There’s been seeds of doubt over the regeneration of one of the city’s oldest streets – but it looks like it might just be working
Bridlesmith Gate is one of Nottingham’s oldest streets(Image: Joseph Raynor/Reach PLC)
The striking murals are up, new businesses are moving in left, right and centre, and shoppers are coming in their droves once again.
One of Nottingham’s oldest shopping areas is bouncing back and it feels like a street born again. But it’s not always been set in stone that Bridlesmith Gate would gain a reputation as one of the best areas of the city centre.
In fact, only four years ago the street was ’empty,’ according to the manager of one of Bridlesmith Gate’s newest additions.
Whilst it was once the city’s main shopping shopping street and had historically been the desired location for designer brands such as Hugo Boss, it felt the brunt of the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre’s demise in 2020.
Like nearby Lister Gate and many of the streets that surround the former shopping centre, this meant footfall quickly dwindled in this once-buzzing part of the city.
The Coronavirus lockdowns of that year didn’t help either, with many of the stores shoppers once loved having left Bridlesmith Gate by the time we were allowed back onto our high streets.
Yet, thanks to a regeneration project that kicked off in 2021, many of those once empty units are now brushing off the dust and being filled with quality traders.
So, is Bridlesmith Gate finally bouncing back?
‘Four years ago, it was just empty units everywhere – now it’s slowly coming back to life’
One of the newest businesses to take the plunge and open on the street is Glass Onion.
The hand-selected vintage shop – which also has sites in cities such as Sheffield and Leeds – opened its first Nottingham store on Bridlesmith Gate last February in the premises formerly occupied by fellow vintage traders Relic x Hooked.
Less than a year later, in January, however, they had moved further down the street and taken over an even bigger unit – formerly the Garms vintage shop – which is spread out across two floors.
Oliver Burke, manager of Glass Onion, can remember when Bridlesmith Gate was ‘just empty units everywhere'(Image: Nottingham Post/Nathan Woollard)
It’s thanks to the success of Glass Onion’s first site on Bridlesmith Gate that they were able to expand and relocate to a bigger site, explained manager Oliver Burke.
However, he can remember the street back in 2021 post-pandemic, when things were very different.
“Four or five years ago, it was just empty units everywhere, but now you can see people are moving in and I think there’s a real buzz being bought to the street, which is a good sign,” he told the Nottingham Post.
“With the closure of Broadmarsh, the footfall that the street lost was quite heavy – but I think it’s slowly coming back to life, which is exciting.”
One problem in the area which may take a little longer to fix is the shadow of the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre’s remains, which looms large over surrounding streets such as Bridlesmith Gate.
In March, the new buyers of the former shopping centre site asked independent traders, food and drink vendors and creatives to come forward and “breathe life back” into the partially demolished space on Drury Walk, which is accessed on Middle Pavement at the end of Bridlesmith Gate.
The remains can be seen lurking in the shadows behind Bridlesmith Gate and it’s this area which Mr Burke believes could truly be utilised as part of the area’s transformation.
The store manager added he’d like to see the space used as “a nice little walkthrough city park where someone would like to sit down”.
“Somewhere with lots of nice cafes – there’s none of that around here,” he added.
Caterina Navarra, who runs The Slice pizza shop just off Bridlesmith Gate on Middle Pavement, says it would be ‘nice to have more green spaces’ in the area(Image: Nottingham Post/Nathan Woollard)
Caterina Navarra, who runs The Slice pizza shop just off Bridlesmith Gate on Middle Pavement, agrees. The Italian pizza shop opened last December as is one of the area’s newest businesses.
“We’ve got so many people coming here from nearby offices and colleges – it would be nice to have more green areas,” the co-owner said.
“We have an amazing view from this window, but I think if we got some more plants and places where people can takeaway their food and sit, it would make the most of that landscape.”
What has sparked the streets transformation?
In December 2024, developers ALB Group announced all 14 properties it had previously bought on Bridlesmith Gate and nearby Byard Lane had been let.
Director Arran Bailey has long championed for Bridlesmith Gate’s regeneration and previously revealed his ambitions to transform the street into Nottingham’s version of the Carnaby Street shopping area in Soho.
The most recent business to open on the street is Dart Scene, which has taken over the former OFFseason unit and become the city centre’s first dart shop.
Bridlesmith Gate has dramatically changed in recent years(Image: Nottingham Post)
Mr Bailey said: “I’m absolutely delighted with how Bridlesmith Gate is progressing and flourishing. It’s been fantastic to see the area come back to life.
“There’s a real sense of momentum building, and I’m genuinely excited about the new shops set to open.
“DartScene is only going to strengthen what’s already happening, bringing even more energy and increased footfall to the area.
“When you look at the transformation over the past four or five years, it’s hard to argue with the progress, Bridlesmith Gate has seen a remarkable improvement and is fast becoming a vibrant destination once again.”
Street is more vibrant than ever – but warning it can’t ‘turn into a video game’
Part of the street’s dramatic transformation has come in the form of the striking new murals which began appearing on buildings in September 2022.
The technicolour street art-style artwork now fronts multiple buildings along the street, with Mr Bailey saying the move was part of wider efforts to make Bridlesmith Gate “cool again” after he’d heard the city centre described as “vanilla”.
Striking art murals now appear on various shops and buildings along Bridlesmith Gate(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
While Graham Woodward of the city’s civic society says he welcomes the wider regeneration of the area, he has warned over further dramatic changes to Bridlesmith Gate’s appearance.
Mr Woodward said: “It seems to have picked up recently and I’m not a fuddy-duddy or against brightening the place up a bit, but I am surprised about the comic style artwork.
“In Beeston, there are murals of famous people who lived there – it’s street art in recognition of the town’s history.
“But in Bridlesmith Gate, the art doesn’t give it an edge – this is one of the oldest-known streets in Nottingham and it’s first mentioned in the early 1300s.
“We don’t want it to turn into a video game and the road isn’t The Dandy [comic]. It’s the kind of decoration you’d expect at the seaside.”
What’s next?
A new Goldsmiths jewellery and watch store is set to open on Bridlesmith Gate and Nottingham City Council has also approved plans for unique virtual darts bar chain Flight Club to open its first site in the city on the street.
Most recently, plans have been revealed for a 60-person underground Tiki-themed cocktail bar.
