Description: Nestled in the rock below Nottingham Castle, these houses are part of a group of 17th century cottages (these are located at the west end), which have since been converted for use by the Brewhouse Yard Museum. People were living in the caves of what is now the Castle Rock even before the Saxons populated the present Lace Market, and The French Normans developed the Castle Rock area. There is evidence that the Castle Rock's caves were in use after the castle was built. It is possible that the caves were being used as the castle's brewhouse in the twelfth century, using a steady supply of water from the River Leen at the bottom of the rock. Perhaps further evidence can be found in the area's name of Brewhouse Yard but, of course, this may be of a much later date taking its derivation from the Trip and its now demolished neighbour, the Gate Hangs Well. The artist was Thomas Cooper Moore (1827 - 1901), who was a nineteenth century painter, watercolourist and pen and ink artist who first trained as an architect before dedicating himself to art. He was mainly self taught in this field but later started the first sketching class in Nottingham and was a founder of the Nottingham Society of artists. Most of Moore's landscapes were produced in or around the Nottingham area. He seems to have particularly liked drawing and painting pub and inns as well as scenes by the local rivers and canals. During this time and later in the nineteenth century his art was exhibited in Sheffield, Nottingham, Birmingham and London. T. C. Moore was also the father and teacher of Claude T. S. Moore (1853-1901), who became very well known for his paintings and watercolours of the Thames and other river views. A number of Thomas Cooper Moore's drawings and watercolours are housed in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. There are many more of his sketches to be seen on this web-site.