From past to future: The Island Quarter, Nottingham
The Island Quarter site is one of the most important sites in Nottingham’s industrial history. Its journey is continuing as Conygar continues to progress the latest chapter of development on the site, yet it began rising to prominence two hundred years prior.
Where it all began
A stone’s throw away from Nottingham’s famous Lace Market area, The Island Quarter site also became a hub of enterprise as the home to lace-makers, cotton traders and drug companies. The most famous of all to have its home on the site was The Boots Drug, co-founded by John Boot and expanded by his son, Jesse, starting with three rooms in a lace-mill on site.
As Jesse Boot began to build the Boots name, he found that the easy access to the canal and London Road railway station allowed for the delivery and dispatching of goods to run smoothly across Nottingham, including to the flagship store on Pelham Street, and beyond, allowing the Boots empire to quickly expand By the 1900s, the site had hundreds of employees and was a hive of industry.
Developing The Island Quarter
Although a small-scale operation in comparison to modern day, The Island Quarter quickly became the home to one of England’s largest medicinal manufacturing efforts.
The Island Quarter site continued to thrive into the 20th century. 1905 saw the James Alexander warehouse built, covering 10.5 hectares with other warehouses to meet the growing manufacturing demands of Jesse Boot’s empire at the time. The James Alexander warehouse still stands today, and as one of the heritage buildings we have on site, it is a key part of the area’s regeneration.
As the industrial revolution continued to take hold of Europe, The Boots Drug Co. refused to be left behind. The company’s first ever steam-driven vehicle was purchased in 1913 for use in the city of Nottingham and supported its expansion. This was not only a modern development for the area at the time, but for the whole of Nottingham. Once again proving how the development of the site has continued to support and boost the local economy.
With the outbreak of the first World War, Boots worked to quickly establish a chemical manufacturing building at Island Street, to help fill the gap left by the halting of supplies from Germany. From here the Boots team was able to develop a new analytical product manufacturing process, becoming a vital hub for supplying medical supplies, including the “purest” aspirin on the market.
The present-day Island Quarter
As Boots consolidated its operations at the factory site in Beeston, Nottingham City Council acquired the site in 1994 before selling to developer Simons, with the land was labelled for redevelopment as part of the City Challenge outlined by Prime Minister John Major. This included overzealous proposals of a World Trade Centre of the early 1990s – with luxury boats on the Nottingham Canal – which did not come to fruition.
Many further false dawns would mean the site remained derelict for several years to come. 2011 marked another significant failure in ambitious planning applications, with Tesco’s failed attempt to build the largest supermarket in the East Midlands.
After many impasses on plans with developers, developer Conygar purchased the site in 2016 and outlined its commitment to delivering a place ‘of Nottingham for Nottingham’ that continues the city’s enduring ambition for innovation.
Recognising the potential for a mixed-use development that could blend the city’s historical charm with modern amenities, Conygar secured outline planning approval in 2019, first leading to the construction of restaurant venue 1 The Island Quarter. Opening its doors in September 2022, this ended more than a quarter of a century of dereliction.
Echoes of industry of the past remain on the site to this day. Grade II listed Great Northern Warehouse, which was badly damaged by fire in 1998, is now little more than a shell propped up by scaffolding, while the James Alexander Warehouse remains reasonably intact. Conygar has ambitions to return these to a usable state with a renewed purpose, maintaining the historical features in the process.
With restaurant and events venue 1 The Island Quarter and student accommodation Winfield Court setting the tone for further development to come, Conygar aims to recapture the spirit of The Island Quarter that has endeared it to the hearts and minds of the Nottingham people from its proud industrial past.
If you’re wanting to learn more about The Island Quarter in Nottingham then reach out to our team today.
If you’d like to learn about The Island Quarter, please get in touch with our team for further information.