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Out of time: the asylums of Nottingham

Nottingham has a long history of asylums stretching back to 1811, when the first was built in Sneinton. This later expanded as Saxondale, Rampton, Coppice and Mapperley opened. CJ De Barra tells us the history of mental hospitals in Nottingham…

The Drawing Room Gallery: redrawing Nottingham’s ecosystem of artists

If you’re looking for hidden gems in Hockley, there is nowhere better than Cobden Chambers – home to The Drawing Room Gallery & Tattoo Studio. Built for artists by artists, at the centre of their mission is a radical promise: local artists pay nothing upfront to exhibit their work and still get to keep the majority of their profits. We interviewed gallery manager Luke Bagley, and Emily Sewell, partner of the gallery and the owner of Paper Skin Tattoo.

Pick six: Charlie Dean, co-owner of Sneinton Market plant sanctuary Watered Garden

For this month’s Pick Six, we heard from Charlie Dean, co-owner of Sneinton Market plant shop The Watered Garden, which hosts terrarium and festive wreath workshops in November and December. 

Out of Time: How Divine came to Notts

Over the years, Divine has become one of the most instantly recognisable drag performers thanks to her iconic performances in John Waters’s camp classics, Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. She also had a pop career that took her on UK tours, including two performances in Nottingham.

Pick Six: JT Soar's Phil Booth

Ahead of JT Soar Fest #3 at The Old Cold Store on Saturday 31 October - Sunday 1 November, for this month’s Pick Six we turned to Phil Booth of DIY music venue and recording studio JT Soar.

Competition: Win A Pair of Tickets to watch Suede and the Manic Street Preachers at Motorpoint Arena

Two of the UK's biggest indie rock bands are playing a double-header at the Motorpoint Arena on Wednesday 11 November. We have a pair of tickets to give away, all you have to do is enter our competition below...

Cover to cover: the LeftLion team pick six personal favourite covers

Over the years, many wonderful illustrations and photos have featured on the front cover of LeftLion. To celebrate our 200th issue, our office team has each picked out a personal favourite… 

Exhibition Review: Rosemary Wels, A Retrospective at the Nottingham Society of Artists

Rosemary Wels’ final exhibition at the Nottingham Society of Artists is as educational as it is impressive as you walk through the story of her career from school sketches to Nottingham rainy-night landscapes.

Hidden Notts: six lesser spotted alleways worth visiting in Nottingham

If you’ve lived in Nottingham a while you’ll probably have at some point found yourself off the beaten path, trying out a shortcut or exploring an alleyway only to discover a cool shop, cafe or bar. Amongst more familiar streets – should you be curious enough – there are some excellent hidden treasures, each with their own historical tales and modern day offerings to enjoy…

Out of time: anti-vaxxers in Victorian Notts

When we think of the anti-vaccination movement, we tend to think of COVID and anti-lockdown protests. However, the anti-vax movement is surprisingly far older than typically expected – and one that the East Midlands played a significant part in. In the Victorian era, thousands demonstrated against the new compulsory smallpox vaccinations, leading to fines and arrests… 

Pick six: Notts folk artist Daudi Matsiko

For this month's Pick Six we feature Notts folk artist Daudi Matsiko who plays at Sneinton Market's By Our Hands We Make Our Way in 19 September.

Out of time: Nottingham's history of opium

Content warning, substances and the historical passing of children

Although it’s hard to believe today, in early to mid-Victorian Britain, it was possible to walk into a chemist’s and pick up a bottle of laudanum (opium) or cocaine, with or without a prescription. Even stranger than that, you might do so with the intention of giving it to your baby. You might even send your oldest child to go and pick it up for you. 

Pick Six: Just The Tonic founder Darrell Martin

This month we feature Darrell Martin, who founded Just The Tonic Comedy Club in Nottingham in 1994, which has since grown to host comedy nights nationwide and at Metronome every Saturday. At this month’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival they will be promoting 215 shows across nineteen performance spaces…

Out of Time: Noel Coward in Nottinghamshire

Noel Coward is remembered as a playwright and actor most often associated with the West End and London. Yet, his work has been performed for decades on stages across Nottingham’s leading theatres, with his film adaptations regularly screened in our historic cinemas. The Midlands also became something of a retreat for him. Here’s the role that our part of the world played in his life… 

Festival review: Splendour goes out in style

As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. For 18 years, Splendour Festival has been one of the highlights of the summer here in Nottingham, a community celebration that brings together UK music legends with some of the very best up-and-coming local bands. It began in 2008 with names including Kate Nash, The Charlatans and Ocean Colour Scene on the bill. However, with the event no longer able to viably continue, the 2026 edition marked the end of an era for our city's premier two-day festival. Determined to go out on a high, here is what took place at the last ever Splendour…

Artists, Lovers, Outsiders: the new exhibition at Nottingham Castle

The latest exhibition over at Nottingham Castle tells the story of Robert MacBryde and Robert Colquhoun, two Scottish artists, lovers, and outsiders, whose mark on mid-century Modernist art has largely been overlooked. Sophie Gargett caught up with curator and award-winning writer Damian Barr, whose fictional biographical novel The Two Roberts sheds light on a love story that was hidden for decades.

Pick Six: playwright and actor William Ivory

For this month’s Pick Six we turned to Notts born screenwriter, playwright and actor William Ivory ahead of his play The Market Deeping Model Railway Club, which runs at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 25 July.

Out of Time: How Sneinton's Victoria Lesiure Centre once hosted wrestling matches

Wrestling matches at what’s now the Victoria Leisure Centre on Gedling Street happened recently enough to be a childhood memory for some, but for others, it’s an almost forgotten occurrence. Here’s the colourful and chaotic history… 

Pick Six: Nigerian-British writer Yomi Sode

For this month’s Pick Six we turned to award-winning Nigerian-British writer Yomi Sode who will be performing at Lakeside Arts on 11 June as part of Nottingham Poetry Festival.

Out of time: a tale of two hotels on Derby Road

Two hotels once stood on Derby Road, and played roles in some unusual Nottingham history – one facilitated a dramatic confrontation featuring local suffragettes, the other housed a ‘mini Scotland’. Here’s the hidden history in those now-innocuous locations.

Checking out Public's sell-out lasagne night

We secured a ticket for Public’s sell-out lasagne night in April, which saw local foodies gather at the coffee shop after hours for a taste of Public’s take on two Italian classics…

Pick Six: comedian Matt Forde

For this month’s Pick Six, we turn to political comedian and impressionist Matt Forde who brings his show Defying Calamity to the Theatre Royal on Sun 31 May.

Competition: Win Nottingham Wing Fest 2026 Tickets

The world’s biggest chicken wing festival lands in Nottingham for the first time ever at the new Out Nottingham venue. We have two pairs of tickets to give away to our clucky readers...

Pick six: playwright Jane Upton

For this month’s Pick Six we turned to local playwright, Jane Upton, who’s new show Scenes from a Friendship comes to Nottingham Playhouse from Friday 15 May.

Theatre review: Nine Sixteenths at Nottingham Playhouse

The story and epic fallout of Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl is creatively re-examined through the lens of a real-life, queer black girl coming of age tale in this authentic, eye-opening and funny four-woman show.