Mansfield
Mansfield, very close to 'Robin Hood' country, is an old market town with a number of attractive buildings. Centuries before the discovery of coal in the area, Mansfield was an ancient market town - the Romans had an encampment there, and coins spanning several Roman Emperors were found in the locality. At the very heart of Mansfield, in Westgate, the centre oak of Sherwood Forest stood until the 1940's when it had to be felled, a plaque marks the historic centre of Sherwood Forest. On the edge of town, at Rainworth Water, is the place where, legend has it, Robin Hood first encountered Friar Tuck. As in Nottingham, so to in Mansfield, the influence of and the supposed 'evidence' for Robin Hood is everywhere to be found.
A number of the older buildings, in and around the ancient market square, are of some historic interest. A huge coat of arms looks down on the market place from the 18th century Moot Hall. Cromwell House dates from around the 1680's. The Old Meeting House and parsonage are early 18th century. The parish Church of St Peter and St Paul has Saxon stonework in the tower, and occupies ground whereupon a place of worship has stood since the time of the Domesday Book. The collection in the Mansfield Museum, concentrates largely on themes of local interest, this includes a model of a Roman villa once situated nearby. The most outstanding structure in Mansfield is the Gothic 'Bentinck Monument', built in 1848, in memory of Lord Bentinck.
A few miles to the west of Mansfield stands Hardwick Hall, a well-preserved Elizabethan mansion, situated in a vast country park. Close by the house is an exquisite Elizabethan enclosed garden.