The Truth About The City Of Nottingham

Summary

Este script narra la experiencia de un creador de contenido que, tras documentar el abandono de la High Street en su serie 'The Death of', regresa a Nottingham invitado por los comentarios de los espectadores. Con la ayuda de un guía local, explora áreas que inicialmente había omitido, descubriendo espacios comerciales vacíos pero también negocios prósperos y la vida urbana. El viaje revela tanto la desolación de edificios grandes como la resiliencia de la comunidad local, destacando la lucha de los negocios independientes y el impacto de factores como el alquiler y las tasas. La visita resalta la importancia de dar una segunda oportunidad y de apreciar tanto los desafíos como los esfuerzos para revitalizar un área.

Takeaways

• 🎥 El creador de la serie 'The Death of, the High Street' documenta el creciente número de espacios vacíos en la vida urbana, incluyendo tiendas, pubs, edificios y casas.
• 🏙️ Se destaca la contradicción entre el valor que se le da al espacio en el país y la cantidad de espacios abandonados que se encuentran en las calles.
• 📹 Después de recibir comentarios críticos sobre su video anterior, el creador regresa a Nottingham para darle una segunda oportunidad y explorar áreas que antes no vio.
• 🤝 El creador se encuentra con Rob, un local que le ofrece un tour por la ciudad para mostrarle los lugares que se había perdido.
• 🏬 Se menciona la presencia de grandes cadenas como Primark y cómo afectan a las tiendas locales, como fue el caso de Debenhams.
• 📽️ Se destaca la importancia de Brian Clough, un ícono del fútbol de Nottingham Forest, y su impacto en la identidad de la ciudad.
• 🎶 El creador visita una tienda de discos llamada Fact 1968, destacando la sorpresa y el alivio de ver que el negocio está próspero.
• 📚 Se menciona la influencia de las universidades en la vida de la ciudad, y cómo la mayor parte de la actividad económica se centra en ellos.
• 🛍️ Aunque hay espacios comerciales ocupados, como el Victoria Center, también hay una cantidad significativa de edificios grandes y espacios comerciales abandonados.
• 🕍 Se explora la historia de Nottingham, incluyendo su importancia histórica y su relación con la industria de la lacra y el carbón.
• 🏛️ Se discuten los desafíos que enfrentan los propietarios de negocios independientes, como los altos costos de alquiler y tasas, y cómo la ciudad está cambiando.

Q & A

¿Qué serie ha estado documentando el narrador durante más de un año?

El narrador ha estado documentando la serie 'The Death of, the High Street', la cual se enfoca en la abundancia de espacios vacíos y cerrados en la calle, incluyendo tiendas, pubs, edificios, oficinas y casas.

¿Qué fascina al narrador sobre los espacios vacíos que encuentra?

Al narrador le fascina cómo los lugares donde viven están cambiando y cómo hay un gran valor en el espacio, a pesar de que encuentra una gran cantidad de espacio vacío en sus caminatas.

¿Por qué volvió el narrador a Nottingham después de haber visitado antes?

El narrador volvió a Nottingham porque, después de subir un video, los comentarios de los espectadores sugirieron que había pasado por alto el centro de Nottingham y alguien le ofreció hacerle un tour para mostrarle lo que había perdido.

¿Quién es Rob y cómo se relaciona con el narrador?

Rob es un local de Nottingham que comentó en el video anterior del narrador y le ofreció hacerle un tour por la ciudad para mostrarle los lugares que había perdido en su primera visita.

¿Qué tipo de negocio tiene Gary y cómo se relaciona con el narrador?

Gary tiene una tienda de discos y ropa llamada 'fact 1968'. Se relaciona con el narrador porque contactó al narrador en Instagram para invitarle a visitar su tienda durante su regreso a Nottingham.

¿Qué impacto tuvieron las grandes cadenas como Primark en la competencia de las tiendas locales como Debenhams?

Las grandes cadenas como Primark, que ofrecen ropa barata y tienen estructuras de impuestos en otros países, han afectado negativamente a las tiendas locales como Debenhams, que no pueden competir en precios.

¿Cuál es la importancia de Brian Clough para Nottingham según el script?

Brian Clough es muy importante para Nottingham, ya que ha colocado a la ciudad en el mapa mundialmente, especialmente en el ámbito del fútbol, con su relación con el Nottingham Forest Football Club.

¿Qué impacto tienen las universidades en el centro de Nottingham?

Las universidades en Nottingham tienen un gran impacto económico en el centro de la ciudad, siendo uno de los negocios más grandes debido al gran número de estudiantes, muchos de los cuales son internacionales y pagan más por su educación.

¿Qué ha pasado con el área de la Broad Marsh en Nottingham según el script?

El área de la Broad Marsh en Nottingham ha sufrido un declive, con la mayoría de los negocios cerrados y edificios grandes como el antiguo Guild Hall siendo desalojados y no reemplazados.

¿Cómo describe el narrador la actitud de los comentaristas sobre su contenido anterior?

El narrador describe que algunos comentaristas crítican su contenido como completamente negativo, alegando que solo critica al país. Sin embargo, él defiende su enfoque balanceado y positivo al celebrar los negocios que aún están prosperando y resaltar problemas y cambios en las ciudades.

¿Qué tipo de reacción tuvo el narrador al recibir comentarios críticos sobre su serie?

El narrador tomó los comentarios críticos como un motivo para volver a Nottingham y darle una segunda oportunidad, lo que demuestra su disposición a escuchar y su compromiso con la integridad y el balance en su trabajo.

Outlines

00:00

🏚️ Documentando el abandono de la High Street

El creador de la serie 'The Death of the High Street' ha estado registrando el crecimiento de espacios vacíos en la vida urbana durante más de un año. Se muestra fascinado por la contradicción entre el valor que se le da a la vivienda y el espacio comercial y el gran número de edificios y tiendas abandonados que encuentra. Después de haber visitado Nottingham y recibir comentarios críticos sobre su falta de exploración en el centro de la ciudad, decide volver y es guiado por Rob, quien le ofrece una mirada más completa de la situación.

05:02

🛍️ Revisitando Nottingham con un guía local

El guía local, Rob, muestra a la cámara la vida de Nottingham, destacando la presencia de grandes tiendas como Primark y la lucha de la tienda local contra las grandes cadenas. También se menciona la importancia de Brian Clough para la ciudad y se visita una tienda de discos, donde se destaca la difícil situación de los negocios independientes frente a los altos costos de alquiler y las políticas del ayuntamiento que afectan el flujo de clientes.

10:02

🎓 La influencia del sector educativo en la vida urbana

Se explora el impacto de las dos universidades en Nottingham, que son mencionadas como el negocio más grande de la ciudad. Se discute cómo la población estudiantil, en gran parte internacional, ha influido en el desarrollo de la vivienda y la economía local, y cómo la ausencia de trabajadores de oficina ha afectado el comercio en el centro de la ciudad.

15:02

🏛️ La historia y el cambio en el núcleo histórico

El narrador y su guía continúan su recorrido por Nottingham, visitando lugares como el Mercado de la Encaje y la iglesia que una vez fue negra debido a la polveriza. Se mencionan los cambios históricos y cómo la industria del carbón y la minería han dejado su huella en la ciudad, así como las transformaciones que ha experimentado a lo largo del tiempo.

20:06

🏪 Desafíos y esperanzas para los negocios locales

Se destaca el esfuerzo de los negocios locales para sobrevivir y prosperar a pesar de los desafíos económicos. Se mencionan ejemplos como la tienda de discos 'Faak 1968' y la tienda de cómics 'Page 45', que han encontrado formas creativas de mantener sus negocios abiertos y activos en la comunidad.

25:07

🌇 Reconsiderando las impresiones y el futuro de Nottingham

El creador de la serie reflexiona sobre su experiencia de reexplorar Nottingham y reconoce la complejidad de la situación económica y social de la ciudad. Agradece a los residentes por invitarle a dar una segunda oportunidad a Nottingham y por mostrarle tanto los desafíos como los logros de la comunidad. También responde a las críticas sobre su enfoque negativo, argumentando que su contenido tiene múltiples ángulos y que busca celebrar los éxitos y contribuir positivamente a la discusión.

Keywords

💡High Street

High Street se refiere a las calles principales de las ciudades y pueblos británicos, típicamente con tiendas y negocios. En el video, el creador explora la disminución de estas zonas comerciales, evidenciada por la cantidad de locales vacíos, destacando un cambio en el paisaje urbano y la economía local.

💡Espacio vacío

Este término describe las tiendas, pubs, edificios, oficinas y casas que están cerradas y sin uso. Es un concepto central en el video, ya que el creador documenta la creciente cantidad de espacios vacíos en las calles británicas, lo que refleja una tendencia en la disminución de la actividad económica en ciertas áreas.

💡Nottingham

Nottingham es una ciudad en el Reino Unido que se convierte en el foco principal del video. El creador regresa para explorar y documentar las áreas que no cubrió en su visita anterior, mostrando tanto los espacios vacíos como los negocios y edificios activos que aún florecen en la ciudad.

💡Valor del espacio

El valor del espacio hace referencia a la importancia y el costo económico de la propiedad inmobiliaria. En el video, el creador contrasta la alta valoración del espacio en el mercado inmobiliario con la sorprendente cantidad de espacio vacío que encuentra en sus exploraciones, sugiriendo una discrepancia entre el valor percibido y la realidad del mercado.

💡Cambio urbano

El cambio urbano se refiere a las transformaciones y evolución en la estructura y el uso del espacio en las áreas urbanas. El video documenta este cambio a través de la abundancia de espacios vacíos y el impacto en los negocios locales, reflejando los desafíos y oportunidades que surgen en el tejido urbano.

💡Tiendas cerradas

Las tiendas cerradas son un símbolo de la disminución de la actividad económica en una zona. En el video, el creador visita varias tiendas cerradas y conversaciones con los locales revelan las dificultades económicas y las razones detrás de este fenómeno, como la competencia de cadenas grandes y el impacto de políticas gubernamentales.

💡Cámara de seguridad

La mención de la cámara de seguridad en el video representa un obstáculo en la libertad de expresión y documentación. El creador y su guía experimentan la interrupción de su recorrido por la presencia de la seguridad, lo que pone de manifiesto las tensiones entre la documentación pública y las políticas privadas de propiedad.

💡Renovación urbana

La renovación urbana implica la reactivación y mejora de las áreas urbanas en declive. Ejemplos en el video incluyen la apertura de un nuevo comercio de discos y la transformación de edificios en escape rooms, mostrando cómo los emprendimientos locales pueden contribuir a la revitalización de las calles y barrios.

💡Estudiantes

Los estudiantes son un grupo clave en el video, ya que su presencia y el crecimiento del sector educativo tienen un impacto significativo en la economía y la vida urbana de Nottingham. El video destaca cómo la universidad y el alojamiento de estudiantes están cambiando el panorama de la ciudad y afectando a los negocios locales.

💡Ciudad delgado

La ciudad delgado se refiere a un fenómeno en el que las áreas centrales de las ciudades se ven afectadas negativamente por políticas y tendencias que benefician a las afueras. En el video, se discute cómo Nottingham se ve afectada por la falta de inversión en el centro ciudad, en comparación con las prósperas áreas suburbanas.

Highlights

Documenting the abundance of empty retail spaces, shops, pubs, buildings, and offices in the series 'The Death of the High Street'.

The fascination with the changing landscape of lived spaces and the value placed on space in the country.

The contradiction between the high value of space and the large amount of empty space found during walks.

Revisiting Nottingham after feedback from a local who offered a tour to show missed areas.

Meeting Rob, a local who invited the creator back to Nottingham to show the missed parts of the city.

The significance of Brian Clough in putting Nottingham on the map and the city's pride in him.

Nottingham's unique architecture, combining elements of St Paul's Cathedral and Milan's Galleria.

The bustling atmosphere of Nottingham on a hot day and the activity around the city's landmarks.

The story of Debenhams' closure due to competition from Primark and its impact on the local retail scene.

Visiting a record store, FACT 1968, showcasing the resurgence of vinyl and the passion of independent businesses.

Challenges faced by independent businesses, including high rents, rates, and the effect of parking charges on customer flow.

The importance of unique local businesses in maintaining the character and vibrancy of Nottingham.

The impact of the student population on Nottingham's economy and the transformation of office buildings into student accommodations.

The exploration of Nottingham's historic sites, including the Theatre Royal and the Lace Market.

The decline of traditional shopping streets and the shift in consumer behavior affecting city centers.

The story of the Broad Marsh Centre's closure and its ripple effect on the surrounding area.

The efforts to revitalize spaces, such as the transformation of a church into a community hub.

The mixed feedback on the series 'The Death of the High Street' and the creator's intent to provide a fair and balanced view.

The appreciation for the opportunity to revisit Nottingham and the positive reception from the local community.

Transcripts

I've been doing this series The Death of

the High Street now for over a year

documenting the abundance of empty

retail space shops pubs buildings

offices houses anything that's boarded

up and empty I've been going and finding

it now the reasons for it I just find it

fascinating seeing how the places that

we live are changing and I also find

that in the time we live and especially

in our country that we have such a value

on Space we say space is worth so much

be it a small shop or even a Terrace

House that you're trying to buy it's so

expensive and it's so hard to actually

get that yet all I find when I walk

around everywhere is this huge amount of

empty space so I'd say that the reason

why my Series has done well is because

I've given places a fair assessment now

when I came to Nottingham last week I

did what I always do I turn up I filmed

what I found I found a lot of empty

retail space however when I uploaded the

video it was clear from the comments

I've never had this before but everyone

was saying look mate you have missed the

center of Nottingham why don't you come

back one guy commented and said if you

do come back I'll give you a tour so

that's what we're doing we're going back

to Nottingham I'm about to get on the

train it's a lovely day so I've got a

local to show me around show me the

stuff that I missed hopefully explain

why those areas that are in a bad way

why they're like that and I think it's

going to be really interesting so yeah

let's get back to Nottingham was I wrong

about Nottingham so this was the main

comment on my previous video that got me

intrigued and made me want to come back

down so thank you to Rob for inviting me

I'm looking forward to meeting you now

he's on a podcast which is called Forest

fan TV I said I give it a shout out it's

all about Nottingham Forest footy Club

if that's your thing I'll link it below

go check it out and it is absolutely

boiling this is great summer is upon us

and it's the perfect day to revisit the

city so I'm going to go meet this guy

now he said meet him at the left lion

somewhere

but this building's sweet to be fair I

missed this last time I got close

because I think inside there The

Exchange I went in there but I didn't

come out here and look at this building

it's a mega

building looking nice and busy on a hot

day around here doesn't look like

there's anything empty to actually

deon's there but yeah in this giant

Square which I didn't see last time only

The Big deums Empty the rest looks

really busy so I'm looking forward to

where this he takes me and where else he

shows me is it

Rob oh hello hello mate nice to meet you

good to meet you yes thanks for coming

back so this is Rob this is the guy that

commented on the video and said come

back down I want to show you around yeah

I mean there was too much Grandam in the

first episode yeah fair enough yeah yeah

and that's in Lincolnshire yeah I heard

of that as well so yeah there's lots to

cover but thank you for inviting me back

down I'm very my pleasure very glad to

have a tour guide explore the city a

little bit more cover some bits that I

am intrigued to know why they look like

that cuz there is a problem in areas you

know what I mean oh there's plenty yeah

yeah yeah but like I'm really Keen so

where should we go first um how about

over here I just kind of went around to

see what was in the Square it's good in

here to be fair only deham shut down

there but yes so that's um well we can

explain that there's a shop there called

Primark where you can buy all the finest

clothes from Bangladesh made with Slade

labor and they pay tax in Ireland yeah

so unfortunately poor old deams couldn't

compete with that that's it I'm sad cuz

I bought this jacket in deam brought

this shirt in deham but yeah we lost

debam but we still got our house of

Fraser good good just just just about

yeah so this is Brian kff Brian kff yeah

yeah so I thought I'd bring you here

because it's quite important um he's

quite literally put this city on the map

right okay yeah and then I've been in

the desert of the UAE and somebody said

to me where are you from and I said

Nottingham said oh Nottingham Forest and

I thought right there you go that's

Brian cl's done that yeah yeah so and

we've got two statues in Notting and one

of him and one of Robin Hood the council

house is a a hotch poch of two ideas

basically they said they wanted

something that looked like St Paul's

Cathedral but they wanted the Galleria

from Milan underneath so they've got

kind of both yeah yeah it's the

deliberate copy nice nice but the

council actually don't operate out of

there anymore they've moved to another

building yeah we've done a very

Nottingham thing meeting at the left

lion because um that's where everybody

always met and think I know the reason

why that all the buses from my side of

town used to terminate here along this

stretch which is called long row you

always meet people

there oh F 1968 that's it here it is

let's go see if the guy's in I got a

message on Instagram literally I think

it was last night saying if you're ever

back in Nottingham come check out my

store record store and it's fact 1968 so

I'm going to go see if they're in yeah

so the guy's in there just going to have

a chat with him but what's great is he's

busy people are buying records which is

amazing to see so I'll have to wait

until people have stopped buying records

to have a chat but that's a to

see what's your name sorry Gary Gary

yeah David so yeah this is this is the

guy that messaged me literally last

night I think it was and he said uh if

you if you're coming back down and you

or you missed this shop or this area

Miss Fair bit I'm accepting that but I

said well I'm coming down tomorrow mate

so can I pop in well I had a record

short in in hockey I think you came up

'90s and then I sold that in 2004

because basically people stopped buying

records so I thought i' just managed to

sell it just before I went Bank

basically and uh I never thought I'd be

back selling records and then here I am

I opened up about 6 months ago wow so

now obviously as you can see from the

shop we sing records and clothes as well

I think you need to do something else so

you've done the full circle right record

that must be so nice and did you ever

think I've just got to say I've always

wanted to chat to someone about records

on this series cuz it is something that

let's face it we thought was dead we

thought records were like DVDs on now

yeah if you take your DVDs to char say

no don't or vide records were the same

weren't people doing and there's always

a few die hards hanging on but not many

you couldn't really make a living so you

wouldn't get enough foot for and how is

it being an independent business owning

a store rents rates it's hard yeah it's

really hard because by you know rents

are deer and they're not going to go

down for a while and rates kill you then

electric and very hard and then you're

not helped by for example in in

Nottingham uh the Council of you know

the bankrupt so one of the ways they've

decided to deal with it is to put the

parking charges up yeah which sounds

great initially because they get more

money in but of course it just stops

people coming in yeah cuz why would you

pay it's very expensive to park people

can just go out of town yeah so it

doesn't help yeah I guess I guess the

interesting thing though you ain't going

to find somewhere like this at medah

Hall you're not going to find somewhere

like this at whole that's what that's

our special specialty our secret power

yeah you know that we've got something

that other you know it's not boring it's

not you're not walking around the same

thing it's buzzing that it exists I'm so

glad you can you have your store back

mate that's class yeah it's nice you

know I'm really enjoying it I've not

made a lot of money yet I must have it

but I'm enjoying it I'm able to pay my

rent I'm able to pay the rent on my

house and that's the main thing enjoy it

what an absolute Legend I'm going to

link all his stuff below he gave me his

leaflet I'll link his Instagram below

all his stuff do check him out if you in

him if you like records love it I'm glad

I got to see a record store before

Westminster they actually used to hold

parliament in Notting him really uh on

some occasions so uh in the olden days

uh the king moved around and he called a

parliament whenever he needed to raise

some tax and Nottingham as you'll see

when you go to the castle later was

quite an important administrative

financial center and that's why upper

Parliament street is called upper

Parliament street W now over here is an

absolutely beautiful theater look at

this which you missed out on your first

I did miss out I did miss out not

intentionally so what's it called

Theater Royal Well the two together are

called The Royal Center this the theater

Royal and on the back of it is the Royal

concert hall there's obviously a lot of

fast food yeah around here as well

that's partly cuz we're next to the

university so you got two universities

in yeah so this is really the big

business here these days so this one

that's in the Center Nottingham Trent

university has got about 5,000 students

and then um uni of as they call it

University of Nottingham is on a campus

which is you can get to on the tram but

it's about 2 miles I saw passed that on

the train yeah they've got another

35,000 students student population

Nottingham close to 100,000 yeah wow

half of that I would say is

international students as well because

they pay three or four times as much so

it's it's pretty much the biggest

business for the city now and the

student

accommodation it's all around us now the

minute something becomes vacant it's

going to turn into student accommodation

what's that big empty building there

right that I think was the Guild Hall

where the um magistrates courts were

right but that's moved to a new sort of

glass and steel thing but obviously

they're not allowed to knock it down

that is gorgeous is it they're the

saddest ones to see like that when you

see buildings like that boarded up I

don't mind some well some of the shops

where you think well what's that but

buildings like that I'll get some closer

up footage in a second but put your

camera through the window yeah I bet I

can so I'm obviously back to give the

city a fair look around and document the

good stuff but in terms of bordered up

buildings I will show them and that is

one of the biggest I've ever seen the

biggest boarded up buildings ever so

that's interesting to see as well so

we're just going to go have a little

look inside the foyer of the Nottingham

Trent uni hopefully you allow me and I

can pass off as a student I reckon I

can't

yeah maybe I'm a lecturer mature

students we'll call ourselves you have

got the Blazer you do look like the

lecturer oh yeah that's

nice whoa that roof that's well good

look at that AR roof are brilliant they

are that's it right so is this are we

going to go in the Victoria center now

then right so the Victoria Center this

is the place that everyone said you

missed out unfortunately the one local

that I did speak to in my last video he

said don't bother going there well he

may have had a point you can make your

own mind up oh really a monopoly really

they owned both of the shopping centers

in not so this is Victoria Center in the

Heart of the City we may get kicked out

I always get kicked out of these for

filming going to get kicked out don't

take anybody in here but this is like

yeah this is super busy it's like the

arale in Manchester where it's like in

the center and again the one not quite

on the same scale but yeah the Andale is

doing really well though like so yeah

the Victoria Center the one you told me

all I should you all told me I should

come to I'm here as you can see pretty

much everything is still open in here

yeah yeah everything open yeah not one

shop so far this this is why people come

into town now that one we still have our

house Fraser John Lewis at the other end

and I think if either of those were to

go it would be like kicking one leg out

from the center really man if you get

some

pictures what's that it I'm just filming

just filming around yeah you're right

yeah yeah wondering turn that's me yeah

how you doing I was watching you the

other night oh really well I'm back to

give nothing a bit more of a fair trial

because I missed a lot yeah I was

telling the I watched the video you did

about not you oh yeah I've seen you walk

all over the country no way how cool

we're going to be on YouTube well if you

want to be what's your business your

business doing well well it's it's been

affected by everything but we we still

here yeah we're still doing train

amazing no I was showing was I showing

on I showed you the video watch you go

all over the country it's brilliant what

you're doing is really good thank you

really appreciate you're really

highlighting stuff and and do you know

what thank you very much mate I'm really

appreciate that and I've been in here 31

years honestly you you're doing a real

good job that's absolutely brilliant and

it's not just for this city but for all

of them yeah well I wanted to come back

and give a bit of a fair trial with the

local cuz I missed a lot and I'm glad I

could come back and show what's going on

you want to come around this Market yeah

the the the council and is just

Nottingham City Council they're the

worst ones the city council but all

councilors are destroying All City

centers absolutely yeah back yeah oh

well I'll give you a shout out what's

your name store mad nut Center madet

Brant I will I'll get a picture of the

front I've SE I've been watching you for

probably about a year or so oh mate top

man thank you very much I appreciate

that

right so there we go that was the

Victoria Center unfortunately I said on

the way in we're probably going to get

kicked out and what happened we are a

major security threat yeah yeah it is

all busy in there I mean the market I

got to see a little bit around the

market that's pretty empty but that nice

guy I bumped into had a chat with him

there he told me a bit about it so we

yeah the Victoria Center it is busy I

made it to it so thank you for you

telling me to go there this has been um

the busiest shopping street in

Nottingham because it's the route from

the Victoria Center to the broad Mar

right okay yeah yeah but as you get

closer towards the broad Marsh you will

find everything is closed because the

broad Marsh is no longer there

yeah I mean everyone you're seeing here

is a student right yeah the office

workers are all at home they don't come

into the city every day and a lot of the

office buildings are being sold off for

student flat so so those people now

aren't spending the money in the city

center honestly it's not one thing you

can't put it down to brexit or or to to

any one thing it's just all One

Direction unfortunately the Broadway

Cinema yeah yeah uh so you may have

heard of the director Shane Meadows oh

yeah from these parts uh he Premier all

of his films there oh really no way or

the lace Market everyone told me to go

everyone said go to the lace Market that

was another thing that people said I

missed yeah these streets are well nice

around here aren't they is this the lace

Market yes this is the lace oh so this

is the actual lace market so so a lot of

these buildings were um to do with the

lace manufacturing trade so this is

where they did the fancy bits they sort

of embroidered it all at the end and and

they had showrooms

here wow yeah gorgeous that isn't

it and when I used to come here as a kid

for the choir this church was

black completely black and I thought at

the time that it was made from some kind

of special Black Stone oh really what

was it it was um uh coold dust I mean

basically Nottingham should coalfield

yeah yeah powered this country for right

yeah you 100 years and um it was the

acid rain had turned the stone blank wow

and when I moved away from not in for a

short period And I came back and it was

the church was

brown no way it's cuz they' um treated

it with chemicals and they sand blasted

it but if you find any pictures of this

from the ' 80s it's entirely black okay

W that is a great

door wow that is a lovely bit of door

I've actually got a video coming up soon

at a stained glass factory my made in

Britain series which I think will be

fascinating this Oran is

um and there was a time when this church

could um fit a thousand people in it wow

and I've seen it fall once and that was

in 1989 the day after the hillsb

disaster really had a service in here

and it was absolutely act and I was in

the choir and I looked on the front row

and the whole forest team was there with

Brian K Wow thousand people here wow

that's

crazy no way right so this is crazy the

picture in the piano so and I'm all for

it revitalizing spaces keeping pubs

alive what would Jesus have said yeah he

would not be

happy oh yeah look at this

WOW am I out just get some pictures

but yeah that's our new bus

station and then this is our new latest

coffee shop which has also got a library

in it yeah so the library in the coffee

shop not the other way around absolutely

not the coffee shop in the library if

you go in there find mainly people

drinking coffee yeah and looking at um

phones phones and Macs and then there's

some books on the wall yeah yeah so this

this being knocked down this being

finished has essentially killed all the

trade down here yes you'll see it when

we go up listate all this like this is

all to let here like everything shut

down here nothing going on and and

that's and that's all because know how

you bring trade back to this quite

honestly so what are they doing with

this place what's the plan for here they

have no plan they don't they're doing a

consultation oh my God so it fell

through because of private funding and

then got put in the hands of the council

is that right yeah I mean the council

owns the site I believe but um in who

owned both shopping centers uh were

supposed to build a new one here after

it was knocked down but um the pandemic

finished them off and where we're

standing here was uh a British home

stores once that went that sort of

really put a nail in the coffin of the

broad Marsh there was a very big boots

here and a CNA which is now H&M which is

now closed yeah and um a marks and

Spencer home this is the bit that's

really

got to hell yeah yeah but um wow even

since you were here they've taken the

thing off saying they've moved and then

yeah the only one really that's open

down here is the big new look and then

again it goes on to empty empty yeah

empty empty Paul

Smith this bit here used to have all the

designer clothes shop right yeah oh

there so that's it there Paul Smith I've

never been in it's above my price range

is it yeah still be going oh this is

nice I mean it's very quiet but it

doesn't look like there's anything shut

down in here which is

nice Jonathan's been trading here for

decades you can ask him more nice oh

yeah sweet so you own this shop you've

been running for how long in this

premise that's over 30 years in October

do you own this uh we do we're quite

fortunate we managed to buy the building

about 15 years ago um and actually one

of the things we've done as part of our

re it is putting a separate street level

entrance so we could get uh use out of

the upstairs so we got an escape room

company in there now and we wanted to

make sure that rather than just

converting it to residential we could do

something that would support an

independent business right yes so you've

kept the whole building alive

essentially oh that's really good to

hear we have a website www p4. comom we

ship worldwide uh everything we've got

in the shop and we sell online we only

charge what it costs us to post not a

penny more and what we specialize in is

comics comics and graphic novels every

type of fiction and non-fiction there

are sequential based stories to be told

yeah and that's what we specialize in

yeah yeah oh sweet all right nice one

thank you so much and this was this used

to be my favorite shopping street oh

really so this was this poundland was a

virgin mega store oh right yeah and back

in the 1990s that was very exciting yeah

um then it turned into HMV for while

still quite exciting yeah and now

poundland less exciting yeah very true

this is another very old Pub oh

salutation that looks great nice Pub

that oh that looks all nice there

doesn't it so this is called standard

Hill Y and the reason it's called

standard Hill is it's where the Civil

War started on this point wow just there

so King Charles raised the standard

against Parliament there right there wow

Nottingham was a royalist stronghold and

as a result after the parliament won

Oliver Cromwell came and dynamited the

castle wow so that's why it's largely

destroyed but once you get inside

there's not much of the old castle left

but here I am rare occasion the Wonder

in not holding the camera look at this

this is from when did he get put up oh

1951 big in it I remember a long time

ago somebody stole the

arrow so I think it's uh it's welded on

now

nice look at that yeah you can see the

Old Stone there nice Old Stone the

modern Stone so here we are in the

castle the to if you drew a line round

on a map the total population is about

700,000 but within the administrative

City it's only about 350,000

so the city boundaries are drawn within

the city um and that means that the

population of Nottingham is made up

mainly of the inner city areas which are

which are poorer more deprived areas so

uh the suburbs um rushcliffe brockow and

gedling have all got their own councils

they've all got Tory MPS all the council

tax from those wealthy leafy

suburbs is kept out of the City yeah

which is why the city is really quite

poor and if you look at um League tables

for sort of deprivation crime poverty

Nottingham is on the wrong end of all of

those tables but it is somewhat

artificial because of where the

boundaries are drawn yeah oh Ellena you

would love

this see that there on The Horizon okay

yeah the the cooling towers or the hill

that is the last operating cold fired

power station in the United Kingdom

really it's one of one it's Ratcliff on

saw power station in Castle Donnington

and obviously you can see why it was

built here because the Nottingham sh Co

field was producing all the coal yeah

but there were lots of coal fire power

stations here which takes me back to the

the black church but a couple of years

ago we were down to four Cal Fire power

stations and now just that one keep

saying they're going to close it down

and they never close it down because the

nuclear power that's supposed to replace

it is always behind schedule so that is

the last of a bre fascinating I don't

know

whether you can make any value judgments

about whether it's getting worse or

better it's just changing yeah and um

you know I I do feel nostalgic for what

it used to be like it's had different

heydays in the past and it's had

different slumps I mean when the whole

mining industry closed down when the

late industry closed down it's just

changed yeah yeah look at

this look we're back we are back at your

old trip to Jer Jerusalem for the second

time I didn't think he'd be back here so

soon let's go get a pip do you want to

you want grab a table out what do you

want a lger right yeah yeah right there

we go Chin Chin Chin Chin thank you so

much for the T thank you for bringing me

back thanks for giving me the

opportunity to see the other side of it

I think it's important as I say I always

try and be fair and balanced and I

didn't give a fair and balanced account

happy to come back and do it there go

all M well Chin Chin thanks for getting

me down um yeah good man what a perfect

day to revisit Nottingham the weather

was glorious and Upon returning to

Yorkshire I am presented with that

familiarity I know so well so I asked

that question was I wrong about

Nottingham and in a series where the

primary focus is finding empty buildings

boarded up shops retail units to let I

definitely came across a large amount of

that however I'm so buzzing that I was

invited back to the city by the people

of Nottingham who said come on give us a

fair chance you haven't explored it all

honestly Rob thank you so much for

giving me that tour and showing me

everything and along the way being able

to meet the guy who opened the record

store faak 1968 who the guy had lost his

record store back in what was it the

'90s and thought he'd never open one

again and then recently he has so so

good or the guy with the comic book

store page 45 who'd not only open the

store down stairs but giv life to the

bit above with an escape room a real

good way of revitalizing the whole

building and that buzzing guy in the

market what was it mad house nuts who I

just randomly bumped into and it was

really nice to hear from him as well him

saying oh thank you for raising

awareness because I hope that's what I'm

doing and hearing from business owners

who clearly understand the struggles of

rents and rates and for him to say oh

cheers mate I'm glad that this series is

getting taken seriously by and meaning

something to those who are directly

affected now been exploring the city

more as well I also came across a lot of

other boarded up stuff that I missed

like that giant building which I came

across which really is the saddest stuff

to see those grand buildings that are

just devoid of life however as I said

I'm so glad that I got to come revisit

and explore Notting him more one other

thing I got a few comments on the other

video as well just saying all your

content is just completely negative

that's all you do tear the country down

and I actually think if you watch my

content if you actually go into it I'm

an incredibly positive guy I you want to

build the country up go watch my maid in

Britain Series where I'm celebrating the

businesses that are still doing great

making things here go watch the video I

made about the guys who bought back a

pub they saved it brought it back to

life go watch that and tell me that's

negative but please don't think that I'm

trying to tear this country down there's

many many different angles on this

channel I want to keep my content as

varied as possible if you think it's all

just negative do what I did with

Nottingham go have a second look and

maybe you'll change your mind thank you

bye-bye