Sherwood Forest

Anyone who has heard of Robin Hood would most likely have heard of Sherwood Forest.  Sherwood Forest is a royal forest in Nottinghamshire and famous because of its association with Robin Hood.  It once was a royal hunting forest but eventually all of it was sold off to farmers.  Sherwood Forest today is 1,050 acres and in the thirteenth century, what most people call the time of Robin Hood, it was about 100,000 acres.

One of the main roads between London and York was called the Great North Way.  This road ran straight through Sherwood Forest and travellers were often at the mercy of robbers living outside of the law.  

Sherwood’s ancient oak woodland is as rare and as threatened as a rainforest.  Between 1609 and 1790, 80% of the Sherwood oaks were cut down for shipbuilding and housing.  Today the 450 acre country park is the largest remnant of the original forest.  It receives well over 600,000 visitors each year.

Sherwood Forest is home to the Major Oak.  According to the stories, the Major Oak was Robin Hood’s hideout.  The oak tree is about 1,000 years old.  Since the Victorian era, its massive limbs have been partially supported by an elaborate system of scaffolding.  In February 1998, a local company took cutting from the Major Oak and began cultivating clone of the famous tree with the intention of sending saplings to be planted in major cities around the world.

 The Major Oak