Lifestyle

Countryside with literary connections

Bramcote is part of Nottingham, but still has a 'village feel', with its own small shops, park and no fewer than four schools. From St George's Park in the village centre, one can look out towards the picturesque Erewash Valley, a reminder that the countryside is a stone's throw away. This is the landscape featured in many of the novels of D H Lawrence, whose birthplace in Eastwood is just ten miles to the north. The textile and mining industries, which play a vivid part in Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, for example, brought prosperity to the region and today, their heritage is commemorated in attractions such as the Framework Knitters' Museum in nearby Ruddington.

Bramcote attractions

Although a small village, Bramcote can boast a modern Leisure Centre, where you can keep fit without having to travel too far. Another highly valued local resource is Bramcote Hills Park, a mixture of parkland and woods, and recipient of a prestigious Green Flag award. The park is extremely popular with local people for dog walking, picnics and letting children run around safely, and its features include a walled garden and historic ice house, reminders that it was once the grounds of a large house belonging to a wealthy banker.

Just a few miles further

Bramcote lies between Beeston and Stapleford, two larger suburbs which offer a further range of shops and services. Beeston is really a town in its own right, with good shops and bustling market twiceweekly. It holds regular community events such as summer music and drama, and a Christmas Event.

At Stapleford you can enjoy another spectacular open-air attraction, wooded Stapleford Hill, more than 100 metres high and offering magnificent views of the Trent and Erewash valleys. Near its summit is the strangely shaped Hemlock Stone, a local landmark. Along the northern edge of the hill runs Nottingham Canal, once busy with coal barges but now offering prettily landscaped towpath walks instead.

Only a little further is Attenborough Nature Reserve, where gravel was once quarried. It is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a patchwork of lakes and islands where over 250 species of birds have been spotted. Other animals, even otters, also make it their own haven.

Just to the north of Bramcote is Wollaton Hall, one of the finest Elizabethan houses in the country, built for a 16th century coal baron and now open to the public along with its beautiful 500 acre deer park.

Nottingham, an exciting city of culture and history

Bramcote is only five miles from Nottingham's stylish centre. It's one of the best shopping cities in the East Midlands, especially for fashion, and is said to have over two hundred restaurants. The compact central area is user-friendly and easy to get around, either on foot or by catching one of the city's trams.

Its cultural life also flourishes; Nottingham is home to leisure centres, museums and galleries, cinema and theatre. The Nottingham Arena attracts international stars and the Playhouse puts on a programme of exciting and thought provoking performing arts events. In the summer, go outdoors for the Arboretum Festival, Riverside Festival and open-air theatre at Summer Stage. Autumn welcomes the Robin Hood Pageant at Nottingham Castle, and the Goose Fair is still an annual fixture after 700 years.