Wollaton Hall, set within the grounds of Wollaton Park, is an historic Elizabethan building set on top of a natural hill.

It lies within the safe, sleepy Nottingham suburb of Wollaton, which is around 5 miles out of the city centre in distance, yet about a million miles away in atmosphere. Buses run from the city centre,by the gates of the park, around every 15 minutes.

The hall itself has recently undergone a huge overhaul, as due to its' age, it was in desperate need of a facelift. However, it has always been a spectacular and beautiful building, and can be seen from miles around due to its' position on top of a hill.

It dates from the 1500s, when it was the home of the aristocratic Willoughby family. More information about them can be found inside. Also in the hall are other artefacts and natural history items, which are brilliant for the children.

Just across the path from the main hall is a smaller building, which houses the Nottingham Industrial Museum, a fascinating array of exhibits to while away an afternoon.

Events are regularly held at the hall, ranging from craft fairs to childrens' activity days, and sometimes there are festivals and shows held in the grounds.

Find out what is coming up at the website:

http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?artic leid=1037

The park and hall are free to enter, but there is a charge for parking: a mere £2.00 per day, pretty good value I feel.

There is some onstreet parking in the surrounding area, but beware: last time we did this, a local resident was lurking around taking photographs of everyones' number plates. Only later did we see the tiny police notice stuck to a lamp-post, informing us that on special event days, on street parking was prohibited. Whoops!

The park itself is around 500 acres, combining areas of wilderness with footpaths, manicured gardens and expanses of grass. Many times we have sat here with a picnic , or walked around the ornamental lake, feeding the birds there.

Some areas are fenced off, because Wollaton Park is home to several colonies of deer, and sometimes you can see them watching you through the long grass. We are not allowed into their area, however sometimes they jump the fence and come into our bit of the park: go carefully, especially during the mating season!

Behind the main hall, there is a golf course, and a 19th century orangerie glass house, full of gorgeous camellias, always worth a look.

Wollaton Park itself does not have a cafe or restaurant: refreshments run to maybe an ice cream van and a kiosk in the height of summer. However, a short walk away from any of the entrances, there are plenty of local shops and pubs, all of which are very nice.

Visitors to Nottingham are always directed to the Nottingham Castle, which is great, but in my opinion, they should give Wollaton Hall a chance too.