Nottingham Castle lottery bid focuses on 1831 riots

A fresh bid for lottery cash for a £26m redevelopment of Nottingham Castle is to focus on the riots which took place in the city about 180 years ago.

In May, Nottingham City Council's first application for £15m towards the plans was turned down.

An interactive exhibition about the 1831 riots, which happened following a rejection of electoral reform, is now the authority's focus.

The castle's previous incarnation was destroyed during the trouble.

Better representation

David Trimble, the councillor for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said: "It's not unusual for bids like ours to have to undertake further work and development prior to achieving such a large award.

"We want to see a fantastic new museum, new visitor centre and something Nottingham could be really proud of, and bring its history to life."

The original bid had a strong Robin Hood theme.

However, according to the Castle Working Group which includes the council, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) wanted the bid strengthened.

"The HLF recognised the importance of the castle and liked the theme of social protest and rebellion through the ages," the group said.

The building, which was home to the Duke of Newcastle, was burned to the ground during the Reform Bill Riots that took place in Nottingham and Bristol in 1831.

It followed Parliament's decision not to give the country's cities and towns better representation.

But a year later a reform bill, believed to be partly in response to the trouble, was passed.

The castle was eventually restored in 1875 by local architect Thomas Chambers Hine.