The botanist and horticultural publisher, Samuel Curtis, oversaw the design of the park which officially opened on 11 May 1852.

[4] It was designed as a botanical collection, a tranquil place to relax, and a major attraction in the heart of Victorian Nottingham.

The building also comprised a ladies' room, refectory, kitchen, entrance hall with staircase, and three chambers upstairs.

The Circular Aviary was opened in 1889,[8] with cast-iron uprights and roof struts covered with modern steel mesh.

[14] In addition to the Bell Tower, the aviary and the bandstand, the Arboretum contains a number of other listed buildings, all at Grade II.

These include: the main gateway and entrance; two lodges at the south-west and east; a pedestrian subway, all by Henry Moses Wood and dating from 1851–52; a statue of Feargus O'Connor of 1859 by J.