The medieval tannery
Tanning pits still cut into the rock where they were worked centuries ago, in what is held to be Britain's only known underground tannery.
Beneath the shoppers of central Nottingham lie more than a thousand caves, and not one of them was made by nature. The city sits on soft sandstone that yields to a pick, so for more than a thousand years people simply dug: cellars, storerooms, tanneries, bomb shelters. Then they built on top and forgot. City of Caves is the largest slice of that network open to the public, and its entrance today is at the foot of the Garner's Hill steps next to Nottingham Contemporary, not inside the closed Broadmarsh shopping centre that Google Maps may still try to send you through. The visit is self-guided with an audio guide of roughly 45 minutes, and it threads three separate stories underground: a medieval tannery, said to be the only known underground tannery in Britain, with the tanning pits still cut into the rock where they were used; cellars that served as stores and, in the nineteenth century, as slum dwellings for the poor; and finally the air-raid shelters where Nottingham sat out the bombing of the Second World War. The guide reminds you that the steep, narrow lane of Drury Hill ran directly overhead until it was demolished around 1970 for the shopping centre, which gives the place the feel of a buried town rather than a museum. Be honest with yourself before buying. The entrance is a spiral staircase, the passages are narrow, the ceilings low and the floor uneven; pushchairs and wheelchairs are not admitted, and anyone uneasy in enclosed spaces should give it a miss. School-age children usually love it, the shelter section especially, but a toddler on your shoulders will meet those ceilings. There are no toilets on site; the nearest are at the National Justice Museum five minutes' walk away, and payment is cashless. Bring your own headphones for the audio guide. The ticket is an annual pass, which means little to a passing visitor, but the joint ticket with the National Justice Museum in the Lace Market turns the pair into a solid half day in Nottingham. Entry is by timed slot in small groups, so book ahead for school holidays and weekends or the next slots may be gone. In summer the caves are a cool refuge from the afternoon heat; in winter their being sealed underground makes this one of the few outings the rain cannot spoil.
Tanning pits still cut into the rock where they were worked centuries ago, in what is held to be Britain's only known underground tannery.
The chambers where Nottingham sheltered from wartime bombing, and the part children remember most.
Steep, narrow Drury Hill ran directly above these caves until its demolition around 1970 for the shopping centre.
Garner's Hill, beside Nottingham Contemporary, NG1 1HF
With pre-school children, no: the entrance is a spiral staircase, the ceilings are low, pushchairs are not admitted and there are no toilets on site. School-age children usually enjoy it, and then the £23 joint ticket makes the two a sensible half day. If you only have time for one, the Justice Museum is the easier family visit.