Nottingham

Nottingham is centrally situated in the heart of green England, surrounded by beautiful countryside and a wealth of history, easily accessible via rail (at 1 hour 45 mins from London) and air – see here for details. Visitors from overseas can easily combine their visit to FOSS4G in Nottingham with some time in London or even Paris before or after the event.

The city itself is renowned as a cultural centre, intertwined with the historical figures of Robin Hood and his Merry Men and Maid Marian. The literary works of DH Lawrence and Lord Byron hark from Nottingham and its surrounding area, with Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer, among notable former residents. Being surrounded by rural England, the attractions of Sherwood Forest, the Peak District and Skegness are close by. Delegates may also wish to visit the market towns and villages of Newark and Melton Mowbray, the latter famous for its local delicacies – Pork Pies and Stilton cheese. Various of Lord Byron’s homes in the area can be visited, foremost of which is Newstead Abbey, owned by Nottingham City and located 12 miles north of the city.

Nottingham Castle is located right in the heart of the city. The Castle is set in attractive gardens, and houses a history of the city (which was originally called Snottingham) and an eclectic museum collection of pictures and objects. Close to the University of Nottingham, Wollaton Hall is a 16th century, Elizabethan mansion set in a deer park, used as the exterior for the new Wayne Manor for the Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. However Nottingham is not only about history; the Nottingham Contemporarymodern art museum (designed by the award winning architects Caruso St John) was launched in 2009 to praise in the national press. Entry is free and they offer a changing selection of exhibitions from national and international artists.

A vibrant, young population in Nottingham provides ample scope for entertainment after dark, complete with nightclubs, cafés and comedy clubs. For those wanting a more traditional night, Nottingham has a wide variety of restaurants (300 at last count) from cheap and cheerful to Michelin-starred fare with everything in between. This culinary range is coupled with a good mix of pubs and bars, from the Brew Dog selling craft beers to Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, founded in 1189 and the oldest pub in England. Local brewers Castle Rock have consistently produced high quality real ale, available at pubs throughout the city and at their “brewery tap” pub, the Vat and Fiddle(round the corner from the Inland Revenue tax offices).

Nottingham is also a sporting city, host to two well known football clubs, Nottingham Forest and Notts County, in addition to the world famous Trent Bridge test cricket ground. The Capital FM Arena, which hosts international rock, pop and entertainment, also houses the National Ice Arena and in particular the Nottingham Panthers ice hockey team.  A short way out from the city centre is the National Water Sports Centre which hosts canoeing, kayaking, sailing, rafting and other sports.

The University of Nottingham is set on four campuses in and around the city, complementing campuses in Malaysia and China. Delegates are welcome to explore the beautiful University Park campus in their downtime.

September is the end of the British summer and we would expect to have warm but comfortable temperatures throughout the conference that would encourage wandering around the campus site, early evening outdoors recreation, and pleasant day trips for partners not attending the conference.