A step inside the Flying Horse Walk shopping emporium

Our blog feature on the Flying Horse Walk comes from Ellie Shouls, a musician raised in Nottingham who loves the arts, retail, and a good read! Having lived in Nottingham for the past fifteen years, I’m not oblivious to the city’s fantastic shopping centres and the great range of shops available. However, one of my favourite places to shop in Nottingham has to be the Flying Horse Walk. This hidden gem, tucked away between St Peter’s Gate and South Parade, still manages to delight me every time I take a peek inside. Firstly, there’s such a great variety of shops. From small boutique stores selling perfumes, jewellery, and lingerie, to big brands such as Vivienne Westwood, I’m always sure to find something worthwhile.  I can spend hours in the gift shops browsing wonderful gifts.  There are art galleries with incredible pieces, and even a bridal store. There are also independent clothes stores and an apparel fitting service. The arcade has a wonderful atmosphere - the walkway is spacious and inviting, and there’s a real friendly, community feel. Each shop owner really makes an effort to get to know you and to make sure you find what you’re looking for. However, they’re not pushy. There’s also a café in the Cheese Shop where you can sit, relax and enjoy freshly made produce which is ideal on a long shopping day. In fact, the Cheese Shop has just been selected as one of Nottingham’s best independent businesses – an award that is definitely well-deserved. As well as its great shopping opportunities, there’s also lots of history to the walk. It started as the Flying Horse Inn way back in the seventeenth century, and has since then been a hotel, a warehouse, shops, dwellings, and five public houses. It’s a great part of Nottingham city centre that has managed to hold on to its past.  This year, the Flying Horse Walk is planning a range of extra special festive events, which will add festive cheer to the arcade.  The first event, on Wednesday 20 November, is a late-night shopping evening with mince pies, mulled wine, and a giveaway of exclusive goody bags filled with merchandise and discounts to various stores. This is the same night the Christmas lights are being turned on in the market square, so there will be hundreds of people out and about enjoying the fun. A mince pie and a glass of mulled wine will warm anyone up nicely in this cold weather. There’s even going to be a choir singing carols. This event will continue every Saturday up to Christmas, from 1 until 4pm, with more giveaways of goodie bags. With the Christmas decorations now up, there’s no reason not to go down and join the fun. Next time you walk past the Flying Horse Walk, think about the history you’re passing by and maybe take some time out of your day to pop in. Who knows what you might find. To keep up to date with arcade news, follow Flying Horse Walk on twitter: @FlyingHorseWalk For more information about the events and the walk’s fascinating history, check out the website: http://www.flyinghorsewalk.co.uk/