The Sneinton Market area of Nottingham is a unique heritage location that has undergone major regeneration in the last 15 years and is rapidly becoming one of the most progressive and independent areas of the city.
A great neighbourhood in which to live and with so much on the doorstep, Fruit Market presents a rare opportunity to own a modern townhouse in the city centre.
Sneinton Market Avenues
Home to Independent Nottingham
Sneinton Market Avenues, the site of a former wholesale fruit and veg market, is now a thriving cluster of independent businesses including a coffee shop and roastery, sourdough bakery, bean to bar chocolate makers, a cookery school, an art shop, craft beer brewery and bar, Nottingham Street Food Club and a host of other independent creative businesses.
Sneinton Market Square
Lively Markets and Festivals Year Round
In 2012 Sneinton Market Square was subject to a major redesign and refurbishment by Patel Taylor Architects. This highly successful project significantly improved the look and feel of the area and this high quality refurbishment is standing the test of time.
The avenues and square also host weekly and monthly food markets, annual events and festivals such as the Nottingham Craft Beer Festival, Light Night and Pride.
A 1930s Nottingham Icon
Sneinton Market is one of the most historically significant locations in the city. The buildings that now form Sneinton Market avenues were built in the 1930s to house a wholesale fruit and veg market. These charming buildings – built in an ‘industrial art deco style’ – are of great pride to the city and remain of national architectural interest. The enduring quality of the design and layout of this facility is perfect for a new generation of independent businesses, bringing the area to life. The area is also home to Nottingham’s Victorian industrial past with exceptional examples of old textile mills in the area (now fully refurbished).
Victoria Leisure Centre
One of the Best Facilities in the City
Running along one edge of the square is the Victoria Leisure Centre. Rebuilt and refurbished by Levitate Architects in 2010, it remains one of the best leisure centres in the city with a swimming pool, gym and health suite facilities.
Art and Culture
The Arts on Your Doorstep
With independent galleries and artist’s studios such as Backlit, Nottingham’s major international gallery Nottingham Contemporary and the much loved Broadway Cinema just 5 minutes walk from Fruit Market, you have the best of Nottingham’s arts offering on your doorstep.
Bordering the Hockley area of the city centre, Sneinton Market is distinctly its own area, with its own unique character. While the city centre is on the doorstep, Sneinton Market’s friendly neighbourhood feel continues to grow making it the most progressive area in the city.
A Rich Architectural Heritage
The area is also part of Nottingham’s Victorian industrial past, with exceptional examples of old textile mills in the area that are richly decorated with architectural detail, many of which are now protected as listed buildings. There are fine examples of well preserved Victorian pubs, heritage terrace housing and outstanding examples of buildings that make use of Nottingham’s iconic sandstone, known locally as ‘Bulwell Stone.’
Victoria Park
The Fruit Market development is right across the road from the picturesque green space of Victoria Park and Promenade – a characterful and colourful victorian terrace of houses running along the back edge of the park – an iconic residential location and one of the prettiest in the city.
Victoria park is a great place for a stroll among its beautiful and well established trees or just to relax in the sunshine with the quiet hum of the city in the background. There is an excellent play park for the kids and a basketball court.
Traditional Pubs and Craft Beer
Being an old market area it’s inevitable that Sneinton Market has more than it’s fair share of excellent traditional pubs, but it’s also home to two of Nottingham’s best independent craft beer breweries. Liquid Light is a gem hidden among the newly renovated textile warehouses of Roden Street while the ever popular Neon Raptor has a tap room right here in the market lanes.
If a more traditional pint is your preference then the cosy freehouse King Billy just at the bottom of Sneinton Road has been featured in the Good Beer Guide for 15 years running and has regular folk music nights. Or you can visit the original old Fruit Market pub The Fox and Grapes at the end of one of the market lanes.
Nottingham Wildlife Trust
The Old Ragged School sited next door to the Victoria Leisure Centre on Sneinton Market Square was opened in the 1850s by Lord Shaftesbury to provide education to the poor children of Nottingham. By 1995 the building was in extremely poor condition due to decades of neglect.
Happily the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust saw the potential of the building as a new headquarters. With the kind support of the Heritage Lottery Fund a £1million project saw the restoration and conversion of the building which remains the Trust’s headquarters. The building is an excellent example of architecture built using Nottingham’s iconic sandstone, known locally as ‘Bulwell Stone.’
Cycling
There are some great rides out of Nottingham starting from Sneinton Market running all the way out to the Vale of Belvoir some of which avoid roads almost completely!
Bikes Love You is an independent bike shop run by bike lovers based in Sneinton. With professional bike repairs at affordable prices and carefully reconditioned second-hand bikes, they encourage cycling adventures and spread bike culture. They also organise cycling heritage tours of the city.
Fruit Market an ideal location for the keen cyclist.
Hockley
Cafe culture, a world of restaurants and great bars
Geographically, Sneinton Market is a natural extension of the popular Hockley area of the city. Home to hip coffee bars, some of the city’s best restaurants, the region’s best independent arts cinema and too many great bars to count, Hockley has always been known as the ‘cool’ end of town.