Description:
Jessamine Cottages are on the left; view looking south.
Jessamine Cottages were formerly called Workhouse Yard. These cottages were erected in 1729 by the parish of St. Nicholas to act as a workhouse; and they remained in such use until 1815. The old name for the hillock upon which these houses stand was Gillyflower or July Flower Hill, because of the wild wallflowers which grew upon it. In 1815 the workhouse was divided into tenements. Gradually they fell into disuse and many, in the 1950s, were overgrown with rambling weeds. In the 1940s there was much discussion, and lively controversy, in the press about how this picturesque corner of Nottingham might be preserved. The premises were offered by the corporation to Nottingham Archaeological Society at a nominal rent to serve as a possible headquarters as repository of relics of bygone Nottingham, but this offer was refused because of the condition of the cottages and the cost involved in repairing them. When the time came to demolish the cottages they had been condemned for many years. Describing the cottages, a local writer said that 'Their picturesque gables, dormer windows and the patch of garden in front of them surrounded with hollyhocks, lupins and jessamine make an old-world atmosphere that never fails to enrapture visitors.' They were still in use after WW2 and were demolished in 1956 to make way for the building of Peoples College opened on March 23rd 1961 (now Castle College), which covers a considerably larger area than that occupied by the cottages. (information from www.invink.com)