Places · East Midlands · Nottingham
Façade & building consultants in Nottingham.
From sandstone caves and red-brick lace warehouses to Watson Fothergill's Gothic offices and new student blocks, Nottingham's buildings span almost a thousand years. McKay Turner Consulting provides façade condition surveys, defect investigations, FRAEW (PAS 9980) and EWS1 assessments across the city.
NOTTINGHAM 52.9534° N, 1.1505° W
A short history
A lace city, built on a sandstone ridge
Nottingham grew from a Saxon settlement into the centre of the world's lace trade. The money from lace paid for the warehouses and offices that still shape the city centre.
- 1068
A castle on the rock
William the Conqueror orders a castle on Castle Rock. A stone castle later replaces the first timber one.
- 1474
St Mary's Church
The Lace Market's great church is completed in the Perpendicular Gothic style, on what is said to be the city's oldest Christian site.
- 1855
The Adams Building
Thomas Chambers Hine's lace warehouse opens on Stoney Street. At its peak in the 1890s, the lace trade employs about 25,000 people.
- 1895
Fothergill's own office
Watson Fothergill rebuilds his George Street office in Gothic Revival style. He designed over 100 buildings in the city.
- 1929
The Council House
The new Council House opens. Its Portland stone dome rises about 61m above the Old Market Square.
- 1969
First conservation area
The Lace Market becomes the city's first conservation area as the lace trade declines.
- 1975
Broadmarsh Centre opens
A large shopping centre is built over cleared land. Sandstone caves found during the work are saved after a local campaign.
- 2026
Broad Marsh cleared
Asbestos removal and phased demolition of the old centre begin, clearing the way for a new city quarter of around 1,000 homes.
Architecture
What makes Nottingham's buildings distinctive
Nottingham sits on a soft sandstone ridge, cut through with man-made caves. Above ground, its streets mix Georgian townhouses, red-brick lace warehouses, Watson Fothergill's Gothic buildings and post-war towers.
Key styles
Georgian
Older buildings on High Pavement, including the Georgian former courts and county gaol, now the National Justice Museum.
Lace warehouses
Tall red-brick warehouses with large windows, stone dressings and showrooms, such as T. C. Hine's Adams Building.
Gothic Revival
Watson Fothergill's bands of red and blue brick, carved stone, dark timber eaves and turrets, across more than 100 buildings.
Neo-Baroque
The Council House, faced in Portland stone from the quarry Wren used for St Paul's Cathedral.
Modernism
Concrete towers and shopping centres, including the Broadmarsh Centre (1975) and the Victoria Centre flats, still the city's tallest buildings at 75m.
Contemporary
The Nottingham Contemporary gallery (2009) in the Lace Market, the new Central Library (2023) and student blocks at the Island Quarter.
The city's material palette
Did you know?
More than 900 man-made caves have been recorded in the sandstone under Nottingham. Some date back to 1270–1300.
The Adams Building had glass-walled lofts on the roof for finishing lace, and a basement chapel for over 500 workers.
Watson Fothergill was born Fothergill Watson and swapped his names in 1892. His George Street office has busts of Pugin and G. E. Street.
Typical building types
What Nottingham is built of today
Two universities, a historic core and a busy shopping centre give Nottingham a varied building stock, with many lace warehouses converted to new uses.
Commercial offices
Victorian banks and chambers, some by Watson Fothergill, alongside newer office blocks.
Where: Old Market Square, Thurland Street, King Street
Warehouse conversions
Victorian lace warehouses now used as apartments, offices and college space.
Where: Lace Market, Stoney Street, High Pavement
Student housing
Purpose-built blocks and shared houses serving around 62,000 students.
Where: Island Quarter, Lenton, Radford
New apartments
New apartment schemes on brownfield land, many close to the railway station.
Where: Arkwright Street, The Meadows
University & college
Teaching buildings, from listed lace warehouses to the new City Hub.
Where: Lace Market, Broad Marsh
Retail & mixed use
Shopping centres, arcades and independent shops, often with homes or offices above.
Where: Victoria Centre, Exchange Arcade, Hockley
Heritage & civic
Listed civic, legal and religious buildings that need specialist care.
Where: Castle Rock, High Pavement, Old Market Square
Culture & leisure
Galleries, theatres and museums in both historic and modern buildings.
Where: Lace Market, Castle Rock
Current construction trends
Where Nottingham is building now
With Broad Marsh being cleared, attention has turned to new homes near the station, student housing and making existing blocks safe.
Broad Marsh
Asbestos removal and phased demolition of the former shopping centre began in May 2026. Homes England plans around 1,000 homes and 20,000 sq m of shops, offices and community space.
Arkwright Street
Planning permission was granted in November 2025 for 319 homes near the station, backed by a £7.2m Brownfield Housing Fund grant.
Island Quarter student housing
The 693-bed Winfield Court opened in 2024 on the 36-acre site. A second student phase of 394 beds was approved in December 2024.
Tall buildings strategy
In June 2026 the council began drafting a strategy for landmark tall buildings. Possible sites include the Island Quarter and land off Glasshouse Street.
Building safety remediation
Many apartment and student blocks from the 2000s and 2010s are being assessed under PAS 9980 and remediated under the Building Safety Act.
Heritage reuse and conversion
Lace warehouses and older offices are being converted to homes, offices and college space, which brings older façades back into use.
How we help in Nottingham
Every era of building has its own risks
We match our inspections and advice to the age and construction of your building.
Georgian, Victorian & Edwardian stone, brick and terracottac.1750–1930
Weathered stone, failed pointing and mortar, corroding iron fixings and water ingress through older details.
Post-war concrete and system buildsc.1950–1990
Spalling concrete, corroded reinforcement, ageing windows and poor thermal performance.
Curtain walls, rainscreen and high-rise residentialc.1990–2018
Leaking seals and gaskets, combustible cladding and insulation, and missing cavity barriers.
New build and conversionstoday
Design and specification gaps, workmanship defects and Building Safety Act requirements.
A large residential building in Nottingham: 106 intrusive openings and targeted water testing traced every leak path to its source.
Read the case study →FAQs
Façade services in Nottingham
Do you carry out FRAEWs and EWS1 forms in Nottingham?
Yes. We carry out Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls to PAS 9980 and EWS1 assessments on residential and student buildings across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. We are Homes England approved Cladding Safety Scheme assessors.
How quickly can you respond to an enquiry in Nottingham?
We work across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. We aim to respond to new enquiries within one working day, and we arrange site visits and access to suit your programme.
Can you survey Victorian brick and terracotta façades?
Yes. We inspect brick, stone, terracotta and timber details on listed and older buildings, such as Lace Market warehouses, and recommend repairs that suit their age and construction.
Which other services do you offer in Nottingham?
Technical due diligence, defect and water ingress investigations, façade condition surveys, specification and tender, development monitoring, remediation project management and expert witness services.
Work with us
Own or manage a building in Nottingham?
We provide façade condition surveys, defect investigations, PAS 9980 appraisals and EWS1 assessments, and manage remediation across Nottingham and the East Midlands.
Photographs: Korng Sok and Ebun Oluwole on Unsplash.