The Cross Keys pub, on the corner of Fletcher Gate and Byard Lane, occupies a special place in the fabric of Nottingham’s social history.
The current structure was built in 1899, but a pub had already stood on the site for several decades by that point. The crossed keys is a Christian symbol representing the keys to heaven, and – by extension – Saint Peter, the divine gatekeeper.
Its location meant the pub was at the heart of Nottingham’s lace industry. Byard Lane was home to several lace warehouses, and Fletcher Gate marks the western edge of the modern lace market area. The early patrons of the Cross Keys were the workers who contributed to Victorian Nottingham’s wealth, and the booming industry that brought people from poorer parts of the country to our city. In 1970, a local lad named Paul Smith’s opened his first shop on Byard Lane, and began earning his stripes in the fashion industry.
Rumours often abound of cavernous extensions to Nottingham pubs, and the Cross Keys is no exception. In the late 1890s, a tunnel was excavated to take trains from Victoria Station to Weekday Cross; in rough terms, extending underground from the southern end of Thurland Street to the area now dominated by the Nottingham Contemporary’s lower levels. The workers digging this huge tunnel ‘accidentally’ found their way into the cellar of The Cross Keys, and then ‘inadvertently’ drank most of the stock therein! The disgruntled landlord invoiced the railway company for the refreshments. That tunnel is still there, accommodating heating pipes that stretch from the London Road incinerator to Victoria Centre shops and flats.
The modern Cross Keys has been renovated and refurbished several times over the years, but its current incarnation is tastefully reflective of the pub’s Victorian roots. The minimalistic logo incorporates a representation of the Weekday Cross monument, which now stands where the Saxon market used to be held in centuries past, just over the road from the Cross keys site. It’s a nice, understated nod to Nottingham’s past; much like the pub itself.
The Cross Keys website: http://www.crosskeysnottingham.co.uk/
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