Description:
This is one of Mr. Hammond's cleverest drawings, his treatment of the great blocks of ice on the banks of the river and his reproduction of the frosty atmosphere which made the winter of 1895-96 so memorable are surely great feats of draughtsmanship. Against the southern pier of the bridge will be seen a fire burning, one of the many that were lighted on the surface of the frozen stream, and it will be noted how the flow of the river is hampered and impeded by the ice so that it almost presents the appearance of a river in drought. This frost was one of the most severe in living memory and it lasted for several weeks, so severe was it that in places it penetrated into the ground so deeply as to freeze the water in the service mains. Ordinary houses suffered greatly and many were completely deprived of water. To overcome this difficulty, stand-pipes fitted with taps were placed at various points in the streets, from which supplies of water for domestic purposes might be obtained. It was a time of great hardship and discomfort and one which will not be readily forgotten by those who lived through it.
Descriptive text taken from 'Nottingham Past and Present', published in 1926.
A bridge has existed at or around the current location since 924 during the reign of Edward the Elder when an oak superstructure was supported by stone piers - with evidence that the site also had a ferry during occupation by the Danes.
In 1156, in the reign of Henry II came a stone, gothic arch style bridge, with 17 arch spans in total. This structure remained for a considerable period with reconstruction works dated at 1275 and 1374. The structure sustained considerable damage during the Cromwellian wars, with a great flood further adding to the damage.
The bridge as it appears today was constructed over a three-year period between 1868 and 1871, for the price of £36,000. Construction took place alongside the existing bridge, until the completion of the new bridge allowed the older structure to be demolished. Two of the approach spans to the older bridge still remain, next to the road outside County Hall. The bridge was then widened (1924-6) to allow the six-lane capacity that exists today.Thomas William Hammond 1854-1935. Born in Philadelphia of Nottingham emigres, and orphaned at the age of four, he came to England with his younger sister Maria and lived for a short while with his grandparents in Mount Street. In 1868 age 14 he enrolled in the Government School of Art. On the 1871 census he is described as a lace curtain designer, and in 1872 he was awarded the 'Queen's Prize for a Design of a Lace Curtain'. Other prizes followed and in 1877 he was again awarded the Queen's Prize, this time for the design for a damask table Cloth.
Thomas William Hammond 1854-1935. Born in Philadelphia of Nottingham emigres, and orphaned at the age of four, he came to England with his younger sister Maria and lived for a short while with his grandparents in Mount Street. In 1868 age 14 he enrolled in the Government School of Art. On the 1871 census he is described as a lace curtain designer, and in 1872 he was awarded the 'Queen's Prize for a Design of a Lace Curtain'. Other prizes followed and in 1877 he was again awarded the Queen's Prize, this time for the design for a damask table Cloth.
Hammond was an indefatigable worker, and soon began to use his skills as a draftsman to record aspects of the changing town. He began showing his work at local venues in 1882 and in 1890 exhibited for the first time at the Royal academy. His real hobby was black and white sketching in charcoal. He drew about 350 pictures all together mainly scenes of a Nottingham he knew but which has largely passed away today.
Extracted from 'The Changing Face of Tom Hammond's Nottingham' by John Beckett which is the introductory essay in 'A City in the Making Drawings of Tom Hammond'.