NOTTING.HA M. 
faces. The aflemblies, balls, and concerts, are held in a 
large and fpacious building in the Low Pavement. This 
edifice is Hill called the “ Ladies’ Aflembly Rooms,” 
though the reafon of the diftindtion (the exiitence of 
another named “The Tradefman’s Aflembly,”) has long 
Since ceafed to trench upon the harmony of Society, by 
Separating the middle clafles from what was termed the po¬ 
lite circle. The theatre is a plain ftrudlure, without any 
external decorations, but very judicioufly fitted-up and 
arranged within. The races take place annually in July, 
on a courfe on the north fide of the town. It was for¬ 
merly four, miles, though now only two miles, round; 
and is faid to be one of the bell rac'e-tracks in England, 
fo far at lead as regards the nature of the ground. The 
race-Hand, built by Mr. John Carr, of York, is a very 
elegant modern edifice two ftories high, the lower llory 
projefting fome diftance beyond the upper, and having a 
buuftrade on the top, and a terrace, to which opens 
the upper room of feven windpws in front. Equeffrian 
and other itinerant exhibitions are occafionally brought 
N forward at the riding-fehool, which is fltuated at the 
Cndle-gate. 
In furveying the vicinity of Nottingham, the mod pro¬ 
minent objeC'i which demands attention is the Caftle. 
This edifice is fituated on a bold rock on the weflern fide 
of the town, and was built, in 16S0, upon the Icite of a 
more ancient fortrefs originally eredled by William the 
Conqueror, and afterwards much enlarged and beautified 
by Edward IV. and Richard III. At an early period it 
feems to have been edeemeda very ftrong pod; for,in the 
reign of Ed ward III. we find it taken pofleflion of by Mor¬ 
timer earl of March, and the queen-mother, as a place 
of (ecure refidence againd any efforts of the young mo¬ 
narch to bring the hated paramour to condign puniftv- 
ment. The king was therefore obliged to employ ftrata- 
gem to eftedt his objedt offeizing Mortimer’s perfon. He 
gained the governor, and entered the cadle by a fecret 
pafiage whichded to the date-apartments, and lucceeded, 
afterfome druggie, in apprehending the earl. Much dif- 
pute has prevailed among antiquaries refpedling the paf- 
fage here alluded to. Camden deferibes it as the fubter- 
raneous cavern now called Mortimer's-hole ; but Deering 
and Thoroton evidently lliow that the great antiquary is 
erroneous in fo doing, though neither of thele authors 
was enabled to determine its proper fituation. Mr. 
Stretton, however, a gentleman of Nottingham, has 
lately cleared-up the point, by the a filial difcovery of 
the pafiage, which, with much labour and expenle, he 
has been enabled to trace through all its windings to its 
termination at the feite of the ancient keep, where the 
royal apartments are recorded to have been fituated. 
The old cadle is thus deferibed by Leland : “ The bafe 
court is large and meetly ftrong; and a ftately bridge is 
there, with pillars beiring bealtes and giantes, over the 
ditchc into the fecund warde: the front of the which in 
the entering was exceeding ffrong with toures and porte- 
callices. Much part of well fide of this inner warde, as 
the hall and other things, be yn ruines. The eafte fide 
is ftrong and well tourrid ; and fo is the fouthfide. But 
the molt bewtifulle part and gallant building for lodging 
is on the north lide, where Edward the Fourth began a 
right fumptuous peice of Hone-work, of the which he 
clearly finiftied one excellent goodly toure of three heights 
yn building, and brought the other part likewife from 
the foundation with Hone, and marvelus fair cumpacid 
windoes, to laying the firff fite of chambers, and then 
left. Here king Richard Third his brother, forced up 
upon that work another peice of one loft of tymber, ma¬ 
king rounde wyndoes, fo that furely this north is an ex¬ 
ceeding fair peice of work. The dungeon or keep of the 
cailelle ftondith by fouth and eft, and is exceeding ftrong. 
There be divers buildings betwixt this dungeon and the 
y nner court of the caftelle; and there goith alfo down a 
flair ynto the ground, where Davy king of Scots (as the 
Caftellanes fay) was kept prifoner. I marked in all, 
ithree chapels yn the caftelle, and three welles.” 
An anonymous MS. author, a native of Nottingham, 
who lived on the fpot in the reigns of James and Charles 
the Firff, fays, “ Within is a fair green court, fit for 
any princely exercife. The fouth-eall parts of the caftle 
are ftrong and well-towered ; within the old tower there 
is another court, though fomewhat lefs than the laft- 
mentioned, in the midft whereof there is a llaircafe of 
Clone, about fix or feven feet above-ground, in which, 
there is a door to enter, and lleps to lead (of late much 
worn) through the main rock to the foot thereof and the 
bank of the river Leen ; by this pafiage (the keepers lay) 
Edward the Third’s band came up through the rock, and 
took earl Mortimer prifoner.” 
The ruins fpoken of w'ere in conlequence of this place, 
among many others, being fuffered to go to decay in the 
reign of Henry VII. who demolilhed fome, and rendered 
others ufelefs : Camden, however, who lived in Eliza¬ 
beth’s time, fays the place u’as fo ftrong, et naturd loei et 
opera, as to be thought invincible, if well garrifoned, ex¬ 
cept by famine; and that it was once ineftedtually befieged 
by Henry of Anjou, at which time the garrifon burnt all 
the buildings about it; it was alfo taken by furprife by 
Robert earl Ferrars, in the barons’ wars. James the Firff: 
granted the caftle to Francis earl of Rutland, under whom 
Thoroton tells us “ it became far more ruinous: in the 
latter end of whole time many of the goodly buildings 
were pulled down, and the iron and other materials fold.” 
“ Notwithftanding all this,” fays Deering, “it appeared 
ftill a place of defence in the year 1642, elfe king Charles 
would hardly have thought it a fit place for letting 
up his royal ltandard ;” all which (hows what an amazing 
llrong place it mult once have been. During the time 
that Cromwell was gone northward to meet the Scottilh 
army, Col. Hutchinfon furnifhed Capt. Poulton, who 
fucceeded him in the governorlhip, with the means of dif- 
mantling the caftle, and rendering it unferviceable for 
war; the reafon of this proceeding of the colonel’s was 
his clillike to the arbitrary and ufurping intentions of 
Cromwell, who, for this adlof the patriotic colonel, could 
never endure his name more. The earl of Rutland 
above-mentioned died in 1632, 8th of Charles the Firft, 
leaving only a daughter, whofe fon, George Villiers, fe- 
cond duke of Buckingham, claimed the caftle in right 
of his mother, and fold it to William Cavendilh, after¬ 
wards duke of Newcaftle, who, in the year 1674, and in 
his 82d year, cleared away the foundations of the old 
buildings, and laid thofte of the prelent Itrudlure, which 
he lived to fee raifed fome feet above ground. Henry, 
his fon and heir, finifhed it agreeably to his father’s will, 
a conliderable ellate being tied for that purpole: the ex¬ 
penle was 14,002k 17s. 1 id. 
The lodge of the ancient caftle is ftill extant; it is 
about two hundred yards below the prefent caftle. This, 
with a large ruinous baftion a little below, and fome 
fmaller ones along the top of the rock, overlooking 
Brewhoufe-yard (lome of which ferve for foundations of 
l’ummer-houfes in the gardens occupying the lite of the 
old upper court-yard), are the chief remaining veftiges. 
A dry moat, of conliderable depth and breadth, fur- 
rounded the wad, over which is a bridge ; on the left of 
which, in the moat, Hands a riding-fehool and livery-yard; 
the arches are now ufed as ftables. The moat on the 
right of the bridge was filled-up in 1807, and is now the 
main road into the park, the keeper of which refides in 
the baftion outlie left of the gateway; the other con¬ 
taining a kitchen, and other out-offices. Thefe ivy-mantled 
towers have a very ruinous, but venerable, appearance, 
and of great ftrength ; the towers are about 45 feet in 
height, and in the inlide 16 feet in diameter, the walls 
being two yards in thicknefts ; the width of the gateway 
is 10 feet, the length of the bridge, 50. A plan of the 
oid caftle is given in Col. Hutchinion’s Memoirs, from 
the original drawn by Mr. Smithfon in 1617, in the pof- 
feflion of William Stretton, efq. architect, of this place, 
a gentleman of great antiquarian refearch ; and the lodge, 
bridge, See. as above deferibed, being all.that at prelent 
a remains, 
