Edwinstowe
| Edwinstowe | |
| Nottinghamshire | |
|---|---|
 Sherwood Forest Art & Craft Centre, Edwinstowe | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK625668 |
| Location: | 53°11’42"N, 1°3’56"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 5,188 (2011) |
| Post town: | Mansfield |
| Postcode: | NG21 |
| Dialling code: | 01623 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Newark and Sherwood |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Sherwood |
| Website: | http://www.edwinstowe.co.uk |
Edwinstowe is a large village on the edge of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, and it takes a part in the legends of Robin Hood. Nearby in more recent times there was the Thoresby Colliery.
The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 5,188.
History
The name of the village is Old English for Edwin's place", which recalls that the body of Edwin King of the Northumbrians was hidden in the church after he was killed in the Battle of Hatfield Chase, fought near Doncaster probably in the year 633. The battle against King Penda of the Mercians occurred near the present-day hamlet of Cuckney, some five miles north-west of modern Edwinstowe.[1]
Edwinstowe is referred to twice in the Domesday Book as having five households, in addition to a priest and his four bordars, living in the hamlet in 1086.[2]
Legend has it that Robin Hood married Maid Marian in St Mary's Church. Edwinstowe is known for the presence near the village of the Major Oak, a feature in the folk tales of Robin Hood, and Robin Hood's Larder (another veteran tree of the forest, which fell in a gale in 1961).
John Holles was born here in 1662: he rose through political connections to become the 1st Duke of Newcastle and an influential politician, as well as a large landowner.
Edwinstowe by the turn of the 20th century consisted of a cluster of houses along Town Street, East Lane, Church Street and High Street. A hamlet called Hazel Grove was bordered by Mill Lane and the railway line, while a cluster of houses at the top of Rufford Road was another hamlet called Lidgett.[3][4] Lidgett was the site of a fireworks factory owned by F. Tudsbury and Co. before George Pinder, a local wine, spirit and porter merchant who resided at Lidgett House, took over ownership by 1886.[5][6] These settlements eventually merged due to infill building from First World War, much of which was housing for miners, and named after the largest of the villages, Edwinstowe.
Economy
Thoresby Colliery served as Edwinstowe's main source of employment until July 2015, when the mine was permanently closed.[7] The loss of one of the last remaining deep coal mines in the country has left tourism as the main factor in the local economy.
Nottinghamshire County Council's nearby Sherwood Forest Visitors' Centre is scheduled for redevelopment and improvement. A contract awarded to RSPB intended for completion by late 2017 had a projected cost of £5.3 million.[8][9]
Centre Parcs' Sherwood Forest holiday village is a local employer established in 1987, close to the edge of the village.[10][11]
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.[12]
About the vilage
The village has five pubs: the Black Swan, the Dukeries Lodge, Forest Lodge, Hammer and Wedge, and the Royal Oak.
Other caterers include Smoke & Ice, Bistro Balsamico, The Cottage Tea Rooms, Fables Coffee House, The Honey Pot Café and Launay's Restaurant.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Edwinstowe) |
References
- ↑ "Edwinstowe History". Edwinstowe Parish Council. http://www.edwinstowe.co.uk/articles/edwinstowe-history.html.
- ↑ Edwinstowe in the Domesday Book
- ↑ "War Memorial". Edwinstowe Village News (8): 10. March 2014. http://www.edwinstowe.co.uk/magazine/edwinstowe-village-news-issue8.pdf.
- ↑ "Edwinstowe Parish Council | Edwinstowe Village Magazine". http://www.edwinstowe.co.uk/village-magazine.html.
- ↑ "Fire Brigade" (in en-GB). https://edwinstowehistory.org.uk/local-history/organisations/the-fire-brigade/.
- ↑ "First World War". Edwinstowe Village News (17): 23. March 2017. http://www.edwinstowe.co.uk/magazine/edwinstowe-village-news-issue17.pdf.
- ↑ Nottinghamshire's Thoresby Colliery closes after 90 years, 10 July 2015, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-33409746, retrieved 2015-12-30
- ↑ Sherwood Forest Country Park Nottinghamshire County Council, Retrieved 30 December 2015
- ↑ RSPB chosen to build Nottinghamshire's Sherwood Forest visitor centre, BBC News (Nottingham) 12 August 2015, Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ↑ Centre Parcs Sherwood Forest Village Retrieved 30 December 2015
- ↑ Centre Parcs history Retrieved 30 December 2015
- ↑ Earlier photograph. Retrieved 26 May 2020.