| A history of Nottinghamshire |
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| Canals and railways |
 | | Nottingham canal |
Canals provided vital links in the county's transport system. The Chesterfield Canal (opened 1777) cut across north Nottinghamshire, linking Derbyshire with the inland port of West Stockwith. The Nottingham Canal (opened 1796) connected the River Trent, at Trent Bridge, with Langley Mill, near Eastwood. |
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| Time marches on |
The earliest railway in Nottingham is thought to have been a wooden line from the Willoughby coal pits at Wollaton to Nottingham that existed in the 1600's. In 1819 a railway, at first using horses to pull the wagons, was opened between Pinxton Wharf and Mansfield. In May 1839 a steam railway line connecting Nottingham to Derby was opened by the Midland Counties Railway.  | | Victoria Clock |
In the 1890's a railway was cut right through Nottingham, which required navvies to dig a series of tunnels right under the city. The Victoria station was opened on 24th May 1900. It was demolished in 1967 and today only the clock tower remains. |
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| Industrial heritage |
| Even in medieval times industry was important in Nottinghamshire. Coal was dug in outcrops near the Derbyshire border; cloth manufacture and dyeing were vital to trade and Nottingham was famed throughout Europe for its alabaster monuments (examples of which are still on display at Nottingham Castle). |
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| Lace |
| The invention of the stocking frame in 1589, reputedly by the Rev. William Lee of Calverton, lay at the heart of industrialisation. |
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 | | Nottingham Lace Centre |
By the late 1700's hose production employed thousands of framework knitters in and around Nottingham. Poor conditions in 1811 led to Luddite riots in the city, with many knitting frames being smashed. Yet Victorian times saw a dramatic expansion of the lace industry and around St. Mary's Church in Nottingham the streets were lined by towering lace warehouses which exported the material all over the world. |
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| Wheels, pills and pits |
Nottingham also became the centre for several major companies including the Raleigh Cycle Company and Players cigarettes.  | | Jesse Boot |
The Boots Company was founded by Jesse Boot who was a great benefactor to the city. He donated land for the new University at Highfields, opened in 1928.  | | Clipstone colliery |
The 19th and 20th centuries saw the rapid growth of coal mining in the county. It transformed whole landscapes and communities but in recent years it has declined dramatically creating major problems for the survival of former mining areas. |
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