Nine landmarks in Notts have made a list of the top 25 most memorable buildings in the East Midlands.
Commercial property agency Innes England drafted a list of the top 25 landmarks across the region to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
Included on the list is a former Unitarian Church which is now known as the popular Pitcher and Piano bar.
According to surveyor Ross Whiting, the Pitcher and Piano is ‘an excellent example of an historic building being converted for modern use’.
Ross said: “I find the grandness and workmanship absolutely fascinating – and that’s before you start thinking about the stories told by its impressive stained glass windows.”
Also on the list is the Newton Building, which is part of Nottingham Trent University’s city campus.
Designed by architect Thomas Cecil Howitt, it is one of the city’s tallest constructions.
In 2009, the university invested £90m into the regeneration of the building.
Assistant Director at Innes England Simon Dare said: “The rebirth of the Newton building and link to the Arkwright building is spectacular and has created, in my opinion, one of the best developments in the city for decades.
“It is great to see a building given new life like this – especially as today’s students have no idea how it was before.”
Nottingham’s iconic music venue, Rock City has been praised because of its ability to move with the changing of different generations and its rich history.
Over the years the venue has hosted a number of celebrated bands such as Oasis, Nirvana and Duran Duran and currently continues to attract internationally famous artists to Nottingham.
The other buildings picked by Innes England for their top 25 include the Nottingham Cathedral in Derby Road, the Horizon building, home to local firms John Player, Raleigh and Boots over the years, and 4-6 and 8-10 Low Pavement, where Innes England chairman Robert Hartley started his career.
When asked about the three unusual buildings on Low Pavement, Robert said: “These were the offices of leading surveying firm, Hallam Brackett where I trained from 1970 and worked for 20 years.
“There was even a secret staircase behind one of the panels, which led to a roof that was apparently installed by one of the owners to allow his mistress to escape and hide when he had unwanted visitors!”
The Adams Building, home to New College Nottingham, was also praised by Innes England as an ‘example of excellent design by local architect Thomas Chambers Hine’, as well as the Low Level Station building, another of Hine’s designs, which has now been converted into a fitness centre.
Finally, Innes England’s director Matthew Hannah said the block of Victorian shops within Nottingham’s southern gateway which is remembered by many as the Redmayne & Todd sports shop and is now home to Caffè Nero brings him fond memories.
Matthew said: “I remember as a child visiting Redmayne & Todd with my dad to get my football and rugby boots and all my cricket gear.
“It is a beautiful old building, but is looking a bit tired and nothing has been done with the rest of the block.”
The nine Nottingham landmarks that made the cut
- Low Level Station
- Pitcher & Piano
- Newton Building
- Rock City
- Nottingham Cathedral
- Horizon Building
- 4-6 and 9-10 Low Pavement
- The Adams Building
- The Victorian Block, Canal Street
Innes England celebrated 25 years in business in 2016 and launched a number of events and fundraising activities to mark the occasion and raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Managing director, Tim Garratt said: “As commercial property consultants, we know a thing or two about buildings, so we thought this was a really fun way to get our team thinking about the region we work in and those buildings that mean something to us.”
