Trent Building, University Of Nottingham

The Trent Building, now part of the University of Nottingham, is an educational building constructed between 1922 and 1928 by Morley Horder for the University College of Nottingham. The site was provided by Sir Jesse Boot of Nottingham, and the building is constructed of Portland stone with copper roofing, designed in a Classical Revival style.

The exterior features a ground floor string course, main and attic cornices, and coped parapets. Most of the windows are original sash windows with glazing bars. The symmetrical composition includes a central block recessed between two wings, topped by a tall clock tower. The building is arranged with an H-plan, containing a central quadrangle flanked by open-ended courtyards to the east and west. The central block features a projecting portico with three windows and a pediment containing a crest. The basement has cross-casement French windows, while the upper floors have sash windows.

A square bell tower rises above the portico, featuring angle pilasters and a pyramidal roof with a wind vane, and clock faces on its middle stage. The side wings, two storeys plus a basement, are divided by giant pilasters, doubled at the corners. One wing has an extended basement with seven windows. The main entrance, located under the tower within the quadrangle, is a two-story projection with a round-arched opening framed by a moulded ashlar doorcase, topped with a Diocletian window. Above this is a tripartite attic window and a flat gable displaying a datestone (1928) and a Latin inscription. Other sides maintain regular fenestration and central doorways. The east courtyard has regular fenestration with central doorways to the east and north, and a similar design is found in the west courtyard, which is flanked by single-story ranges to the north and south.

The interior includes a stone-panelled lobby, entrance hall, and corridors on each floor. The entrance hall features a moulded cross beam ceiling supported by four granite Doric columns. In the east wing is a concrete open-well stair, and an adjoining library with a panelled ceiling, skylights, and cross beams. Original fittings remain largely intact, including wooden screens and balconies. The west wing contains a Great Hall, two storeys high, with marble cladding and a panelled cross beam ceiling. It incorporates arcades of seven bays with square piers, galleries, and central doors. Coved ends include a stage on one side and an organ gallery on the other.