Bernard Beilby is a lifelong tram enthusiast. Here he tells us in words and pictures about the days trams ruled the roads.

The first tram routes opened in Nottingham on 17th September 1878. The District Tramways Company Ltd were given permission to run tramways running by animal power only.

Initially, there were two routes connecting the town centre with the two main railway stations, the Midland Station in Station Street and the Great Northern Station in London Road but numerous other routes sprang up soon afterwards.

They tried to introduce steam trams in Nottingham on select routes such as up Derby Road in the early 1880s but they were not a success - they didn't ever exceed six miles an hour.

The first electric trams began running in Nottingham in 1901. By the end of 1902 105 electric trams were in service...

Horse drawn trams

Laying horse drawn tram lines (Beast Market Hill c 1879) Horse trams were pulled by two horses, except when going up steep hills such as Derby Road, when a third horse, known as a Cock Horse, was attached. You can just about see Market Street at the end of this picture.

Cock horse stand, OMS (Old Market Square c.1904) Here you can see the pot market in the foreground of the picture, the general market on the square and the old exchange in the background. On the corner of the pot market was the cock horse stand where the cock horse would wait to take the next tram up Derby Road.

Horse drawn tram (Station Street c.1928) A horse tram. You can see the bridge leading from the Great Central train station over the viaduct to Victoria Station.

Electric trams

Open top tram (Forest Road c.1901) Here you can see the horse tram which ran along Forest Road and the open top deck tram just after they had started running. They had a steam tram on Forest Road but that only lasted a short time. On the edge of the picture you can see the north exit of St. Andrew's Church.

Tram cornering (Milton Street c.1902) Tram turning from Milton Street into Parliament Street before 1912.

Decorated electric tram (c. 1911) This Nottingham tram is decorated to celebrate the coronation of King George V in 1911.

Electric tram (Lister Gate and the Walter Fountain before 1923) Here we see a horse drawn tram in front of the Walter Fountain. The fountain was erected in memory of a man of the same name who was an MP in Nottingham for two years. The fountain was knocked down in 1958. This picture also shows the entrance to the Broad Marsh and beyond it Narrow Marsh - some of the worst slum areas in England in the late 18th Century. The Broadmarsh Centre did not appear here until the 1960s. To the left is the bottom of Listergate and to the right would be Carrington Street.

Electric trams and buses (Old Market Square c.1927) In this picture you can see that they are building the dome of the new council house. The picture shows both trams and buses running around square. The market on the square was removed a year after this picture was taken.

Two electric trams (Globe Cinema, Trent Bridge c.1933) The Globe cinema was demolished in 1969 to make way for gardens. Trent Bridge is just behind where the photographer took this picture.

Tram terminal (Trent Bridge c.1934) Trams used to run from Old Market Square. In the background is Turney's skin factory. It used to smell very bad.

Tram no. 67 (Theatre Square c.1934) In this picture you can see tram 67 is on it's way to Radford.

Tram depot (Sherwood c.1901) The Sherwood tram depot building is still there. After the trams it was used as a bus depot.