Benign Fiesta: Wyndham Lewis's Texts, Contexts, and Aesthetics
Conference Information
Travel
Benign Fiesta will take place on our main campus, University Park. A campus map (pdf) is available, and the campus can be seen on Google Maps. You can get to the campus in the following ways:
Those flying from mainland Europe may find direct flights to either East Midlands or Birmingham International airport. However, those flying from outside Europe are more likely to find routes via London: either Heathrow or Gatwick.
The closest airport (20 miles away) is East Midlands, where you can catch the SkyLink bus to Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) at the back of the University of Nottingham: from QMC to the registration building is a 10-15minute walk - see campus map (pdf). The bus from East Midlands airport takes approx. 45 minutes, costing £4. Alternatively, you can get a taxi from the airport at a cost of approx. £25.
From Birmingham International airport, you can get a 10-minute train to Birmingham New Street station; from there, you can get a direct Cross Country train which takes approx. 1hr 15 minutes to get to Nottingham Railway Station. Check the Cross Country Trains website for timetables and fares: booking a ticket up to one month in advance will likely ensure a much cheaper fare.
From Heathrow airport there are two options:
- Take the Heathrow Express to Paddington (15 minutes), then the underground from Paddington to London St Pancras. Take the mainline train from St Pancras to Nottingham, which usually takes just under two hours.
- Take the underground from Heathrow direct to St Pancras (Piccadilly line). Take the mainline train from St Pancras to Nottingham.
See the Heathrow Airport's official website and National Rail Enquiries for more details.
Gatwick airport is almost a three-hour train ride to Nottingham. You can to take a train from Gatwick Airport to Luton or Bedford, and then a connecting train on to Nottingham from either of these stations, or otherwise change in London.
See the Gatwick Airport's official website and National Rail Enquiries for more details.
The main train station is Nottingham Railway Station, where you can get a taxi to campus for approx. £10 (the journey takes around 15 minutes).
A cheaper alternative is to hop on a tram: the tram stop is accessible via a walkway within the train station. You can take a tram towards Toton Lane, getting off at the 'University Boulevard' stop (the one after 'Nottingham University'). This takes 10 minutes and costs £2.20 each way - be sure to buy a ticket from the machine at the tram stop before you get on the tram. Trams runs every ten minutes or so. Once you get off at 'University Boulevard', cross the road and enter campus via the footpath. You will need to turn left before coming to the lake and follow the path up onto Jubilee Avenue, again turning left and walking past Florence Boot Hall. If you are staying in campus accommodation, walk ahead between the gatehouses until you get to a mini roundabout and follow the road straight on, along Beeston Lane. Ancaster Hall will be on your left, and the Orchards Hotel will be on your right further up the road. Alternatively, at the mini roundabout you can turn right up Cut Through Lane to get to the conference venue (Sir Clive Granger Building).
If travelling by car, you will likely come via the M1 motorway. Leave the M1 at Junction 25 to join the A52 to Nottingham. Follow the A52 for approximately 4 miles; at the Toby Carvery roundabout turn right onto the A6464, then turn left at the next roundabout to enter the University's West Entrance.
If you are staying in University of Nottingham campus accommodation, you will be able to park for free at the corresponding car park. Otherwise, the main visitor car park, shown in the centre of this campus map (pdf), is available on a pay and display basis.
University Park and the city of Nottingham
Benign Fiesta will be held at main UK campus of the University of Nottingham, which is on a public park of 300 acres. If the weather is kind, you’ll be able to enjoy lots of greenery and a visit to the lake in between sessions! View the campus and its facilities.
The campus is two miles from the city centre, which equates to a ten-minute tram journey, fifteen-minute taxi ride, or twenty-minute trip on the bus (see travel information). Nottingham is a friendly city with plenty of restaurants and bars (there will be some good tips in your conference packs!), or you may also like to visit Beeston, a small town with places to eat and drink that’s a 20-minute walk from the campus (or a short taxi ride).
If you’d rather not venture off campus in the evenings, you don’t have to: breakfast and evening meals are included in the accommodation packages, and there are several places to have a drink (a hotel bar, a faculty pub, and a student bar).
Weather
The UK weather in September starts to cool down although it was unusually warm last year, so unfortunately you may have to pack for all eventualities! The Met Office will provide the most accurate forecast near to the time, but we advise you to think in terms of layers!
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