Nottingham history: Eerie photos show all that remains of ‘forgotten’ Bramcote Hall in Nottingham

Regardless of how well you think you know somewhere, there will always be little nuggets of information that take you by surprise. 

With its vast cave network, historic castle and forgotten train tunnels, Nottingham is a history-lover’s dream. 

Many are familiar with the history surrounding the city centre, but often Nottingham’s fascinating suburbs are overlooked. 

The story of Bramcote Hall is one even the most passionate of Nottingham history enthusiasts may not be familiar with. 

Located off Moss Drive, close to the Bramcote Old Church Tower, the hall was built in the 1860s and later became the home of Frederic Chatfield Smith. 

Smith, a politician and then-head of Smith’s Bank, altered and enlarged the hall into a 21-bedroom mansion. 

After Smith’s death in 1905, the hall and its contents were left to his wife, who herself died nine years later. 

From 1921, Bramcote Hall became a prep school for eight or nine-year-olds, who were then prepared for their Common Entrance Examination. 

In 1965, the hall was sold to Nottingham University after the prep school’s relocation to Gamston. 

Sadly, the Victorian-era hall was demolished a year later. 

However, to this day some subtle clues remain at the site where the hall once stood. 

Ant Daykin, who runs the Trekking Exploration YouTube channel, recently visited the site and found several eerie reminders of the hall. 

Mr Daykin, who has 26,000 subscribers, has kindly shared some photos of his visit with Nottingham World. 

Scroll down to see photos of the former Bramcote Hall site.