A new skate-friendly public space in Nottingham

To accompany the prints kindly gifted by UK skate photography legends Matthew 'Wig' Worland and Andrew Horsley, another towering Sidewalk alumnus and friend, the awesome Ben Powell, has cast his beautiful mind way, way back to the 1990s, when he also lived and skateboarded in Big Notts, to come up with 20 awesome questions for Forty Two co-pilot, rubber-legged OG, dad, and long-time tea and nap connoisseur Mr Scott(y) Underdown.

Over to Ben...

You’re from Chatham/Whitstable in Kent originally, Scott – what were your early connections to the Nottingham skate scene? You were friends with John Weatherall before moving to Notts, right? 

[Scotty] Yeah that’s right, my Sister moved to Nottingham way before I did. I would come visit her throughout the late 80s / early 90s. It was on one of these visits that I first met and became friends with Jon. He kindly introduced me to the scene and I guess my trips became more regular and prolonged 'til in 1992 I stayed up for the whole summer holidays and then in '93 moved up full time for uni.

What drew you to Nottingham – did you come because of skating, or of University or a combination of both?
 
It was definitely a combination of the two. When I finished sixth form I didn’t really know what I wanted to do apart from skate. I’d been working Saturdays in the local skate shop All-Skates (formerly known as 12+1... which was previously called Wheels and Waves... which was once known as Mr Wilsons) in the indoor market (Third eye) for Len Creavey (RIP), and also pot washing some evenings at a local restaurant. So going to study at University in a city that's great for skating seemed an obvious choice.

Were you aware of the skate scene/the spots/the skaters in Notts before you relocated? What was the draw for a skater like you who had London on his doorstep to move to the East Midlands?

Yes! I remember studying the 'Where' guide from an old issue of R.A.D. [Read and Destroy, the UK magazine that preceded Sidewalk] and Nottingham had the most spots outside of London.

On one of my very first trips to Nottingham I just randomly walked past the Broady Banks and was absolutely blown away by them! As soon as I met Jon, Alan [Rushbrooke], Brad [Garner] etc. they were quick to show me the city’s other delights such as the Square, Poly, IBM, Chilwell, the indoor park at Bulwell. There were so many spots littered around the city and beyond.

I guess the main draw to move to Nottingham over London was its welcoming skate community.

It’s true London was right on my doorstep and it had more than its fair share of incredible skaters and spots but it just didn’t seem as inviting. I guess being such a big city, with so many people coming and going, it’s difficult to make those same kinda connections with people.

Can you remember the first Nottingham skate photo and skate footage that you saw?

It's a little foggy but these are some that have stuck with me:

• Pete helicar - nose pick on a lion

• Bill Danforth - front 5050 on the snakes ramp

• Notts Landing - ???

• Mark Gonzales - Blind video days video

• 540 - Rollersnakes video

• Streetskater 2 - Simon Kotowicz / Non-Stop

Who were your early skate mates in Nottingham as a new face? Who did you skate with?

I guess initially it was Jon (Weatherall), Alan (Rushbrooke), Brad (Garner), Craig (Smedley), Miles (style for), Fish, Buttie and Sean, and it evolved from there.

[Scotty's 'Haunts' interview in Sidewalk issue 23, Jan/Feb 1998.]

You began to be an imported local in around 93-ish right? Tell us about the Nottingham street scene of that time – the Square was popping right – 100s of skaters out everyday no security, Broadmarsh banks heavy sessions and then late night sessions in the Broady bus station and the tunnel leading to it from the shopping centre. What memories do you have of those days/sessions?

It was in the days before Sunday licensing laws so every Sunday the city would be deserted, leaving it wide open for some epic sessions! We would often just blast through town hitting one spot after the other. Quick ride on the IBM banks then fly through the old subway to sesh the square, then down to the marble block outside Broardmarsh, through the underpass hitting the curb cut en route, then through the bus station for some marble smooth flat ground and hit up a few of the benches and end up at Broadmarsh banks! There were so many skaters about, tons of locals and then peeps who would regularly travel from further afield Loughborough, Leicester, Worksop, Mansfield, Derby, Sheffield, Birmingham crews and you would get to know everyone. Amazing times!

[Scotty's Sidewalk Mag cover on an Oxford rail, 2000. Photo: Andy Horsley. Grab a copy of this from our rewards!]

Notts had some very heavy locals back in the 90s and started getting a lot of coverage – which people were pushing the levels back then?

Alan Rushbrooke, Pete Hellicar, Brad Garner, Craig Smedley, Jon Weatherall, Harry, Rob Johnson
[Editor's note: Alan, Pete and Harry went on to found Unabomber Skateboards who, alongside Blueprint, really put UK skateboarding on the world map in the late 90s and early 2000s. Unabomber's first video, Unapromo, 1998, is full of Notts spots.]

Were you present for any of the many random US visitations of the era? Kareem, Natas and Pat Duffy one minute, Adam McNatt the next, Kip Sumpter and Ricky Oyola randomly appearing at Broady Banks. Did you skate with any legends back then?

Yeah I caught a few! I remember following Adam McNatt around as he casually destroyed spots that we hadn’t even viewed as spots at the time (throw on 5050 on a higher than average rail on Maid Marion way and the kickflip nose wheelie on a brick ledge by the Vicky centre come to mind!). The Broady jam when all the east coast guys turned up was crazy too! Those guys skated the place like they were locals and the locals all turned it up a notch so it was like some kind of tidal wave of skateboarding thundering around every corner of those brick beauties!

[Scotty's noseslide in Broadmarsh Bus Station back in the 90s. Only 3 Wig Worland prints left in our rewards!]

Best trick(s) ever done in the original Square?

I don’t even have a clue but these are some that have stayed with me:

    •    Jon Weatherall - Switch 360 flip the 5

    •    Harry - backside 180 off the four and over a bin (the hard way)

    •    Brad - sal flip off the highest wall in the square

    •    Tom Penny - ollie from the five to the fountain bank

    •    Carl Shipman - kickflip nose slides on the high block with no wax! 

    •    Rob Johnson - back 5050 on the bog wall

    •    Jagger - front noseslide on the driveway block

You left Nottingham for a few years in the late 90s before returning and making it your permanent home – how much of an effect did the destruction of the original Market Square/Broadmarsh Banks have on the scene do you think?

Personally it felt like a heavy toll, Both spots were so cornerstone to the Nottingham skate scene. The square being the unofficial meet up spot that you could just turn up to and be guaranteed a sesh featuring everything you could ask for from a street plaza, 3, 4 and 5 sets, grindable ledges varying from curb to over waist height, gaps and a banked fountain feature that would be periodically drained to add a few new lines or filled with food colouring and bubble bath to make an exotic backdrop!

Then there was the Broady Banks [which were] a totally unique piece of skate architecture - a crossover between 70s skatepark and street spot; one of the most fun/harshest places to skate that I’ve ever been to. Akin to the Brooklyn Banks and just as iconic, in my eyes at least!

[Andy Horsley puts his fisheye on the line while Scotty skates the unskateable in The Meadows, c.2015.]

Did anyone ever skate Sneinton back in the day before the ledges/stairs were constructed?

Not really, there wasn’t a huge amount there to skate, a large flat area and a bump to 5 set outside the entrance to the leisure centre, I ollied the bump to five set while trying to film for a video and I think Craig kickflipped it about a week later!

How much of an impact did Sneinton Market have on the city scene and, from the perspective of an OG, how close is the vibe to the original scene around Market Square?

Immense! From the first time we saw it when the barriers were still up we knew this was going to be the spot. From day one peeps were hitting it up and immediately ticking off NBDs down the big 3. US and UK teams have included it in their tours and videos. It even has its own instagram page (Big up @sneintonlife!), it’s now the spot you can turn up to and be guaranteed a sesh!

Prior to your involvement with Forty Two, you had connections with both of the OG Notts skate stores, Non Stop and Rollersnakes. Can you remember much about both of those shops on the same street?

Yeah that was really cool! I’m not sure there was another town in the UK that had two skateshops on the same street at the time. Both were great but very different to each other. Rollersnakes was probably one of the biggest shops in the country and had tons of stock and the legendary indoor ramp, and Non Stop was smaller but with some great products from some of the more niche brands and with such a friendly, personal vibe. There was definitely a rivalry, but it all felt friendly enough, to me anyway.

Didn’t Snakes do a fake pro shoe advert for you once? The ‘Smudger’ or something; (complete with ‘authentic dog **** smell’)?

Yes! Funny times! From the mind of John Paul Morrow (RIP) I believe. That guy was a true legend and sorely missed!

How long have you and Rob Johnson been friends for and how did your involvement with Forty Two begin?

I think I first met Rob when I turned up at his house in West Bridgford and he introduced me to the game of indoor keepie ups (a large supply of light bulbs is required!) and then proceeded to kick my ass on Mario Kart! Probably around 1992. We ended up working together at Rollersnakes and we would often kick around the idea of having our own shop. Anyway fast forward to 2010, I was working at my sister's pub as a chef and Rob calls out of the blue and says something like “so do you wanna do this shop?, what do you think to fortytwo” and I’m like, ”is that the answer to life, the universe and everything?” [Editor's note: this is a reference to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Rob and Scotty are a pair of nerds, hook 'em both up on Sci-Fi Fantasy, Jerry]. And Rob's like “Yeah!” So of course I was in!

What does a regular day at work look like for you these days?

Well, since the arrival of George and Maisie (my children), I’ve taken a bit more of a back seat at the shop, I still love it! In fact I probably love it more now than ever, I just rock up at the weekend and kick it with the homies and help people though their journey of skateboarding, where I can.

Skate Nottingham are working hard to push Notts forward as a progressive ‘skate-friendly’ city with skate-designated spaces in the city – why is this significant and what positives does skateboarding and skateboarders offer to a city like Notts?

I think it's something every city needs. I’ve tried approaching the City Council at times as an individual trying to push the idea of skateboarding as a positive activity, but I’ve never been able to really get through to them. Whereas Skate Nottingham provides local councils with something they can understand, an organisation that speaks their language and outlines the positives and solutions that skateboarding can provide for it - from changing the perception of negatively perceived areas such as the Tram Line Spot, to channeling the energy of people who may struggle on the fringes of society without it, with their free introductory sessions.

Over the last decade, skateboarding as a global culture has seen huge amounts of diversification – is this something evident in the Nottingham scene too in terms of the people you’re seeing at spots and coming into the store? What’s changed?

Yeah, it's definitely been evident in Nottingham. Skating for the last 4 decades has been heavily dominated by males between the age of 10-25, then suddenly over the last decade everything changed - female participation has shot up to the point where about half of our customers are now female and the age range has increased. There are a ton of lifers out there now: people who started and just never quit, or quit and have missed it so much they’ve started again in their 40s. Then there’s peeps who are around that age and have always wanted to try, [and are now] just going for it. I’m not really sure what the reason is for this diversification. I guess its a combination of factors. Society has changed - maybe it’s just more open, media representation, the Olympics... maybe it's a snowball effect seeing others in your demographic and thinking 'I can do that too'. Certainly locally Flo [indoor skatepark] has had a big impact with their free women and girls' only nights and over 30s events. Whatever the reason, it feels really good and really positive. 

How healthy is the Nottingham scene currently from your perspective as someone who’s been in it for 30 years?

Healthier than ever! Probably more inclusive than it’s ever been. The diversity of its participants is a huge part of that. The age range has grown spanning from four to at least sixty and with more participation from people who are women, trans or non-binary than I have ever known in skateboarding. There are more facilities than ever with something like 40 skateparks in Nottinghamshire. Including Flo the indoor skatepark which brings so much to the community. Then there’s all the new street spots, of which, Sneinton Market seems to come out favourite. Becoming the new hub of Nottingham City Centre skating. 

Plus the general public just seem to hold skateboarding in a higher regard than I’ve seen in my all my years of involvement with it. People just think it's cool! And then there’s Skate Nottingham, an organisation dedicated to improving Nottingham through the medium of skateboarding!

[Scotty boosting up and over at local favourite, Standhill skatepark, back in 2013. Photo: Tom Quigley]

OK, end it on the obvious:

These are all incredibly difficult to answer and I feel a little uncomfortable giving my top fives as I love the passion and artistry that so many put into their skateboarding in Nottingham and I feel it unfair to leave so many people out. However, here are my answers as they have come to me tonight, these may change periodically and even on a daily basis…

Top 5 all-time Nottingham skate photos?

• Bambi backside nose grind at the skag pit (NCP) (by Notts OG Horsley)

• Alan Rushbrooke - frontside ollie while reading “Fingerprints of the Gods” (by Wig)

• Rob Johnson - back 5050 on the bog wall at the square

• Jon Weatherall - Switch flip the 5 at the square

• Alex Hallford - Loop da loop (also by Horsley)

• Pete Hellicar - nosepick on one of the lions [Editor's note - Bambi also nose-bonked one of the lions in Old Market Square for Matt Clarke's lens]

Top 5 all-time Nottingham tricks?

• Gaz Jenkins - Ollie over a handrail into the old subway

• Jon Weatherall - switch 360 flip the five at the old market square

• Rob Johnson - Ollie over the barrier at the old bus station first try on his girlfriend’s board

• Craig Smedley - kickflip at the brick 10 set

• Alex Hallford - unassisted full pipe loop

• Mark Gonzales - noseblunt from low to high Rollersnakes miniramp 

Top 5 all-time Nottingham spots?

• Old Market Square

• Broardmarsh Banks

• Current Sneinton Market 

• Poly banks [Editor's note: these were the red brick banks outside the old Nottingham Trent University student union building, now almost entirely demolished with a couple of surviving banks that are quasi-accessible]

• Old marble block (outside Broadmarsh Shopping Centre)

Top 5 all-time Nottingham skaters

• Alan Rushbrooke 

• Carl Shipman

• Will Golding 

• Gaz Jenkins 

• Harry

Thanks for your time, Scotty!