Archaeological information however reveals a longstanding human settlement in the Gateford landscape, and to the north of the village there are three circular cropmarks thought to be Bronze Age barrows.

Irregular fields, lanes and settlement enclosures in the same area are thought to reflect a Romano-British rural landscape (A.D. 43-410), with various Roman period artefacts having been unearthed, including coins from the reign of Nero and Domitian, which were uncovered at Gateford Hall in the early 19th century.

The later village grew from lands on the estate of Gateford Hall, the medieval moated manor house which was largely rebuilt in the 17th century, and is now a Grade 2 listed building.

Gateford is steeped in an almost hidden away history that at times seems hard to find, and since 1995 has been largely redeveloped to become a very modern looking community, specifically relating to the building of thousands of new homes and that of the Celtic Point shopping area.

This said, its charm and character remain, with acres of woodland, ponds and streams, together with an abundance of wildlife, and agricultural farm land, beset with the backdrop of Gateford Hill, which in turn covers a large swathe of the landscape.

It would seem that the heirs of the former shortly parted with their share, for Leland states that in the reign of Henry VIII, Townley was then in possession of Gateford.

Within various marriages, the manor house would then pass to the Pilkingtons, the Lascelles, and the Rodes, the latter of whom had the hall converted into a tenanted farm and the parkland used for grazing.

Gateford falls within the Sandstone Estatelands of the Sherwood Regional Character Area 4, and for many years boasted a sand quarry.