Owen Pearce discovers what the English city of Nottingham has to offer the visitor.

Upturned collar, hands clasped overhead – and that warm smile so many of us remember well. I beamed too, as I gazed upwards at the bronze statue of Old Big’Ead himself, Brian Clough.

Paying homage to one of the finest football managers in the history of the game was a small, if significant, part of what was a hugely enjoyable weekend in the historic city of Nottingham.

This East Midlands city is typical of the many in Europe which has worked hard to shake off an unwanted reputation for crime, and make a statement as a modern and exciting city break destination.

I was last here in 1990, and more than 20 years later my memories of a grimy provincial town in need of a makeover were scrubbed away as if by some kind of magic sponge like those used in Cloughie’s playing days.

The city centre stands high above the main station and the flat land down on the banks of the River Trent, and is dominated by a number of landmarks modern and old, man-made and natural.

The natural wonder is the rock, a town-sized lump of Triassic-era sandstone upon which the city castle and many other buildings stand. People from around 1200AD up to the 1800s cut and carved literally miles of caves, caverns and passageways, to live, work, hide stuff, you name it.

To view this marriage of man-made skill and nature costs no more than a pint of a top-notch local real ale. Head for Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, one of those pubs which claims to be Britain’s oldest (the name is thanks to the crusaders who stopped here for a swift half on their way to the Holy Land).

Sitting here, pint in hand, in one of the many rooms, or should I say caverns, feels like being on the set of Lord of the Rings. View the pub’s cursed galleon, now covered in years of grime in a glass case – for years it was said anyone who cleaned it met an untimely death.

For something more formal, take an excellent guided tour in the official ‘City of Caves’ tour – entered via a small and rather unpromising entrance in the middle of the city’s modern Broadmarsh shopping centre.

What about life above ground? The city centre, while compact (walkable in about 20 minutes end to end) offers something for everyone, history and architecture buff, clubber, pubber, shopper and potterer.

Top picks for me were Nottingham Castle, the nostalgic Brewhouse Yard Museum, the quaint shops of the old Lacemarket and Victorian quarters, and... the tram!

The castle, a stately ‘Ducal mansion’, stands on a site which has been occupied and fortified since at least the Norman Conquest. After sackings and burnings, the current castle was built in 1674 by the 2nd Duke of Newcastle, Henry Cavendish.

Despite Britain becoming ever more peaceful, poor old Nottingham Castle suffered a further blow when it was burnt in 1831 by the city’s impoverished slum-dwellers – protesting against owner the Duke of Newcastle’s opposition to the 1832 Reform Act.

Thankfully the place was restored and the slums eventually cleared, and what we have now is a fine building housing an excellent museum (entry £5.50 adults, concs £4). The ticket also allows entry to the The Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard museum, just five minutes away down the hill.

Here one can view just about anything from past city life from old toys and games, a cobbler’s workshop, Forest football programmes from the club’s glory years in the 1970s, wartime posters and tons more.

The more observant of visitors will notice the abundance of quirky gabled, turreted and towered Victorian buildings, designed by the man who is to Nottingham what William Burges is to Cardiff or perhaps Christopher Wren to London, Watson Fothergill. Between 1870 and 1906 Fothergill designed a hundred offices, houses, factories and churches, in the old English vernacular style, with a more than a nod to the German Gothic penchant for deep overhanging roofs and folly-style decoration.

Picks of his examples are Mortimer House near the castle, Forthergill’s Offices in George Street and the Lace Market warehouse: delights all. Add to this an excellent range of high street and independent shops, and city’s modern trams, the result being a vibrant city centre combining the best of British with a pleasantly understated continental air.

I say understated because Nottingham hasn’t sold its soul by pretending to be ‘French style’ or anything like that.

Adding to the continental flavour is the Old Market Square, guarded by the stately city hall, an imposing, domed and pillared neo-Baroque building.

All of this sightseeing works up a thirst - so a strong recommendation is to try some of the many excellent local ales – Nottinghamshire is a beer paradise, boasting a range of independent breweries including one of the very best in Britain, Castle Rock, who brew Harvest Pale – Supreme Champion Beer of Britain 2010.

Cheers!

Forthcoming events:

• Night of Festivals, Nottingham

Cultural Olympiad 2012 – June 21-23, 2012, nightoffestivals.com. Night of Festivals is a free event by cultural agency ArtReach, bringing together live music, carnival arts and street theatre.

• Robin Hood Festival, Sherwood Forest

Nottinghamshire – August 13 -19, 2012, nottinghamshire.gov.uk/robinhoodfestival.Taking place immediately after the closing of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Robin Hood Festival celebrates the life and times of Nottinghamshire’s most legendary son.

Live entertainment, ranging from jesters to a medieval jousting contest and more, for all ages.

• Nottingham Robin Hood Beer Festival 2012

Nottingham Castle – October 11-13, 2012, beerfestival.nottinghamcamra.org. Experience 1,000 beers and 200 ciders at this annual celebration at Nottingham Castle. One of the biggest selections of ales on one site in the world.

Top five sights:

1 Nottingham Castle museum

Art, antiquities and a history of the city,much of it hands-on and interactive.

2 Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem and Ye Olde Salutation Inns

Proper pubs with their own caves, serving quality local beers and food.

3 Brewhouse Yard

A fascinating museum of Nottingham life.

4 City of Caves

Official guided tours of Nottingham’s man-made caves, cut from the local sandstone.

5 St Mary’s Priory Church

The city’s oldest church.A fine place of worship mentioned in the Domesday Book.

• The panel says top five sights

But just because it’s him, I have to add a sixth.You’ve got it, that statue of Brian Clough. I can hear him now: “A nice tribute, young man.

Except it shouldn’t be bronze. It should be gold!”