Nottingham Exchange
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox Historic building
|name = Nottingham Exchange
|image = Nottingham Old Market Place c.1920 by Arthur Spooner.jpg
|caption = The Exchange ca. 1920 by Arthur Spooner
|map_type = Nottinghamshire
|coordinates = {{coord|52.952162|-1.147844|display=inline,title}}
|location = Old Market Square
|location_town = Nottingham
|location_country = England
|architect = Marmaduke Pennell
|client = Nottingham Corporation
|engineer =
|construction_start_date = 1724
|completion_date = 1726
|date_demolished = 1926
|cost = £2,400
|structural_system =
|style =
|size =
}}
Nottingham Exchange was built in the Market Place in Nottingham between 1724 and 1726 as the main offices of the Nottingham Corporation.
History
File:Turret Clock by James Woolley 1726.jpg in 1830 and now in Nottingham Industrial Museum]]
The Nottingham Exchange was erected between 1724 and 1726 replacing a shambles of buildings on the same site. It cost £2,400 (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|2400|1726|2015|r=0}}}} in 2015) {{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} and comprised a four-storey, eleven bay frontage {{convert|123|ft|m}} long.Allen's Illustrated hand book and guide to Nottingham. Richard Allen. Nottingham. 1866 The architect was the mayor, Marmaduke Pennell.Old and New Nottingham. William Howie Wylie. 1853 The corporation offices moved here from Nottingham Guild Hall.A centenary History of Nottingham. John Beckett. Manchester University Press. {{ISBN|0719040019}}
A clock was presented for the Exchange by 1728 by the famous clock builder James Woolley of Codnor, and in return he was made a Burgess of Nottingham.Clock and Watch Makers of Nottinghamshire. Harold H. Mather. Friends of Nottingham Museums. 1979
The building was reconstructed between 1814 and 1815 at a cost of £14,000A centenary History of Nottingham. John Beckett. Manchester University Press. {{ISBN|0719040019}} (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|14000|1815|2015|r=0}}}} in 2015).{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} This moved the main staircase from the front to the side, and gave better access to the Great Hall which was {{convert|75|ft|m}} by {{convert|30|ft|m}}. The Great Hall was used for concerts, elections, balls, meetings and exhibitions.
In 1830, John Whitehurst and Son of Derby provided a new clock for the Exchange at a cost of £100 (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|100|1830|2015|r=0}}}} in 2015).{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} (The old clock was acquired by St Nicholas' Church, Nottingham and the dial from this clock is still in situ on the church tower.)
On 19 September 1836 a new dial was added to the clock by Shepperley for £46 (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|46|1836|2015|r=0}}}} in 2015){{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} and this was illuminated by a gas jet. On 26 November 1836 a fire broke out and considerable damage was caused to the building.
The Midland Railway adopted London Time at all of its stations on 1 January 1846.{{cite news |author= |title=Railway Time |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000205/18451226/010/0003 |newspaper=Leicester Journal |location=British Newspaper Archive |date=26 December 1845 |access-date=9 September 2016 |via = British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} To avoid confusion, in February 1846 the town council ordered that the town clocks be furnished with three hands, two indicating local time and the additional one the railway and post-office London time.{{cite news |author= |title=The Town Council of Nottingham |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000354/18460306/003/0002 |newspaper=Lincolnshire Chronicle |location=British Newspaper Archive |date=6 March 1846 |access-date=9 September 2016 |via = British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }}
A new clock was built in 1881 by G. & F. Cope and moved to St Helen's Church, Trowell in 1927.
The Exchange was demolished in 1926 to make way for the current Nottingham Council House which occupies the same site.{{NHLE|desc=Council House, Exchange Buildings and adjoining shops and bank|num=1270582|access-date=10 April 2020}}
Nottingham Time Ball
In 1876 a Greenwich time ball apparatus was fixed to the Smithy-row corner of the parapet of the Nottingham Exchange. It started operation on 11 September 1876.{{cite news |author= |title=The Nottingham Time-Ball |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000176/18760915/013/0005 |newspaper=Nottinghamshire Guardian |location=England |date=15 September 1876 |access-date=26 December 2016 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} and was installed by the Corporation to indicate Greenwich Mean Time to assist with the regulation of public clocks. Operated by electrical control, the ball dropped from top to bottom of a short staff at 1pm each day.
It was removed in 1886. Its use was probably discontinued because the installation had lost both its novelty and usefulness through the more general availability of Greenwich time, and the greater accuracy of public clocks.Nottingham Evening Post. 6 January 1933
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Nottingham Places of Interest |state=autocollapse}}
Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Nottingham
Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1724
Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 1926
Category:19th-century fires in the United Kingdom