OS grid reference SK564621 Region East Midlands Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town Mansfield UK parliament constituency Mansfield | District Mansfield Country England Shire county Nottinghamshire Dialling code 01623 | |
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Population 11,812 (4 Wards. 2011)) | ||
Forest Town is a former mining village located on the outskirts of Mansfield town, in Nottinghamshire, England. After continuous development it is no longer a separate entity, nowadays being simply an area within Mansfield.
Map of Forest Town, Mansfield, UK
An old part of Forest Town known as The Avenues is the high-density housing built as homes for the workers from the nearby Crown Farm Colliery (also known as 'Mansfield Colliery'), once a major employer. After closure of the coal mine in early 1988, the site has gradually been transformed to accommodate manufacturing in a variety of units on an industrial estate.
A nearby major development was the fabric manufacturing facility built on heathland by the Japanese organisation Toray. This occurred amidst much publicity – with Toray stating during local recruitment in three phases over 1992/93 that their mission was to become Mansfield's finest Corporate Citizen. By the 2000s the size of the workforce had been considerably reduced.
The manufacturing processes abstract large-volumes of underground fresh water from nearby bore-holes and discharges foul water into the local sewer system operated by Severn Trent Water.
The B6030 main road through Forest Town has small shops, a Post Office, a small supermarket, with the Miners' Welfare, sports ground and cycle track just behind, opposite to St Alban's Church.
The Samworth Church Academy (formerly known as Sherwood Hall) is the nearest secondary school and Garibaldi School further out in Clipstone are within the normal catchment area.
The area was split into two wards, Forest Town East and West, but following the re-organisation implemented by Mayor Tony Egginton in time for the 2011 elections, Forest Town now falls within four ward areas; the main sections are within Holly, Kingsway and Newlands, whilst a smaller area encroaches into Maun Valley.
At the 2001 census, the total population of these wards was 11,194, rising to 11,812 at the 2011 census for a total of the same wards, although it was only 8,288 using older boundary data.
Local football club A.F.C. Mansfield play at the Forest Town Stadium.