first third of the restaurant, but there is a second room behind, and a conservatory area beyond that, all of which were fairly choc-a-block with diners. I always believe this is testament to a great evening's dining. Although we had not booked we were shown to a table in the back dining room area, as long as we could vacate it by 845pm. We felt this was achievable and therefore we took our places.

My dining companion was not the greatest Thai fanatic, although always up to try something new, and we eventually opted for a 'banquet for two', to make the most of the tastes and flavours available. We opted for a £21 pp menu, which included a starter of soup, a platter of classical Thai starters with various dips, three mains, and noodles and rice. I do enjoy a massaman curry, i.e. the one with peanuts and potatoes and we swapped out a main dish on the banquet with this choice. Our other two main course dishes included King Prawns with Sweet and Sour Sauce, and Gai Pad Ka-Praw or Chicken stir fried with Thai fresh basil leaves. We also opted for a bottle of Chilean white wine, at a reasonable price of around £13 a bottle, and some sparking water.

We thought we had done well to have been allocated a table which could seat four at such a prime dining time, and our success was to be short-lived, as the senior waitress came in and asked us to move to the two-seater table behind us, which we did without fuss, albeit a minor amount of disappointment.

The soup itself - Tom Kha Gai is a hot & sour soup cooked with coconut milk, chicken and mushrooms, and was extremely tasty, although we were warned beforehand that small chillies were still in the soup itself. I adore Thai food, with its prominent flavours of lemongrass and ginger, although my friend was rather less certain about the ginger, but she soon managed to finish her soup course also.

The starter course was an artistic delight and included prawn toasts chicken satay, fish cakes dumplings, and plenty of sauces, all of which were very delicious. My friend and I had a lot of catching up to do, and were full of chatter, (and lots of tears!) however we felt the service was unobtrusive.

We were quite surprised at the mains, primarily as we were only expecting two, and the additional Gai Pad Ka Praw was very welcoming. The service was by no means rushed, even given the fact we had committed to returning the table by 0845pm. We did not in fact leave the restaurant until around 930pm, having consumed as much as we could of our Thai feast. I didn't settle the account, but overall the meal would have been around £60, which remains excellent value for a restaurant of this quality and given the number of different dishes we were able to taste.

There are several different set menus available, including a couple suitable for vegetarians, and all dishes are marked to show how hot they are. For those that prefer to order a la carte, the menu contains a comprehensive list of curries, red or green, as well as massaman, and a comprehensive list of meat and fish dishes.

Since my initial visit, I have visited several times for their two course lunch menu, which is great value, and an opportunity to try different dishes whilst not being as expensive as evening dining.

Overall, if you are visiting Lincoln and looking for somewhere to visit, you will quite possibly find yourself in the Bailgate area of the city. If that is the case, then Thailand No 1 restaurant is an excellent place to stop, and offers great prices too.

Thailand No 1
Authentic Thailand cuisine
80-81 Bailgate
Lincoln .. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 4, 2011

Thailand No. 1
80 Bailgate
Lincoln, England
01522 537 000

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Galleries of Justice

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Attraction | "Money for Old Rope"

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The Galleries of Justice, in the heart of Nottingham's Lace Market is considered to be one of the town's premier visitor attractions. It is situated just a few minutes walk from the main shopping areas and is well sign-posted whether walking around town on foot, or driving into the city. There has been a court on this site since the 14th century, and there was also a prison from 1449 to house Nottingham's rogues and vagabonds. The court rooms were actually used until the 1980s and indeed the first museum guide we met had been employed there for a long time. Our ticket prices were £7.95 for adults and £5.95 for children. There is also an additional option of a combined ticket to...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 4, 2011

Galleries of Justice
High Pavement The Lace Market
Nottingham, England NG1 1HN
+44 (0115) 952 0555

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The Workhouse, Southwell

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Attraction | "Please Sir, Can I have Some More?"

Southwell Minster Photo - The Workhouse, Southwell, Nottingham, England

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The Workhouse, in the wonderful village of Southwell in Nottinghamshire, is the best surviving example of these 19th century institutions in the UK. Southwell itself is situated 13 miles East of Nottingham and about 8 miles from the town of Newark. The Workhouse institutions were linked with the Poor Laws which date back over 400 years. The Old Poor Law made every local parish responsible for its own poor, and the cost was passed on to property owners in the parish. While public opinion, just like today, varied enormously, the cost was getting out of hand with a doubling of costs to £8million in the fifteen year period until 1818. Rev John Thomas Becher, in Nottinghamshire, had...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 4, 2011

The Workhouse, Southwell
Upton Road
Southwell, Nottinghamshire NG25 0PT
01636 817260

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