Peter's church is mainly Perpendicular, but shows traces of an earlier building. St. Nicholas' church, near the castle, is a plain building of brick dating from 1676.
The University college, opened in 1881, contains the free municipal library. The museum of natural history was transferred from the University college to Wallaton hall in 1926. New build ings have been built for the University college by Sir Jesse Boot, on the west side of the town, on a site of 220 ac. called Highfields. The free grammar school, founded in 1513, for some time in disuse, was revived in 1807, and on its removal in 1868 to new buildings, became known as the High school. There are also the Nottingham High school for girls; the blue-coat school, founded in 1723; and the Nottingham school of art, for which a fine building was erected in 1865 in the Italian style. The Mid land Baptist college was transferred from Chilwell to Nottingham in 1882. The new Council House was opened in 1929.
The General hospital was founded in 1781. The Arboretum and the Forest are the principal public pleasure-grounds ; the county cricket club plays matches on the Trent Bridge ground, and there is a racecourse at Colwick, east of the city. To the north-west, but within the city boundaries, are the industrial districts of Radford and Basford, beyond which lies Bulwell, with collieries, limestone quarries and earthenware manufactories. Bestwood park, in the vicinity, contained a hunting lodge of Henry I., being included in Sherwood forest. To the north, Sher wood is a growing residential district ; another extends towards Gedling on the east. Southward, across the Trent, West Bridg
ford is another large residential suburb. To the west is Lenton, and Beeston has become a populous suburb mainly owing to the establishment of large cycle and motor works.
Nottingham itself became an important seat of the stocking trade towards the close of the 18th century. It was here that Richard Arkwright in 1769 erected his first spinning frame, and here James Hargreaves had the year previously removed with his spinning jenny, of ter his machine had been destroyed by a mob at Blackburn. Nottingham has devoted itself chiefly to cotton, silk and merino hosiery. Up to 1815 point lace was also an important manufacture. In 1808 and 1809 John Heathcoat ob tained patents for machines for making bobbin net which inaug urated a new era in the lace manufacture. The industries also include bleaching, the dyeing, spinning and twisting of silk, the spinning of cotton and woollen yarn, hosiery and drugs; the leather industry has grown considerably, and manufacture of boots and shoes, furniture making, rubber manufacture, engineer ing and brewing, cycle works and tobacco factories are important, and the industries, especially the iron and steel and manufacture of machinery, have the advantage of the close proximity of coal-mines. There is a large cattle market.
Nottingham was created a city and county of a city by letters patent 1897. The parliamentary borough returns four members to parliament.