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All the United Kingdom England Nottingham The Flying Horse

The Flying Horse

A 15th-century former coaching inn forms the implausibly grand entrance to a 1980s shopping mall.

Nottingham, England

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E Capemarsh
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Ye Flying Horse   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the mall.   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
The Flying Horse.   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
The Flying Horse.   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Est. 1483.   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
The Flying Horse Arcade.   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Dating to 1483, the Flying Horse nestles modestly in the shadows of its 19th and 20th-century neighbors. This 500-year-old city center stalwart has been used as a private home, a coaching inn, a public house, and a shop. Since 1989, it has formed the somewhat improbable ingress to a charmingly winding arcade of boutiques.

The building was originally constructed as a home for wealthy merchants. But by its 300th birthday, it had been repurposed as a popular coaching tavern called the Travellers Inn. In the following century, the Inn had a change of name to The Flying Horse, possibly to tempt would-be horse-drawn coach travelers away from the competition by creating an association between the inn, fleet-footed steeds, and swift journey times.

The coaching inn eventually morphed into a public house, which persisted long after horses and carriages had disappeared from the city streets, finally closing its door to drinkers in 1989. Happily, the listed historic building was given a new lease on life, being incorporated into and giving its name to the tiny shopping mall that was constructed behind it. As if to keep the building’s boozy past alive, a popular craft ale shop occupies one of the shop units in the Flying Horse Arcade.

Related Tags

Architecture Architectural Oddities Malls

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The mall has two entrances. The 1483 frontage is on Cheapside, close to the Old Market Square, with a rear entrance on St Peters Gate.

Community Contributors

Added By

Capemarsh

Edited By

Jaszmina Szendrey, SEANETTA, marksholidayideas

  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • SEANETTA
  • marksholidayideas

Published

May 2, 2019

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Sources
  • http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/whatnall1928/flying_horse.htm
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Horse_Inn
The Flying Horse
1 Exchange Walk
Nottingham, England, NG1 2DD
United Kingdom
52.953001, -1.148938
Visit Website
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