Nottingham may not be the biggest city in the UK, but it has produced some pretty impressive names. Struggling to feel enthused about being back in Nottingham through all the exams and coursework deadlines? Let us take you through some of the most influential people from this side of the Midlands – real and mythological; past and present.
- Rebecca Adlington
One of our most loved British Olympic champions – and with a reason. She is a multiple medal winner and record breaker in freestyle swimming. Born in Mansfield, she has participated in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics before retiring in February last year. Recently, she stunned viewers during her appearance on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! with revelations of body confidence issues. “I will always look in the mirror and wish I was a pretty girl,” she has said, and told The Times that she would not rule out having cosmetic surgery. We wish we could tell her that we think she doesn’t have to change anything about herself!
2. D. H. Lawrence
Nottingham lives and breathes within the literary works of University of Nottingham alumnus D. H. Lawrence – from his exploration of mining life, to references to the Goose Fair to the presentation of trickily deciphered Nottingham dialect. Born in Eastwood in 1885, Lawrence is probably most known for Lady Chatterley’s Lover – well, the novel’s rather racy content. It was published in various abridged forms until 1960 when Penguin Books published the full version. The company was prosecuted under the 1959 Obscene Publications Act, but the non-guilty verdict opened up Lawrence’s full novel to many generations in the UK to come.
3. Robin Hood
Just outside Nottingham Castle stands a statue of the city’s greatest man and myth: Robin Hood. He hardly needs much introduction – the legend of the heroic outlaw who robbed the rich to give to the poor has captured people’s imagination for centuries. Nottingham students are probably more familiar with the Disney version of the tale made in 1973, but a short tour around the city will reveal tributes to him everywhere. He has become so much a symbol of Nottinghamshire that BBC Radio Nottingham often uses the phrase ‘Robin Hood County’ in some of its regular programming.
4. Jesse Boot
To those who live off the meal deals from the Boots in Portland Building, he could be the most important Nottingham figure on this list. When Jesse Boot took over and expanded his father’s business, he opened the first major store in Goose Gate near the city centre in 1881. Boots shops quickly spread nationwide so that by 1914 there were 550 in England, Scotland and Wales. The original Boots store in Nottingham is no more, though you can have afternoon tea at the restaurant that now sits in its location.
5. Lord Byron
Writing talent seems to be abundant in Nottingham – one of the most famous Romantic Poets was a local too. He is known for his unfinished opus, Don Juan, and is thought to be behind the inspiration for the modern conception of vampires (yep – including Edward from Twilight). His reputation as a rampant womaniser is also well-remembered. While only marrying once, his love affairs were many and included rumours of an incestuous encounter with his half-sister. He became famous in England during his lifetime for his literary works, but Byron was also revered in Greece as a national hero for fighting in the Greek War of Independence. Only a year later, he died of a fever in Missolonghi.
6. Paris Lees
Paris Lees is a journalist and transgender rights activist. She has had a long journey from when she was growing as a boy in Nottingham and serving a prison sentence at age 18 for robbery, to an important inspirational media figure. Her transition to a transwoman began when she started her English Language and Literature degree at the University of Brighton – a process through which she kept her transgender identity a secret, fearing the prejudice she might face. Now though she’s using her experiences to improve media representation of the transgender community with her project All About Trans. In 2013 alone she was on Question Time with Harriet Harman and John Prescott, topped The Independent On Sunday’s Pink List and recently spoke at the University of Nottingham. And she’s only 26!
7. Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean
We may be cheating by talking about two people here, but perhaps rightly. Jane and Christopher have largely made their careers together. Olympic and World champions in ice dancing, their gold medal winning performance in the 1984 Winter Olympics was voted No. 8 in a 2002 list made by Channel 4 of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments. Most of us will probably know Jane and Christopher from Dancing On Ice, which they’ve been performing in since 2006. Nottingham has celebrated their achievements not only by naming two roads in Wollaton ‘Torvill Drive’ and ‘Dean Close’, but also by attributing the National Ice Centre’s ‘Bolero Square’ to them – named after a dance the pair are famous for performing.
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