Harlaxton Day 11: Nottingham

Hello, everyone! Today is our third day living in the Hogwarts-like manor, and today marks the first of our several literary field trips whilst in Grantham. Following breakfast, the group piled into the double-decker coach promptly at 8:30 and traveled to the hometown of British author D.H. Lawrence in Nottingham. In the previous day, our class studied the chronology of Lawrence’s life, along with three short stories of his: “The Rocking Horse-Winner”, “The Blind Man”, and “Odour of Chrysanthemums”. As Dr. Rutledge taught us, all great authors gain inspiration from the world around them. This was clearly reflected throughout the day as we witnessed the inspiration of many of Lawrence’s works in person.

We arrived in the city of Nottingham after traveling in the coach for an hour and a half. As usual, most of us (including myself) spent most of our travels there sleeping soundly. Our group ventured to a pathway where we passed various landmarks in Lawrence’s life. We met a few specialists of D.H. Lawrence, and we learned a lot about the influence of events in his life on his stories. We eventually came upon Brinsley Headstocks. At first sight, it seemed like it wasn’t much, just a bunch of wood configured into some sort of shaft (if you actually know what a headstock is, 10 points for you). Thanks to our guides, though, the stories and history of Lawrence truly poured out of the twin headstocks. The Brinsley Headstocks were a symbol of the booming coal industry at the time, which played a significant role in Lawrence’s life and eventually, his stories. Lawrence’s father worked as a coal miner at the Headstocks whereas his mother, contrary to most women of her time, was a part of the lace-making industry.

We took a short break for lunch and moved on to the D.H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum in Eastwood. The museum was embedded into the house that Lawrence was born and brought up in. After our tour, we went into the activities area and learned how to make rugs out of strips of fabric and play various marble games. Fellow student Julia Stekardis and I were so inspired by D.H. Lawrence’s works that we decided to further explore his works outside of our mandatory reading. As someone who typically doesn’t venture into fictional territory, this was something new that I looked forward to indulging in. I have yet to start Lady Chatterly’s Lover but I’m sure with the amount of recommendations we received to select it, it’ll be a fantastic read.

Overall, Nottingham is the kind of city that, in contrast to the buzzing nightlife of London, feels so much like your own. It’s the kind of city that welcomes you with open arms as if it was your own small hometown. I truly enjoyed exploring the slice of history that it provided in context to D.H. Lawrence, and I look forward to the various literary adventures that are to come.