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Short Hill
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CURIOUSLY enough there appears to be no history or stories associated with the old house in the middle of the picture. At any rate beyond the vague statement that it was used as a school a century or so ago, I have been unable to find ad out anything of interest associated with it; but the neighbourhood of Short-hill and Hollow-stone is extraordinarily interesting.
Long, long ago, long before the Romans ever came to Britain, Nottingham was a primitive settlement fortified upon the top of a cliff round about where St. Mary’s Church is now situated. The entrance to this enclosure appears to have been up Malin-hill.
Short-hill itself was constructed in some unknown but ancient period as a short cut into this settlement. Hollow-stone came into use at a very much later period, and in its early days was far steeper than it is now.
A century or more ago its top was taken off and its bottom, round about where Plumptre-square is now situated, was raised in order to ease the strain on the horses dragging coaches up this ascent. It is believed that when Nottingham was walled in the reign of Henry II., one of the, town gates was situated just at the turn of Hollow-stone, and there is a tradition that the caves thereabouts were used as guard chambers.