You can visit any county and find pubs called the White Lion, the Cross Keys and the Bell. But in Nottinghamshire there's a number honouring famous folk from the past.
Nottingham's legendary outlaw lends his name to pubs in Wigan, Manchester, Enfield and Sheffield but he's only truly at home at The Robin Hood in Sherwood, Lambley and Edwinstowe. His sidekick Little John is thrown in for good measure by a pub in Arnold.
Robin Hood, known around the world, needs no explanation, just like pubs named after royalty, such as the Victoria in Beeston, or King William IV, aka King Billy in Sneinton. Other pubs are named after military heroes, a famous actress and sports stars. Soon a new pub in West Bridgford will be dedicated to the memory of a celebrated Nottinghamshire cricketer and footballer, William Gunn.
But who were Lord Roberts, Joseph Else, Lillie Langtry and all the others whose names live on centuries later thanks to pubs across Nottingham?
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The Ned Ludd
The pub in Friar Lane, Nottingham, dedicates its name to a local rebel. Ned Ludd was the elusive figure and symbolic leader of protesters knowns the Luddites in the 18th century. They smashed up machinery, especially in cotton and woollen mills, that they believed was threatening their jobs.
Many scholars have tried to trace the origins of Ludd but there's no evidence he actually existed—a bit like Robin Hood. However the story goes that in 1779 he was a young apprentice working at a stocking frame when he took a hammer and destroyed the machinery in a fit of rage after being ticked off by his boss for knitting too loosely. He also went by the name of Captain, General and King Ludd.
The Joseph Else
Wetherspoons named the pub overlooking Old Market Square after the man who was a sculptor best known for his work on the Council House, Joseph Else (born February 1874 and died May 1955). The talented artist became principal of Nottingham School of Art, where he had previously been a student.
A lace designer's assistant by day, he had studied arts and architecture in the evenings before winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London. He created the famous lions which guard the entrance to the Council House and the frieze representing the city's old industries such as bell founding and alabaster.
His other work included war memorials for the Law Society and the bronze tablet on the Nottingham Castle sundial in memory of fallen soldiers. He also created the bust of Samuel Morley in the Arboretum and a sculpture decorating the Selfridges building on Oxford Street.
Lillie Langtry's
It's entirely appropriate that the pub opposite the Theatre Royal was named after one of the famous stage actresses and socialites of the late 1800s. Lillie Langtry, who was nicknamed the Jersey Lily, was famed for her beauty and romantic liaisons with royalty as much as her acting.
Paving the way for the likes of Kate Moss and Kate Winslet and all the other all the models and actresses who appear in adverts for beauty brands such as Rimmel and L'Oréal, Lillie Langtry became the first celebrity to endorse a commercial product when she became the poster girl for Pears Soap in 1882.
She appeared on stage at the Theatre Royal in 1885. Photographs and playbills from her career decorate the walls of the pub which previously had been called the Peach Tree.
Larwood & Voce
A pub in the shadow of Trent Bridge, the home of Notts County Cricket Club, had to be named after two legends of the sport, Harold Larwood and Bill Voce. The duo became known as cricket's most feared fast bowling duo in the 1930s, with Larwood reaching speeds of over 90mph.
The two became part of England's infamous 'bodyline' strategy of the Australian tour, bowling at batsman's heads and bodies. The controversy led to ill-feeling between the cricket teams, and the countries. Larwood, a miner's son, was dubbed a 'villain' and 'disgraced hero' and the furore brought about a premature and acrimonious end to his international career.
Voce, who told a fellow cricketer he reckoned bodyline had been wrong, remained widely respected, however, and went on to coach at Trent Bridge and Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's.
Sherwin Arms
A trend for calling pubs after well-to-do Nottinghamshire families saw this pub in Derby Road, Bramcote, named the Sherwin Arms. It takes its name from the family who lived at Bramcote Manor and later built a larger mansion Bramcote Hills House, which has since been demolished.
John Sherwin was appointed Sheriff of Nottingham in 1829. He had a son, who inherited the Gregory estates in Lincolnshire so his name became John Sherwin Gregory. He was appointed the Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire.
Other notable families with pubs named after them include the Charlton Arms in Chilwell and the Bentinck Hotel in Nottingham.
The Jesse Boot
Previously the pub on Beeston's High Road had been the Greyhound but after a makeover in 2017 it was renamed The Jesse Boot - ironic really since the philanthropist was teetotal and a member of the temperance movement. The name was no doubt chosen given Sir Jesse Boot's connection to Beeston - the headquarters of the Boots Company.
Jesse Boot (born 1850 and died 1931) transformed the small herbalist store founded by his father John, into a national retailer, Boots the Chemist, a name still synonymous with the high street. The businessman was a generous benefactor, donating land for the new University College at Highfields, now the University of Nottingham, which opened in 1928. In total Sir Jesse Boot contributed over £440,000, around £13m today.
The Lord Roberts
The Hockley pub in Broad Street was named after one of Britain's successful military commanders of the 19th century, who was awarded the Victoria Cross. Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts - affectionately known as Bobs - won important victories during the Second Afghan War and took over command of the British troops in the Boer War.
He was a revered military figure, but small in stature and described as kindly, unassuming and courteous which couldn't be more fitting for the pub, which is one of the most gay-friendly in the city.
The Kilpin Beer Cafe
Known for its craft beers, the city centre pub is named after Herbert Kilpin. The English football player and manager was best known as the main founding father of AC Milan.
The butcher's son played amateur football in his home city of Nottingham, first for Notts Olympic and then St Andrews, a church team based near the Forest Recreation Ground. In 1891 he moved to Turin to work in the Italian textile industry. He began playing for Internazionale Torino, making him the first Englishman to play football abroad.
After moving to Milan, he became one of the charter members of AC Milan, and served as player manager. He died in 1916 aged just 46 and was buried in a unmarked grave. In 1999, the club's centenary year, AC Milan paid for a new tombstone and following a petition Kilpin was was inducted into the Famedio, amongst the tombs of the city's most illustrious personalities.
Sir John Borlase Warren
The Canning Circus pub takes its name from a British Royal Navy officer. Sir John was also an MP, sitting in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1807. He was born in Stapleford and joined the navy as an able seaman in 1771, rising through the ranks.
In 1774, he was commodore of a squadron that successfully engaged the French fleet, capturing many enemy ships. On his return to Notts, Warren was cheered through the streets. He went on to become an admiral in 1810.
It's not the only Notts pub named in his honour. Wetherspoons christened its Stapleford pub The Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren, declaring him the town's most famous son. Meanwhile another celebrated British naval officer George Brydges Rodney lends his name to the Admiral Rodney pubs in Wollaton and Southwell.
Fothergills
The restaurant and bar in Castle Road is a tribute to Nottingham's most famous architect Watson Fothergill. He designed more than 100 unique buildings across Nottingham, influenced by the Gothic Revival and Old English vernacular architecture styles.
The son of a wealthy lace merchant, his most famous buildings include the former Black Boy Hotel, Queens Chambers in Long Row, his magnificent office in George Street, Hockley, plus the buildings in Castle Road, including this one.
From 1870 to 1906 he designed houses, banks, churches, shops and warehouses. His body is buried in Nottingham's Church (Rock) Cemetery in Mansfield Road.
The Samuel Hall
Another Wetherspoon's pub, this time dedicated to Samuel Hall, an inventor. Hall was born in Basford and made his fortune after inventing a lace finishing process which used a gas burner to remove loose fibres.
In 1825 he bought land in Sherwood for the area's first streets on the east side of Mansfield Road and sold the land in lots for the first homes to be built. He named Marshall Street, Mansfield Street and Hood Street, while Hall Street is named after him.
However, his fortune dwindled while working on less successful inventions, which mainly related to steam engines and boilers.
The Gladstone
Imagine a pub being named after an MP or Prime Minister today. The Boris Arms with the Sunak snug? Maybe not. However, the back street pub in the middle of a Victorian terrace, was named in honour of William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898), a Liberal politician, one time Newark MP and four times Prime Minister.
His reformist policies made him popular amongst the working class, earning him the title 'The People's William'. His career lasted for more than 60 years, 12 of those as leader of the country. His name lives on today through the pub in Loscoe Road, Carrington.
Bendigo Lounge
Long before Carl Froch, Herol Graham and Leigh Wood made a name for themselves in boxing, it was a man called William Abednego Thompson who was showing his prowess with his fists. Aka Bendigo, he was a bare-knuckle boxer who won the heavyweight championship of England in 1839 and again in 1845.
Born into an impoverished family of 21 children, Thompson was sent to the workhouse with his mother after the death of his father. His strength improved after becoming an ironworker and by 18 he started prize-fighting. The cafe bar in Beeston's High Road was named after the boxer, who was living in the town at the time of his death.
The Johnson Arms
The Johnson Arms was named after Frank Johnson. He's not as famous or heroic as some of the names above but he made his mark on Lenton and Dunkirk. There's the Johnson Cottages in Claude Street and the Johnson buildings in Abbey Street, of which the pub is one. Frank Johnson built the pub in 1912.
After being left an inheritance by his father he bought land and buildings, which compromised Dunkirk Farm and constructed streets in the area including Montpelier Road, Cavendish Street, Bunting Street and Marlborough Street.
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