You know you've made it in Nottingham when someone arranges to "meet you by the Lions". Lying proud and noble outside the city's magnificent Council House, the lions are almost always accompanied by crowds of teenagers waiting for their mates, men with pushchairs doing their occasional weekend duty while the 'missus' tours the nearby department stores, protesters, panhandlers and parents.
The wide, tiered plaza and neo-classical Council House form the natural centre of the city. Completed in 1929, the seat of the city's government was pragmatically designed and built to house shops and offices in addition to the Council Chambers. The grand cupola atop the Council House can be seen for miles in most directions and provides a ready landmark. The building is a source of civic pride, not least because the 60s and 70s weren't kind to the immediate locale. It wasn't always this way; the ousting of the market and annual Goose Fair to the outskirts of the city centre was considered outrageous (the street names in this area hark back to these times; Cheapside, Smithy Row and Beastmarket Hill all line the square) . The broad pavements are now largely given over to pedestrians with the exception of the buses and the new trams snaking around the periphery. The Council puts a great deal of effort into maintaining the square's appearance with floral displays and fountains creating an attractive place to dawdle, in daylight hours at any rate.
The roads lining the square and radiating out from it form the concentrated central shopping district. Traffic is excluded from the majority of these streets throughout the day. Debenhams, the large department store, takes up prime position on the north side of Long Row with popular high street names such as Habitat (household furnishings and 'lifestyle goods'), Waterstones (books), Zara, Next and River Island (clothing) in close attendance too.
More upmarket chains can be found clustered in the Exchange Arcade which forms the ground floor of the Council House; Precious Things
for the ladies as well as the marvel that is Gauntley's with its walk-in humidor and unrivalled selection of single malt whiskies. The
north side of the arcade boasts two important features for the visitor; the Tourist Information Office and the world's worst busker - a
smiley old guy who plonks away on a child's xylophone with a verve and panache that more than make up for the lack of any discernable tune.
The man is an institution (sadly the xylophone man passed away in early July 2004).
So - a wide open plaza popular with locals and visitors alike, fine architecture displaying the city's wealthy industrial past (with the
occasional concrete eyesore)- what could be better? Well, once the weekend evenings arrive, pretty much anywhere. Cavernous modern pubs
selling cut price beer and alcopops spew out angry, irrational inebriated men ready to fight for or with their equally unpleasant and
plastered women. This primeval mating ritual is not a pretty sight. Wetherspoons, The Goose on the Square and Yates Wine Lodge are the unholy
trinity to be avoided.
As you can imagine this situation frustrates a large section of the community and, sadly, it is not uncommon in town and city centres across
the country. If you avoid the witching hours around 'chucking out time' (say between 10pm and 2am) though you can still enjoy a pleasant
early evening drink or meal in the vicinity. The Bell , on the western side of the square at the bottom of Angel Row, is a wonderful
old pub which dates back to medieval times. A good range of cask beers are served in its jumble of rooms and they serve a mean hot sandwich
at lunchtime. For those December days when you're supposed to be Christmas shopping but are groping around for inspiration. At least that's
what the old man and I decided. Every December. And perhaps around birthdays too?
To the north of the square the 'V' formed by King Street and Queen Street is home to a clutch of restaurants ranging from the ubiquitous
Hard Rock Café (yes, we have one too) housed in a 'flat iron' style Victorian building to Pizza Express and Zizzi's on
King Street with their strikingly similar pizza-oriented menus. Our favourite here is French Living (King Street, 0115 958 5885 -
closed Mondays). This cosy basement restaurant is run by an Anglo-French couple who also maintain an attractive delicatessen and café at
street level. Drop in for the lunchtime Plat de Jour or explore the more extensive evening menu - I can heartily recommend the snails
and the cassoulet.
So that's the centre of Nottingham; a source of pride and shame to its residents. Meet you by the Lions.