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. 

Film lovers of all ages can now enjoy an exciting new cinematic experience as we’ve launched our very own film club at Binks Yard, offering a selection of outdoor screenings throughout the year.

Designed to bring people together over some of the world’s favourite flicks, the Binks Yard film club launched on Wednesday 7th May, with a showing of Grease on the 7 x 3.35 metre outdoor screen – the largest in the East Midlands. The new club will see the venue host regular ticketed events across the season, with screenings of blockbusters such as Top Gun, La La Land and The Greatest Showman scheduled over the coming months.   

Arpita Anstey, marketing director at Binks Yard, said: “We’re really passionate about creating exciting experiences for our customers, and our film club is a natural extension of this. Whether you’re looking for an evening out with friends or family, or something a bit different to do for date night, our Film Club offers something for all movie lovers.” 

Film fans looking to make it a full evening event, can also choose to dine inside at Binks Yard or enjoy a range of alfresco options. 

A selection of food stalls will be available at every screening with a variety of fresh flavours and flame-cooked dishes to try, alongside the bar serving hot drinks, soft drinks and alcoholic refreshments. 

Arpita added: “Whether you’re after a casual bite or a full dining experience, we have plenty of options to suit all tastes, which can be enjoyed before or during the screening.” 

“Last summer we hosted an outdoor screening of Mamma Mia over on our terrace, which was a huge success. This year we’re looking forward to building on that success, with a jam-packed schedule of blockbusters and lots of opportunities for the people of Nottingham to enjoy the magic of film, Binks Yard style.” 

Each Binks Yard Film Club screening is ticketed, with entry starting at just £5. Walk-ins will also be welcome, subject to availability. 

To find out more about the Binks Yard Film Club, as well as upcoming screenings, visit https://binksyard.com/film-club/ 

Outdoor Gallery @ The Island Quarter is an exciting initiative to showcase the creativity and talent of local artists and organisations that contribute to Nottingham’s unique identity. We wanted to give a platform to artists at every stage of their career, from established names in the industry to Nottingham-based talent just starting to explore their style.

Nottingham artist, Reiss Mallet was appointed to curate and launch the initiative, which has seen him bring the new ‘city within a city’ to life through creative projects. Reiss has overseen the delivery and installation of an outside display below the The Island Quarter plinth on London Road.

The installation consists of a frame in which sit eight large format 4ft x 8ft panels, each painted by one of eight local artists who were selected from a high number of applications. Very much modern-art and abstract orientated, all the pieces displayed are colourful, vibrant and characteristically very different. The overall effect lifts completely what was a drab wall into a point of interest on the site.

The Artists:

Alex Rubes – https://www.instagram.com/alex.rubes/?hl=en

Alex Rubes is a Nottingham based artist who mostly works with spray paint in public spaces, His painting styles are often bold, pattern based with themes of the natural world.

In Nottingham he has been involved in several large-scale murals, most notably on Fletcher Gate on the edge of the Lace Market in the city and on Church Drive in Arnold.

With this recent project with The Island Quarter he wanted to work on a nature theme that reflected the city and a peregrine falcon was perfect, a contrast of urban and nature which is actually a common occurrence in his paintings.

Becca – https://www.instagram.com/sliceofthewilddesigns/

Becca is a self-taught illustrator and loves all things abstract, surreal and make believe; nature is her biggest inspiration and is important to her work.

Becca’s panel for The Island Quarter shows a bunch of unlikely animal friends sitting down for breakfast, a looming city in the background, polluting the air. Becca’s hope with this piece is to provoke change with the way we impact the environment.

Colette Rogers – https://www.instagram.com/colette.rogers.artiste/

Colette Rogers is a Nottingham-based artist and a contemporary abstract painter.

Using charcoal and gesso on canvas as her materials, Colette’s work takes on structural forms.

Given the location of the painting site, Colette felt as though the mark making should be really smooth, reflecting the fluidity of the water. Circular gestures and blue hues are a stark contrast of the surrounding buildings but bring out the brightness and ripples of the water. She wanted for there to be an ebb and flow between painting and the water, a connection to the surrounding environment.

Kynobi & Zena Kay – https://www.instagram.com/kynobio/?hl=en

Kynobi and Zena are a couple living and working in Nottingham, and both have their own freelance art practices. They illustrate, paint murals and make artwork separately, but when the opportunity to work on projects together comes they love it.

The couple used bright colours and bold shapes on this panel so people could enjoy it from the other side of the canal as well as being a splash of colour when walking close to it. The whole process was pretty organic, taking it in turns to add shapes which ended up feeling quite loose and winding, a little like the canal itself. They wanted to avoid over-complicating it or for it to represent anything in particular, just something to hopefully be enjoyed and add a little colour to people’s days.

Laura Decorum – https://www.instagram.com/lauradecorum/

Laura is a multi-disciplinary painter who lives and paints in Nottingham and surrounding areas. She has led creative activities and facilitated workshops for Nottingham City Council, New Arts Exchange, Goldhill Adventure Playground, Bullwell Toy Library, Mencap and Equation to name but a few.

Laura has created a dominant, strong and feminine woman with embellished fine details in true contradictory form the embodiment of vintage antiquity with a futuristic form.

Nicholas Wright – https://www.instagram.com/differingstructures/?hl=en-gb

Nicholas Wright has been a professional artist for over twenty years including representing England internationally in fine art shows all over Europe.

This large-scale drawing is part of a series based on the Latin phrase “Memento Mori” in English this translates to “Remember you must die”. Nicholas wanted to modernise it for today’s audience so within his “Memento Mori” Nicholas has included more modern symbols of decay, destruction, death and sometimes elements of modern technology. Hinting at our modern attitude to nature, as it is all framed in flowers and leaves.

Reggie Pugh & Gina Harries Pugh

Reggie Puge creates art for high street on windows, walls and interiors and enjoys working in a variety of styles, collage, inks and watercolour.

Gina Harries Pugh has a career in teaching, and since retiring, she has been developing a new body of work, exploring the nature of lost and found layers within a painting.

Reggie and Gina worked together to create a piece of art that responded to the natural foliage of the canal bank but in a graphic way that was bold and very visible from across the water. The simplified shapes also connect the art to the cells within the plants.

Ruby – https://www.instagram.com/rubyden.art/

Ruby is a Nottingham born artist whose work explores connection with environment, often through organic sculptural works and the use of found materials. Language has a central role in Ruby’s practice, she often plays with the idea of language expressed as a physicality through mapping and webbing in her works.

The inspiration for Ruby’s panel delves into the archives of Nottingham’s history.  The piece is an ode to the rich textiles legacy of the city, which was the hub of the British lace industry in the 19th century. The text is a direct translation from lyrics sung by immigrant workers of the time.

This panel has now sold.

This project aimed to celebrate Nottingham’s creative talent and give an opportunity to those at different points of their artistic careers. We’re grateful to the range of artists that gave their time and skills to the Outdoor Gallery and look forward to welcoming more of Nottingham’s creatives in the future.

To purchase a panel, please email theislandquarter@cartwrightcommunications.co.uk

In celebration of International Women’s Day, The Island Quarter has announced an all-female line up of local musicians for an event collaborating to raise money for Nottingham domestic abuse charity JUNO Women’s Aid.

Taking place inside canalside destination Binks Yard on Saturday 8 March, the free-to-attend event will feature an evening filled with inspiring music to celebrate the talent, resilience, and creativity of women in the Nottingham community. The event will be headlined by local rising star singer-songwriter Georgie, who will be performing from 4pm to 5:30pm, followed by Jessica Clarke-Wheatley, an established Nottingham singer, from 6pm to 7:30pm.

Liam Morgan, business development manager at 1 The Island Quarter, said: “Having supported JUNO for several years as a cause close to our hearts, International Women’s Day is the perfect opportunity to raise further awareness and funds for the charity, which offers incredible support and safety, empowering women across Nottingham.

“The Island Quarter is committed to fostering inclusivity and supporting meaningful initiatives across Nottingham, and we’re excited to welcome everyone to Binks Yard for an amazing evening with JUNO to mark this momentous day for women.”

As part of the celebration, The Island Quarter will be donating ten per cent of the net revenue generated in the evening across the bar and restaurant to JUNO, supporting its critical work helping women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

Tasarla Larner, fundraising and communications manager at JUNO, said: “We are incredibly excited to be part of this inspiring event and grateful to The Island Quarter and Binks Yard for their continued support. Events like this highlight the strength, creativity, and resilience of women in our community, including the courageous survivors we work with every day. Together, we can create a future where women and children can live safely and thrive.”