Berkelium

The Black Boy Hotel was a coaching inn on Long Row in the centre of Nottingham until its demolition in 1970.

The inn first came into existence in the 17th century, and by 1700 there were stage coaches departing regularly. It was part of the Mansfield Charities set up by Samuel Brunts, and provided income for this charity.

It was rebuilt in 1886-88 by Fothergill Watson, and in 1897-1900 he made further additions and incorporated two shops.

The Black Boy Hotel earned fame for its luxury accommodation and catering services and it was mentioned in the 1939 Official Guide to Nottingham as “one of the most up-to-date hostelries in the Midlands.”

The Guide praised the outstanding facilities with 90 bedrooms fitted with cold and hot water and several bedrooms with private bathrooms.

It read: “The Black Boy enjoys an unrivalled reputation for its catering and has excellent accommodation for banquets, balls and social functions if all kinds… There is a gentlemen’s hairdressing saloon, on the premises."

The building survived until 1970 when it was demolished to make way for a new building which was occupied by Littlewoods, and more recently Primark.

Berkelium is a radioactive, silvery metal.

Because it is so rare, berkelium has no commercial or technological use at present.

It is named after the city of Berkeley, California, the location of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where it was discovered in December 1949.