Nottingham - NG1

Image: © David Hallam-Jones Taken: 21 Apr 2012

The Grade II-listed building behind the parked cars was originally called Morley House in Beck Lane, as the street was formerly known. It was built in 1750 for Mrs Anne Morley, a member of a family of stoneware manufacturers with premises in Carter Gate. This company also made glass, a fact that gave rise to the naming of a nearby street Glasshouse Street. Mrs Morley's husband Charles died at the age of 39yrs. In 1843, The Nottingham School of Design opened in this building, to educate workers in the lace and textile industries, one of the earliest such schools in the country. Then in 1852 a local philanthropist - George Gill (1788-1855) - decided to develop part of the soon-to-be-enlarged house into The People's College, with the aim of helping working men to better themselves, hence the property's name change to The People’s Hall. In 1854 it was reconverted into private house. During some part of the C20th it housed a snooker club and a snooker equipment shop. The iron gates and railing screen in front of the property nearest to the photographer once belonged to Morley House/The People's Hall but they were later relocated to their present site (relocation date unknown). The City Council, Nottingham Trent University and a specifically focused trust are currently considering plans to repair the building and to convert it into a business centre for use by small and medium size creative and digital businesses using already awarded funds from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Architectural Heritage Fund (2019).

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0