Population 5,188 (2011) Region East Midlands Sovereign state United Kingdom Local time Tuesday 4:35 PM District Newark and Sherwood UK parliament constituency Sherwood | Civil parish Edwinstowe Country England Post town MANSFIELD Shire county Nottinghamshire Dialling code 01623 | |
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Weather 9°C, Wind S at 13 km/h, 59% Humidity | ||
Edwinstowe is a large village and civil parish in the heart of Sherwood Forest, north Nottinghamshire, England, with associations to the Robin Hood and Maid Marian legends. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 5,188.
Contents
Map of Edwinstowe, Mansfield, UK
Heritage
The village name meaning Edwin's resting place recalls that King (and Saint) Edwin of Northumbria's body was hidden in the church after he was killed in the Battle of Hatfield Chase, near Doncaster, probably in 633. The battle against King Penda of Mercia occurred near the present-day hamlet of Cuckney, some five miles north-west of modern Edwinstowe.
Edwinstowe is referenced twice in the Domesday Book. It records that there were five households, in addition to one priest and his four bordars, living in the hamlet in 1086.
Legend has it that Robin Hood married Maid Marian in St Mary's Church. Edwinstowe's present-day popularity is due mainly to the presence near the village of the Major Oak, a feature in the folklore of Robin Hood.
Economy
Thoresby Colliery served as Edwinstowe's main source of employment until July 2015, when the mine was permanently closed.
The loss of the colliery, one of the last remaining and part of a national closure of the British deep-mined coal industry, has left tourism as the primary branch of the local economy.
Nottinghamshire County Council's nearby Sherwood Forest Visitors' Centre is scheduled for redevelopment and improvement, with a contract awarded to RSPB, intended for completion by late 2017 at a projected cost of £5.3 million.
Centre Parcs' Sherwood Forest holiday village is a local employer established in 1987, close to the edge of the village.
There was a post windmill south of the Mansfield Road with a small box-style roundhouse. It was driven by two common sails and two double-patent sails.
Amenities
The two schools in the village are St Mary's Primary School and King Edwin Primary School.
The village also has a business services provider, a St John's Ambulance amenity, an antiques centre, workshops, a fun park, a youth hostel, two arts and crafts centres, a village hall, and a community pest-control centre. Leisure facilities include Thoresby Colliery Band and Youth Band, a high-wire forest adventure course, a mountain biking, cyclo cross and forest walks centre, a skate park, a forest fun park, and an outdoor adventure park,.
Edwinstowe currently has six pubs: the Black Swan, the Dukeries Lodge, Forest Lodge, Hammer and Wedge, the Manvers and the Royal Oak. Another, Ye Olde Jug and Glass, recently closed. Other catering facilities include the Edwinstowe Bistro Restaurant, the Cottage Tea Rooms, and Launay's Restaurant.
Environmental concerns are addressed at the Maun Valley Project Conservation Area.
Transport
Edwinstowe had a railway station on the between 1897 and 1955. A goods line remains. The nearest railway station today is at Mansfield (6 miles, 10 km).
The village is served by twice-hourly daytime Monday-Saturday bus services to Mansfield and Ollerton, six buses Monday-Saturday to Worksop, and one bus Monday-Friday to Nottingham. Services run twice a week to Newark and once a week to Lincoln.