Once upon a time, the proles of Nottingham got one over on the gentry through the medium of road-signage...
Just off the square, we have what is now Market Street. This started out as a narrow alley called Sheep Lane but, due to its limited width, it was a bit of an accident black spot. Pedestrians going up and meeting carts coming down resulted in quite a few people being squashed against the sides, usually resulting in blood stains on the floor and wall. This led to the locals referring to it as Blood Lane.
When it was widened in 1866, the gentry decided to call it Theatre Street, because it led from the Market Square to the Theatre Royal. The market people had other ideas though and the night before the official unveiling some cheeky boggers unscrewed the sign and replaced it with one named Market Street.
The following day was market day and everyone, the gentry and the market people, congregated at the bottom of the freshly widened Sheep Lane for the opening ceremony. The mayor pulled on the cord to reveal the new sign and saying what he saw, proclaimed the new roadway to be “Market Street”. Even though a portion of the assembled crowd – mostly gentry – complained and tried to point out the mayor’s error, they were heavily outnumbered and it’s stayed to this day.
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