WELCOME! 

Welcome to the hub of all things Lennox Street Unlocked!

So, What Is It?

Lennox Street Unlocked is our National Lottery Heritage Fund project that explores the history of Lennox Street and the wider Hockley area over the last 100 years. The project is focused on the lived experience of the area: funny anecdotes of why you would come to Hockley, the favourite shops from the area, and the people who lived and worked on the streets!

As a part of the project, we ran workshops, created a community for local researchers, brought in leading local historians for talks, and held hosted an exhibition to show off everything we found.

This project is made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery Players, we're grateful for them to fund this project and allow us to bring our local history to life.

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Our Digital Archive

Where once we held a space in our cafe to come explore all the findings from our project, we have moved into the digital space!

ACCESS THE DIGITAL ARCHIVE HERE

 We're constantly updating the website, adding new stories and items we've uncovered.

We will be accepting submissions to the project for the next five years as we build this archive.

If you have a story that you think should be included, no matter how big or small, get in contact with us via social media, or by emailing hello@wearenonsuch.com with the subject line 'Lennox Street Unlocked'

You can also submit your memories via the form found here! 

Learn About Our Group! 

The Archivists of Lennox Street

We hosted a series of workshops focusing on delving into the history of Hockley, with each session focusing on a different form of historical source. We went through everything from anecdotal histories to regional records and maps.

The sessions thought about the best ways to turn the historical information into a exciting and enticing exhibition!

Here is what we focused on:

• WEEK ONE - INTRO & RECORDS (Wed 22 March, 4:30pm to 6pm): Introduction to the project, and looking at written records in all forms. This focused on novels, to archival records collected by local historians for the project.‍
• WEEK TWO - MAPS (Wed 5 April, 4:30pm to 6pm): We looked at maps, walking tours and more! We thought about the experience of mapping the area, and what we can learn from the things recorded on maps, whether that be names of shops or the points of interest on walking tours.

• WEEK THREE - PHOTOS (Wed 19 April, 4:30pm to 6pm): Studying imagery of the area. We looked at paintings, professional photography, and personal photos to see how Hockley appears in our memories! 

• WEEK FOUR - ORAL HISTORY (Wed 3 May, 4:30pm to 6pm): This session revolved around the collection of your stories of the area! We discussed the small things about the area that make it special that may not have been covered by the other resources!

• WEEK FIVE - EXHIBITION PLANNING (Wed 17 May, 4:30pm to 6pm): This is where we pulled together everything we had been working on! We thought about how to make the elements we have considered work together to create a full story.

You can also join our Facebook group! This is a great way to share memories of the area, photos from your family archive, and connect with others who are interested in the project. The group also hears about our upcoming events first. You can join it here.

PREVIOUS EVENTS:

• Lennox Street Unlocked Launch Events, 23 January
• The History Of Hockley with Bob Massey, 31 January
• Hallelujah In The Halls Of Hockley with Maureen Cooper, 27 March 2023 at 7pm
• Colonial Legacies with Panya Banjoko, 18 April 2023 at 7pm
• The Archivist Sessions, see above for dates.
• University of Nottingham Research Session, 24 May 4:30pm to 6pm‍
• ‍THE EXHIBITION OF LENNOX ST UNLOCKED! 31 May 6pm

READ MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT:

Previous Announcements

January 6

We are thrilled to announce we have been awarded funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to launch a brand new heritage project;

Lennox Street Unlocked

Lennox Street Unlocked will see us exploring 100 years of change and history across Hockley in Nottingham City Centre.

Just over 100 years ago, Lennox Street, a small side-street in the centre of Nottingham was crammed with back-to-back houses where workers from the city's many industries lived, worked and socialised, but now, like the rest of Hockley that surrounds it, it has changed beyond all recognition and is now home to us here at Nonsuch Studios.

The story of Lennox Street, is also the story of Hockley, Sneinton Market & the wider Creative Quarter, where back-to-back housing has made way for the bustling coffee shops, eateries, independent businesses & creative venues that are the cultural lifeblood of our city today. We can't wait to investigate, discover and catalogue the social history of the changes in the neighbourhood over the past 100 years, working with residents, volunteers and the countless urban legends that fill the area.

To kick-start the project, we will be hosting two launch events on Monday 23rd January which can be found here: Lennox Street Unlocked Launch Events

These will allow those interested in the project can find out more, here about how they can get involved and begin the process of sharing stories and setting the focus of the projects investigation. 

We are also excited to announce our free history talk, The History of Hockley led by Bob Massey, Chair and Trustee of Nottinghamshire Local History Association on Tuesday 31st January at 7pm.

After the project kick-off those with stories, artefacts and personal connections to the changes in the area will be able to share and record their history as part of both a new digital archive and public exhibition that will launch at Nonsuch Studios in March 2023.

Edward Boott, Artistic Director & CEO of Nonsuch Studios says;

“We’re thrilled to have been awarded funds from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to realise this amazing project, that will see us understand the history of both our building and the surrounding area. Ever since we took over this Art Deco building in 2019, we’ve been fascinated by the history of change that surrounds our studios and the role that this change played in the wider redevelopment of Hockley and the Creative Quarter that we still see happening today.”

Tamily Cookson, CEO of the Creative Quarter Company says;

“As custodians of the Creative Quarter geography, we are always fascinated to learn more about how this area has developed, and we’re delighted that one of our key cultural venues is leading a project to  dive deeper into the history of the place we call home. People and places are so key to what makes Lennox Street and the surroundings such a vibrant part of the city, and we’re excited to see how the stories from the past have shaped the present.”

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We can't wait to see you and hear your stories about Hockley through the ages!