Nottingham is Robin Hood's city — but also the city of lace, bicycles and the East Midlands coalfield whose Victorian infrastructure left behind some of the most atmospherically extraordinary derelict buildings in the region. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in Nottingham, selected from our Abandoned Places Map UK — 640+ GPS locations across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Why Nottingham Is a Hidden Gem for Urban Exploration
Nottingham's urbex landscape combines Victorian industrial heritage — lace factories, waterworks, railway infrastructure — with the extraordinary Nottinghamshire coalfield whose colliery sites are among the most atmospherically complete abandoned industrial places in the East Midlands. The city's compact geography means most sites are within easy reach, and the urbex community here regularly documents places that never appear on national lists.
1. Bestwood Pumping Station – Bestwood, Nottinghamshire — 1871 Gothic Victorian Waterworks, Rusting Beam Engine Machinery, Ivy-Covered Walls, Grade II* Listed (Known Location)
The Old Bestwood Pumping Station was built in 1871 to supply Nottingham with clean water — a Victorian waterworks in Gothic style whose pointed arched windows, decorative brickwork and ornate chimney stack made essential public health infrastructure beautiful. Abandoned for decades, the rusting beam engine machinery, broken windows and ivy-covered Gothic walls create one of the most atmospherically extraordinary Victorian industrial ruins in the East Midlands. Grade II* listed, the pumping station is one of Nottinghamshire's most important derelict heritage buildings.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Bestwood Pumping Station
2. Bennerley Viaduct – Awsworth, Nottinghamshire — 1877 Wrought Iron Viaduct, the Iron Giant, 16 Spans Across the Erewash Valley, Closed 1968 (Known Location)
Bennerley Viaduct in the Erewash Valley is one of the most extraordinary pieces of Victorian railway engineering in the East Midlands — a 1877 wrought iron viaduct of 16 spans nicknamed the Iron Giant, closed in 1968 when the line was abandoned. The towering arches and empty track bed create a dramatic abandoned railway landscape now being partially restored as a cycle trail. One of the most visually spectacular pieces of abandoned railway infrastructure in Nottinghamshire.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Abandoned Places in Derby →
3. Clifton Hall – Clifton, Nottinghamshire — Georgian Manor, Abandoned Mid-2000s, Original Interiors Decaying, Nationally Known in Urbex Circles (Known Location)
Clifton Hall is a Grade II* listed Georgian manor that became one of the most discussed abandoned buildings in the East Midlands urbex community. Vacated in the mid-2000s after the owners reported strange events, the building fell into rapid decay — original fireplaces, ornate plasterwork ceilings and period room layouts left to the damp and the pigeons. The combination of the Georgian architecture, the documented rapid deterioration and the building's notoriety in urbex circles make Clifton Hall one of the most photographed derelict manor houses in Nottinghamshire.
🔗 Learn more: British Listed Buildings – Clifton Hall
4. Abandoned Nottinghamshire Colliery – 19th-20th Century Pit Complex, Winding Tower Still Standing, Pithead Baths with Original Locker Bays Intact, Notts Coalfield (Only on Our Map)
A 19th-20th century Nottinghamshire colliery — the winding tower still standing above the spoil heap, the pithead baths with original locker bays where miners changed before and after their shift and the lamp room with period Davy lamp fittings. The Nottinghamshire coalfield was one of the most productive in Britain; closures after the 1984-85 miners' strike left extraordinary mining heritage across the county. GPS coordinates available with our England Urbex Map.
5. Abandoned Nottingham Lace Factory – 1870s-1900s Lace Market Complex, Original Lace Machines on Cast-Iron Stands, Top-Lit Finishing Floor Intact (Our Map Exclusive)
An 1870s-1900s lace factory in the Nottingham Lace Market — the original lace-making machines still on their cast-iron stands, the top-lit finishing floor designed to flood the workroom with natural light, and the warp beam storage racks still in place. Nottingham was the global center of machine-made lace through the Victorian era; when synthetic fabrics ended the trade, the Victorian factories were progressively abandoned. Included in our England collection — 400+ locations.
❓ FAQ
What is the most famous abandoned place in Nottingham?
Bestwood Pumping Station — an 1871 Gothic Victorian waterworks with rusting beam engines and ivy-covered arched windows. Grade II* listed and one of the most atmospherically extraordinary Victorian industrial ruins in the East Midlands.
What is Clifton Hall?
A Grade II* listed Georgian manor abandoned in the mid-2000s, whose rapid deterioration and notoriety in urbex circles made it one of the most-photographed derelict manor houses in Nottinghamshire. Original Georgian interiors — fireplaces, plasterwork ceilings — left to decay.
What was the Nottingham lace industry?
Nottingham was the global center of machine-made lace from the early 19th century. The Lace Market district preserves the Victorian warehouse and factory buildings of the industry; when synthetic fabrics ended demand, the original factories were progressively vacated.
Safety Tips
- Mine shafts: the Nottinghamshire coalfield has thousands of capped and uncapped vertical shafts, many unmarked — never approach any ground opening near former colliery sites
- Collapsing lace factory floors: Nottingham lace buildings often have weakened floor joists from humidity and removed loom weights — test with a foot before crossing any timber floor
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and tell someone your destination before you leave
"Respect the decay. It tells the story."
🎯 Summary
Nottingham's abandoned places range from a Gothic Victorian pumping station with rusting beam engines, to a Georgian manor abandoned in the mid-2000s and the Iron Giant wrought iron viaduct crossing the Erewash Valley. Each of these 5 derelict buildings in Nottingham represents a different layer of a city built on lace, coal, and Victorian ambition.
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