About the East Midlands

HISTORY

Always at the centre of history and modern development, the East Midlands was traversed by such major road networks as the ancient Jurrasic Way and the Roman Fosse Way, while today these have been eclipsed by the M1 and  the A46.  Whilst history may have been unkind to the East Midlands with the results of the Civil War and religious intolerance, historic wealth from sheep farming is manifested in the numerous grand houses that can be visited.  More modern investment and development means that the East Midlands can proudly boast today that it is in the vanguard of European regions.

TOWNS & CITIES

Nottingham - According to a recent national survey, Nottingham is one of the top two retail centres in the UK and is a veritable shopper's paradise, with over 1300 shops to choose from.  With its legendary  lace, caves, castle and Robin Hood,  Nottingham today buzzes with a vibrant night-life, over 200 restaurants and the Nottingham Playhouse, one of the country's premier theatrical venues for contemporary theatre.  Just seven miles away, the American Adventure Theme Park has enough adventure to blow your socks clean off!  Welcome to Nottingham, a vibrant, friendly city, where the past and present harmonise perfectly.

Leicester - The Market has been here for seven hundred years and  is  now complemented by pedestrianised shopping streets and the spectacular Shires Shopping Centre. Leicester is a city with a long and varied past engrained in the fabric of its buildings and the character of its business and people, yet is always looking forward to the future.  WG Grace, Gary Lineker and the flying Underwood brothers have all been associated with Sporting Leicester and with an abundance of parkland it is not surprising that Leicester has gained the award of  Britain's first Environment City.

Derby - Derby began its life as a Roman Fort in 43AD but in 1977, Derby became a city. From those humble beginnings, Derby has grown into a cosmopolitan City of over 225,000.  Retail therapy is a popular reason for visiting Derby, with a variety of shops, including a great favourite, Bennett's Department Store.  In a traffic-free environment or indoors at the Eagle Centre, maximise your concentration on bargain hunting!  For a truly local souvenir, visit the Royal Crown Derby factory shop or enter Derby Cathedral's doors to hear the oldest ring of ten bells in the world. For a complete change, go on a behind the scenes tour  of the 'The Rams', Derby County Football Club and round off  a fascinating city experience.

Lincoln - If you were looking for a city full of history, then look no further than Lincoln. Its Roman road, the Fosse Way, runs north from the busy shopping centre in the south of the city up Steep Hill and under the Roman arch at the north gate.  It is dominated by the glory of Lincoln Cathedral, of Norman origins and subsequently re-built after an earthquake!  It has its castle, one of the original copies of the Magna Carta, splendid views from the garden of the Medieval Bishops' Palace over the Roman and Medieval city and one of the most northerly vineyards in Europe.  Lincoln combines the old and the new with spectacular ease and is a city not to be missed.

Northampton - Although Northampton's commercial fame was based on the boot and shoe trade, most recently the Town has seen expansion through the opening of distribution centres and its location within major road networks has played a pivitol role in the creation of many new jobs.  It is also the home of the second largest open-air Market in the country.  Conveniently situated in the middle of England's tourist locations - Stratford, Oxford and Cambridge are all within 50 miles of the Town - and with London just an hour away by train, Nortampton is aptly known as 'Hour Town'.  British Formula One motor racing takes place at Silverstone, just a few miles south-west of Northampton and the Town is host to one of the largest hot air Balloon Festivals in the country. 

THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT OF THE EAST MIDLANDS

The region covers a geographical area of 15,630 sq km, representing 12% of England’s land area. The historic environment contains a number of designated sites and areas:

• Over 29,000 listed buildings. Of which 2,840 are at grade 1 and  II*
• 1,530 scheduled ancient monuments
• 1,000 conservation areas
• 152 grade I and II* listed buildings “at risk”
• 131 entries on the register of historic parks and gardens
• 5 historic battlefield sites
• The Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site
  

 THE ROLE OF ENGLISH HERITAGE IN THE EAST MIDLANDS

Our role is to:

• provide statutory and other advice on the management of the historic environment
• work with other organisations to develop policy and secure benefits for the historic environment
• encourage lifelong learning through our education service to schools and other appropriate organisations
• give grants for secular buildings, places of worship, ancient monuments, archaeological investigations and conservation led regeneration schemes
• maintain and conserve 23 historic properties in our care
• raise income from our properties and other activities including events and membership recruitment
• contribute to national research programmes
  

PARTNERSHIPS

We work in partnership with:

• The Government Office, providing advice on applications for listed building  consent
• Local authorities, providing advice on certain categories of applications for planning permission and listed building consent. We jointly fund heritage economic regeneration schemes and offer advice on strategic and local plans
• The Regional Assembly, as their formal advisor on the historic environment
• The Regional Development Agency, (emda), supporting their economic strategy and collaborating on specific initiatives, for example Market Towns
• Culture East Midlands, assisting in developing and implementing the
• Regional Cultural Strategy
• Through chairing the Regional Heritage Forum, which represents organisations in the sector, we seek to secure positive policies for the historic environment and collaborate on new initiatives
• The Rural Affairs Forum, which acts as a rural “sounding board”
   

We work with a number of other organisations to promote the value of the historic environment and to demonstrate how it enhances peoples’ quality of life

With emda and the Tourist Board, we encourage and support initiatives to develop the region’s tourism potential

Our overall objective is to encourage greater understanding of the quality of the region’s historic environment, celebrate its diversity and promote positive policies that will ensure that it is still here for future generations to enjoy.