Maid Marian Way, Nottingham

Image: © Derek McKay Taken: Unknown

The scheme to cut a new road through the centre of Nottingham from Chapel Bar to Canal Street was first mooted by the city council in 1945, but it was a controversial plan from the start. Many felt that addressing the serious post-war housing shortage should have had a higher priority and there was also alarm at the number of historic properties that would be demolished. In the end the road was built in the 1960s and was christened Maid Marian Way. It did allow some busy city centre shopping streets to be pedestrianised but the road itself was characterised by a seemingly miscellaneous collection of modern and old buildings with little attempt at architectural harmony; it was famously described as 'the ugliest street in Europe' - a remark possibly attributable to Professor Arthur Ling of Nottingham University's Department of Architecture and Civic Planning. In this view from 1965 construction work is taking place at the junction with Friar Lane. A roundabout was built here with a series of pedestrian underpasses, although in recent years that has been removed. Note the vintage taxi passing through the roadworks.

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