With Host’s #MyHostCity competition closing on Saturday (31st October 2020), we thought we’d give some last-minute insta-spiration to those living with Host at our Nottingham location; Lace Market Studios. By looking at some of the most obscure, hidden and unusual Nottingham.
The Lost Caves.
Underneath Nottingham’s city centre lies a maze of over 500 sandstone caves. And hidden deep below (26 feet below in fact!) the Mercure Hotel on George Street, you’ll find Manvers St, Nottingham Nottingham’s lost caves. Damp, dimly lit, this quirky drinking establishment. Just mind your head! – The Hotel is just 5 minutes from Lace Market Studios. Take a look before you go with a 360-degree virtual tour of this most unusual Nottingham bar.

The Arboretum.
Hop on the tram for 15 minutes from the Lace Market tram stop to the Nottingham Trent University or the High School stop, and you’ll find yourself in an unchanged Victorian park that is supposedly the inspiration behind Peter Pan’s Neverland.
With exotic plants, more than 800 trees, captured Russian weaponry from the Crimean War of 1854-56, little lagoons and the shrill squawks of tropical birds, Despite being Nottingham’s oldest public park, it’s often forgotten.
The Sneinton Dragon.
On the corner of Manvers Street and Sneinton Hermitage (about 15mins walk from Lace Market Studios), you’ll find the uber-cool Sneinton Dragon. A stainless-steel sculpture by a Nottingham-born artist.
The Dragon stands seven feet high and with a 15-foot wingspan, it lurks in the shade of the trees lining an urban street corner. Just around the corner are the remains of some of Nottingham’s poorest cave dwellings!
The Sky Mirror.
Continuing with the sculpture theme, have you found the Sky Mirror outside Nottingham’s Playhouse yet? Made up from strips of stainless steel that have been polished to create a highly reflective surface that makes it perfect for a #MyHostCity selfie! The Sky Mirror forms part of a water feature which provides an ever-changing reflection of the surroundings. Tucked away at Wellington Circus the Sky Mirror is around a 20-minute walk from Lace Market Studios.

The Church Cemetery.
With it being the lead up to Halloween, how about a Victorian cemetery with a 3,000 year-old Druidic temple. A former hangman’s gallows and even caves where Robin Hood is said to have stabled his horses. As a #MyHostCity photo!?
Also known as Rock Cemetery, this former quarry opened as a cemetery in the 1850s. A long tunnel beneath part of the graveyard leads to an area, intended to allow those discriminating Victorians to remain separated by class even in death! You’ll find the cemetery within a 25-minute walk of Lace Market Studios.

The Major Oak and the Sherwood Forest.
Make the effort to escape the city and jump on board the Sherwood Arrow from the bus station at the Victoria Centre and within an hour you’ll be reliving the tales of Robin Hood and his merry men in Sherwood Forest.
The largest and one of the oldest oak trees’ in England is in the centre of the forest. Rumour to be the hideout of Robin Hood. The tree’s trunk is 33ft round and covers almost 100 feet. An amazing opportunity for a #MyHostCity photo!
Our #MyHostCity competition closes this Saturday! So you better be quick to get those last-minute entries into us via our socials – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.