Ravenshead

[1] It borders Papplewick, Newstead Abbey and Blidworth, and is part of Nottinghamshire's Hidden Valleys area.

After the death of Thomas Becket, King Henry II supposedly to make up for this terrible deed gave the Canons of the Order of St Augustine the land at Ravenshead where they set up a priory, the walls of which can still be seen today.

There is no evidence of a settlement in the area until the 15th century when there was a hunting lodge called Langton Arbor, near present-day Blidworth Dale.

In 1966 a hoard of gold coins and jewellery was discovered by workmen on a building site near present-day Cambourne Gardens.

On 17 July 1817, a young girl from Papplewick named Elizabeth Sheppard travelled to Mansfield in search of work.

The "Sheppard Stone" stands next to the A60 marking the spot on the roadside below Portland College and is still regularly maintained.

In nearby Thieves Wood, on 23 June 1883, gamekeeper Albert Spinks shot the first example of an Egyptian nightjar in England.

100 years ago Ravenshead was centred on an area called Fishpool, this name appeared on a 15th-century map.

The village has an Esso petrol station, a Sainbury’s Local and a Nisa convenience store and a large leisure centre with tennis courts and football pitches, but no swimming pool.

Newstead Abbey
Chestnut Avenue, Ravenshead