The closure of Nottingham boozer Yates's earlier this month made us all nostalgic about the student nights we had there back in the 1980s drinking dodgy wine and thinking we were super-sophisticated.

It got us thinking about all the other things that you used to be able to do in the city that have now been assigned to history.

Visit the Tales of Robin Hood

The tourist attraction in Maid Marian Way brought the story of Nottingham's legendary outlaw to life. There was much excitement when the indoor adventure opened in 1989.

Visitors sat in a chair-lift and were taken on a ride through medieval Nottingham with all the sights, sounds and smells and kids could buy bows and arrows in the gift shop.

It closed down in 2009 due to rent problems and the building remains empty to this day.

See Santa at the Co-op

One of the highlights of the festive season for youngsters was seeing Santa in his grotto in a winter wonderland at Nottingham's main Co-op.

Father Christmas used to arrive at the store, in Upper Parliament Street, in a horse-drawn sleigh, greeted by crowds of spectators.

Celebrating the year man landed on the moon, visitors entered the 1969 Christmas display via a rocket, stepping out onto a moonscape.

Drive around Old Market Square

(Image: © Picture Nottingham/Nottingham City Council )

Motorists could at one time drive around the Old Market Square before it became a pedestrianised traffic-free zone.

Cars were banned first and later buses vanished from the second largest square in Britain (after London's Trafalgar Square) to make it more pedestrian-friendly with less noise and fewer fumes.

Back in the 1950s bus conductors and conductresses used to stop off in Slab Square for a mid-morning cuppa together.

Play on the grasshopper in Broadmarsh

There were hard knocks, but no doubt fond memories for the kids of the 70s hand 80s, who crawled through the big wooden grasshopper in the shopping centre and ended up with painful knees, heads and shins.

The larger than life insect ended up in the playground of a Radford school when Broadmarsh was refurbished in 2009 but we don't know what happened to the wooden frog and horse.

Go for a wee in the Old Market Square toilets

(Image: Nottingham Post )

Newcomers to Nottingham would never guess that there used to be underground public conveniences in the Old Market Square, now buried beneath a few tons of concrete and the present-day fountain.

Open all hours, the toilets weren't the most salubrious of all places even in the day time and certainly not in the early hours when the pubs had closed.

The lavs closed in 2005 as part of the square's multi-million pound revamp of the square, leaving just the loos in Greyhound Street.

Listen to the Xylophone Man

(Image: Steve Mincher)

The name Frank Robinson might not mean a lot but mention the Xylophone Man and it's sure to bring back memories of the pensioner who made shoppers smile with his plinky plonky tunes on a toy xylophone in Lister Gate in the 90s.

After the local legend passed away following a heart attack in 2004, a commemorative plaque was laid in his honour outside H&M where he used to play.

Buy fags from the shop in the subway underneath Maid Marian Way

Before Maid Marian Way was turned into a dual carriageway with pelican crossings, the only safe way to cross was via the 1960s subway.

It was creepy at times, the kind of place where you'd get mugged. The best thing about it was the Preston & Son's kiosk selling fags, newspapers, sweets and cobs.

The subway closed in 2003 and was pumped with concrete and became the crossroads we know today.

Watch two Nottingham football league clubs

(Image: @JMS Photography)

For more than 100 years Nottingham had two football league clubs. Now it's just the one after Notts County, the world's oldest Football League Club formed in 1862, was relegated in May following a 3-1 defeat to Swindon Town.

The club now plays in the Vanarama National League.

Listen to Radio Trent

Long before he went on to present the National Lottery and Supermarket Sweep, Dale Winton was a DJ at Nottingham's commercial radio station Radio Trent.

The station began broadcasting in 1975, based in the converted Women's Hospital in Castle Gate, and was also a launch pad for David 'Kid' Jensen.

Re-brands and mergers saw the station change to 96 Trent FM, Trent FM, and more recently Capital FM, in 2011, covering Nottingham, Leicester and Derby.

Go clubbing at Barry Noble's Astoria

These were the days when you could get smashed on a fiver and still have enough change for the bus fare home. Beer was 45p and spirits 35p at Barry Noble's Astoria, that young whippersnappers might know better as MGM or Ocean on the corner of Greyfriar Gate and Collin Street.

It was 1984 when Barry Noble took over the club, once known as the Astoria Ballroom and before that, the Sherwood Rooms, turning it into one of the defining nightspots of its era.

The following year he was reported to have died a millionaire, following a heart attack in the Isle of Man, aged just 43.

Marvel at the amazing chalk drawings in Lister Gate

Sadly we couldn't find any photos of the incredible chalk drawings by street artists which used to brighten up Lister Gate in the 1980s until the rain came down and washed them away. You'll just have to take our word just how amazing they were.

Have lunch at Brown Betty's

There was no where else quite like Brown Betty's, the tiny cafe with just a couple of tables, which became a bit of a Nottingham institution for filling the stomaches of everyone from hungover students to office workers with its legendary egg and bacon cobs and Sloppy Joes.

But all good things come to an end and the Boyd family closed the doors for the last time in St James's Street, in June 2017.

The cafe became swallowed up by neighbouring Riley's Sports Bar and lunchtimes have never been the same since...

Shop until you dropped at Toys R Us

Everything Monopoly to Barbie and Lego to car seats could be found at the toy utopia with the annoying back to front 'R'.

Trying out the bikes for size in the aisles or seeking out the latest action figures, kids loved Nottingham's biggest toy shop at Riverside Retail Park, where it was impossible to leave empty-handed. Meanwhile, parents had to visit in good time to make sure they got their hands on the must-have Christmas toy or risk a disappointed face on December 25.

Sadly, like many retailers, the business collapsed, leaving a massive VAT bill and thousands of redundanices. The Nottingham store closed last April and remains empty.

Pose in the Penthouse Bar

The flashy bar at the top of the Royal Hotel (now the Crowne Plaza) in Wollaton Street was the place for posing in the 1980s.

The cocktails, a pianist tinkling the ivories of a grand piano, and great views of the city centre, made it the place to be back in the day.

Some of the stars who played at the Royal Concert Hall used to pop in for a drink after the show, and long before he became an MP and Strictly Come Dancing sensation, a teenage Ed Balls (a regular at the Tap 'n' Tumbler) frequented the Penthouse for special occasions.

Buy pic 'n' mix in Woolworths

The best thing about the wonder of Woollies was the pic 'n' mix counter - for kids at least. Rows and rows of gummy, fizzy, chewy, chocolatey delights made it impossible to narrow it down so the bag always weighed - and cost - more than expected.

Scoops of Flying Saucers, sherbet lemons, fizzy cola bottles, shrimps and chocolate raisins were a must. Aniseed balls, Black Jacks, Brazil nuts and spogs were a no-no.

Rent a video/DVD from Blockbuster

(Image: PA)

Watching a film had to be planned with a trip to your nearest Blockbuster before the spontaneity of streaming made it possible to see a movie RIGHT NOW (or after 30 minutes of arguing with your nearest and dearest whether to go rom-com or action movie on Netflix).

Trawling the aisles, reading the jackets and picking up popcorn and pop was part of the fun. Paying the fine because you forget to take it back within the alloted rental time was not.

Catch a bus from Broadmarsh bus station

Once upon a time you could catch a bus from Broadmarsh, underneath the multi-storey car park (but wasn't that coin-operated loo awful?!).

Nottingham City Transport, Trent Barton and National Express operated from the bus station, which was bustling during the day but got creepier the later it became.

After closing in July 2017, the site was razed to the ground ready for the £86m transformation of the shopping centre, car park, bus station and a new library.

Have a burger (or knickerbocker glory) at Wimpy

It was the sophisticated way of eating fast food, with a knife and fork and waitress service. Back in the day it was home of the Shanty (fish) Salad, the Delta Brunch (pork burger) and the legendary knickerbocker glory.

There used to be a Wimpy on every high street - now, in Nottingham, there's none.

The city's last remaining Wimpy - a fixture in intu Broadmarsh Centre since 1975 - closed earlier this year to the dismay of all everyone who'd ever frequented the upper mall for a cheeseburger.

The franchisee said he'd been asked to remove to another unit downstairs as part of the redevelopment but the shopping centre hadn't made it available in time for his January 5 closing date.

Will the bender in a bun ever return to Nottingham? Wimpy says negotiations are still ongoing with Broadmarsh Centre owners intu about a new location for a restaurant in the city. Meanwhile the former franchisee Akram Malik has taken over a branch in Huddersfield.

Spend your pocket money at Gee Dee Models

(Image: Nottingham Post)

The Nottingham model shop brought hours of pleasure to generations of youngsters (and adults) who headed to Goose Gate, and later to Heathcoat Street, in Hockley, to buy kits for building planes, trains and cars.

The shop, which opened in 1946, was owned by Peter Grain but aged 88, he'd had enough and when attempts to find a buyer failed, that was it. After more than 70 years, the shop closed in March this year.

However, former staff purchased some of the leftover stock and hope to set up an online company.

Study at Trent Polytechnic

(Image: Nottingham Trent University )

Today Nottingham boasts two universities, Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham. But in the 70s and 80s, NTU was a polytechnic focusing on vocational and hands-on courses.

Entry requirements tended to be lower than the red-brick universities and as a result there was an element of snobbery, as academic UoN students looked down on their Trent Poly peers (I know, I was one.).

In 1992 all polys became eligible for university status and Nottingham Trent University was born. Since then it has brought all kinds of kudos to the city, with world-leading research and a growing list of prestigious accolades, from The Guardian's University of the Year 2019 to the Sunday Times University of the Year 2018.

Put washing up liquid in the fountains in the Old Market Square

(Image: Picture Nottingham/J Whitworth)

It wasn't big and it wasn't funny (ok, it was just a little bit) when some bright sparks put washing up liquid in the fountains that used to stand in Old Market Square creating a sea of foam.

The fountains were a landmark in the square from 1927 until the redevelopment in 2005-2007 when the new contemporary water feature was installed and put an end to the troublesome bubbles.

Watch a film at the Odeon (or ABC)

(Image: Picture Nottingham/Reg Baker)

Long before Showcase or Cineworld became the two hotspots for film-goers, there used to the Odeon and ABC within spitting distance of each other in Angel Row.

In the 1960s the Odeon became the world's first cinema to have two screens and as well as showing films, it was a platform for live music, with The Beatles playing there in 1963.

The Odeon closed in 2001 and was later demolished. Today it's the site of Taco Bell.

Buy Christmas gifts from Bhs

The start of the festive season was heralded by the arrival of the Christmas section at the store in intu Broadmarsh Centre.

Presents for him, her, the kids, granny and even cats and dogs, in the shape of food and drink, make-up, novelty gifts, toys and gadgets could be bought in one fell swoop.

It became a bit like Russian roulette, leaving it until the last minute for prices to be slashed but running the risk the gifts you'd got your eyes on would be sold.

British Home Stores' closed in 2016 after attempts to rescue the trouble-hit chain fell through putting an end to those Christmas shopping sprees.

Go to a gig at the Boat Club

U2, Elton John, the Sex Pistols and Rod Stewart rocked live on stage at Nottingham Boat House, long before they became the legends they are today.

The tiny club, on the banks of the River Trent, (along with the Union and Brit) were THE places to be in the sixties and seventies, with gig-goers paying around two shillings (10p in new money).

Led Zeppelin played a free gig at the tiny club in 1971 as a thank you for helping them up their way up.

What makes it even more remarkable is that the Boat Club only started booking bands since it was on the brink of bankruptcy.

All the boat clubs are now facing demolition to make way for Nottingham Forest's stadium expansion.

Buy a book from Mushroom Bookshop

(Image: Ross Bradshaw )

The radical bookshop was a workers' co-operative and the base for organising anti-fascist and anti-war activities, flourishing in the glory days of political activism.

First opening in 1972 in Arkwright Street, the shop later relocated to Heathcoat Street, in Hockley, (now the home of Jam Cafe and Paramount Pictures) where it remained until its closure in 2000.

Ross Bradshaw, who worked there, before going on to later open Five Leaves Bookshop in the city, says: "People in Nottingham now remember it as having a much more radical profile and stock than Five Leaves Bookshop, which opened in November 2013. But memories are often false – Mushroom had a humour section, sold a lot of Bill Bryson and and majored in self-help!"

Smash a plate at a Greek restaurant

A mezze, mousakka and a glass of ouzo used to be followed by the good old Greek tradition of plate-smashing and it was still happening at Eviva Taverna in Notitngham and Pappas in West Bridgford in the early 1990s.

But the fun of flinging crockery to the floor has been outlawed by today's compensation culture, for fear of restaurants being sued by customers hit by flying china. And imagine the bill of replacing all those plates in this economic climate...

Kick off a pub crawl at The Fountain Inn

Everyone knew everyone at the pub in Bridlesmith Gate. It was where you met your mates before a night on the razz, making it the top circuit pub in the city centre.

The place would be heaving in an era before the smoking ban, when everyone went to the pub instead of buying a four-pack of lager from the supermarket to drink at home.

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Was it cheesy? Too right, but what fun. There was even a toilet attendant with hairspray, deodorant and lollipops.

The pub, which opened in the 1960s served its last pint in 1999. The prime site was sold and turned into retail units, now occupied by White Stuff and Cath Kidston.

Use the 0602 Nottingham telephone code

Once upon a time, long before mobile phones become the norm, anyone outside Nottingham wanting to make a phone call to a friend, family or business would use their landline at home or go to a phone box and dial 0602 before the number in question.

On PhONEday in 1995 the dialling code changed across the UK with most areas inserting a 1 after the zero but five cities that were running low on available phone numbers, like Nottingham, Leeds and Sheffield got a brand new prefix, in our case 0115, followed by the number 9.