Mansfield Historic Quarter
Mansfield’s rich history has made it famous for many things. A now extinct mining heritage, a brewery producing its own drink - Mansfield Bitter - and an ‘Oscar’ winning railway station, to name a few, but here Made takes a look at the vibrant Historic Quarter of Nottinghamshire’s largest market town, and its fascinating past.
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ansfield was first granted a market charter in 1227 at a time that coincided with the beginnings of smallscale quarrying and textile manufacture. Over the following centuries the town continued to grow, its geographical importance key to its progression, with direct routes to Nottingham, Newark, Worksop, Chesterfield and Rotherham, and of course as the original roots of Sherwood Forest. By the 18th century, the town had expanded to accommodate industrial advances. Malting of hops for breweries was overtaken towards the end of the century by framework knitting with an abundance of mills powered by the River Maun. This was followed by the development of iron foundries and the first coal mines were sunk on the town’s outskirts, and in the 20th century new industries such as metal box manufacturing and shoe making. Notably though, the town has retained its bustling market centre and trading quarter, and it is embraced still today by a proud community who cherish its heritage, and continue to enjoy the plethora of buildings and shops that have shaped its character.
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