A wonderful corner of the world famous Sherwood Forest. Linking to the ancient heart of the forest, come and explore rare lowland heathland. Mary-le Bone.
Site of Special Scientific Interest and home to a variety of wildlife, birds, bats, butterflies and moths. History of the site
There is little specific information about the history of the Heath prior to the 20th century. The 1899 1:2500 Ordnance Survey map shows a 5-acre enclosure in the southern part of the site. Between that and the road is shown a sand pit with a small building in it. A grave
l pit near the centre of the Heath is described as ‘old’. This was probably used for road repairs, possibly for hundreds of years. The track across the centre of the Heath provided access to Cockglode, which used to occupy the site of the pit tip. Beginning in the early 1900’s, the flat area next to the A616 near the car park, was used as the local cricket ground for many years and was also used by the Army as a training ground, including tanks, until the early 1950’s. There was a major fire on the Heath in 1976, which led to the problematic birch invasion. The heath is still used as a common by the people of Ollerton for recreation, dog walking. The Heath is now part of the Birklands and Bilhaugh Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Local Nature Reserve, Leased to Newark and Sherwood District Council and managed by the Sherwood Forest Trust. Nottinghamshire County Council manages the woodland adjoining the heath to the west. COCKGLODE
It is said that the Rangers of the Hays of Birklands and Bilhaugh once had a lodge on the site. It is thought that a house was built there in 1724 by the Reverend William Stern, who leased 19 acres of land from Edward Harley, Earl of Oxford, who had a dubious claim to that Crown property. Sterne planted an impressive avenue of Scots pines. The well-known Cockglode Hall was built in 1778 by Dr. George Aldrich, possibly incorporating Sterne’s house. It was enlarged in 1844 but became less desirable when Thoresby Colliery opened in 1928, and was demolished in the 1950’s to make way for a new pit tip. Harley’s daughter, Margaret, married the 2nd Duke of Portland, and in 1818 the Duke legally acquired Birklands and Bilhaugh from the Crown, in exchange for the advowson of St. He then sold the land to the east of the Centre Riding (including Sherwood Heath) to Earl Manvers. The Heath is now part of the Thoresby Estate and the adjacent woodland is owned by Notts. County Council and RJB mining. The name probably means “Woodcock Glade”. Alternatively, glode is the obsolete past tense of glide, so it could mean “the place where woodcock were seen to glide”. Cockglode Wood
Cockglode Wood has ancient origins, being a remnant of the woodland that covered the area long before it became the Royal Hunting Forest of Sherwood. The bluebells and dog’s mercury that appear in the wood every spring are clues to these ancient beginnings. Rotary Wood is the exact opposite. The native trees were planted on the restored spoil tip of Thoresby Colliery in 1998 – 1999 to celebrate the Millennium. On a trip to Cockglode and Rotary Woods:
see the exotic trees and shrubs, such as false acacia and rhododendron
spot various butterflies, insects and ground-nesting birds that take advantage of the maturing woodland and wide grassy paths. soak up the fantastic views of the surrounding Sherwood landscape. This is easily accessed via the circular Rotary Walk from the Sherwood Heath car park just off the A614 Ollerton roundabout. From the top of Rotary Wood it is possible to see over Cockglode Wood towards Boughton Pumping Station as well as towards Sherwood Forest Country Park and the village of Edwinstowe with its prominent church spire. Above: Cockglode and Rotary Wood
Above: Cockglode and Rotary Wood
Much of the habitat management work is done on a voluntary basis by the Friends of Sherwood Heath in conjunction with the Sherwood Forest Community Rangers. Sherwood Heath
Sherwood Heath is a 23 hectare area of lowland heathland, acid grassland and wood pasture/woodland
which is owned by the Thoresby Estates and leased to Newark & Sherwood District Council (NSDC). The site, also known as Ollerton Corner, lies between the A6075/Ollerton Road and the A616, due west of Ollerton roundabout. As well as the nature reserve, there is a limited amount of car parking reserved for users of Sherwood
Heath together with a grassed picnic area. In 1987 NSDC declared the Reserve as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) and in August 2001 English Nature designated the Reserve as a Site of Special Scientific Interest SSSI (and is part of the Birklands West and Ollerton Corner SSSI which includes parcels of land owned by and on the Thoresby estate). The Reserve contains tracts of unimproved acid grassland and lowland heaths which are distinctive
semi-natural habitats associated with the lowland heaths of the East Midlands. They form one of the
largest examples if this habitat type in the county and are ecologically linked to the larger heaths of
the adjoining Birklands and Bilhaugh SSSI. SFT manage the site for its habitat value on behalf of NSDC, a management plan was produced by SFT in 2007, and NSDC entered into a Higher Level Stewardship to help manage the site and ensure that the value of the site is seen by many generations to come.
30/03/2026
As the weather warms the health bats will soon be back out and about. Find out more about monitoring them 👇
With the weather turning a bit colder again across many parts of the UK, bats will become more sedentary but they will also be hungry. They will take every opportunity they can to emerge for an insect snack, occasionally during the day. While we wait for their proper return to the night skies... Why not start planning how to take part in the Sunset Survey this year. It's something you can do with friends and family, it's a great way to unwind at the end of the day too. If you haven't already, try the National Bat Monitoring Programme's Sunset Survey this year! https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/national-bat-monitoring-programme/getting-started/sunset-survey
16/01/2026
🌿 Join us and the Sherwood Forest Trust for Sherwood Heath volunteer sessions this January!
Help us care for this beautiful heathland and make a real difference.
📅 Dates & Activities:
✅ Jan 23 – Bracken & Scrub Management
✅ Jan 30 – Gorse Pruning
Please contact Erin before the session so we can bring the right tools (and biscuits! 🍪).
📧 [email protected]
17/10/2025
It’s that time of the year again - Scarecrow Season!
This year’s entry called The Volunteers highlights the important role of local volunteers with looking after the heath.
Our fantastic volunteers help with conservation tasks, reporting problems, litter picking, helping to record wildlife and helping to protect the special nature of the SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).
The scarecrows this year are made from recycling two old wheelbarrows and we have stuffed them with bracken and twigs at the back to form two new bug hotels.
We hope that they bring a smile to the faces of local dog walkers and visitors.
12/10/2025
Shroom-tastic! 🍄🍄🟫🍁
10/10/2025
🌃🦇✨ Bats, facts, and autumn walks! Over the past few weeks, our amazing Park Rangers have been leading autumn bat walks in our parks - sharing fascinating bat facts with visitors and collecting valuable data on the bat species living right here in our district.
But did you know? Like many wildlife species, bat numbers are sadly in decline. That’s why we’re sharing some simple ways you can help support our local bat populations!
🦇 Join the Nottinghamshire Bat Group - its only £7.50 for 12 months
🦇 Garden for wildlife by leaving areas of long grass and fallen leaves and places for insects to live and over-winter
🦇 Keep mature trees and hedges in your garden
🦇 Do not use chemical sprays such as herbicides and pesticides in your garden
🦇 Reduce garden lighting to a minimum as artificial light at night disturbs nocturnal wildlife. Direct all outdoor lighting downwards to reduce light spillage
🦇 Plant insect-friendly plants, especially night-blooming varieties including evening primrose, honeysuckle, jasmine and white campion to help attract moths and other night-flying insects
🦇 Install bat boxes in a sunny and sheltered location to help provide alternative roosting sites
🦇 Create a water source such as a small pond, or small water feature to provide water for all wildlife and a habitat for aquatic insects, a favourite food for bats
🦇 Keep cats inside for an hour before sunset and put a large, jingly bell on their collar
🦇 If you find an injured bat contact Bat Conservation Trust for advice and assistance from the Nottinghamshire Bat Care network.
🦇 Join in with bat walks and help spread awareness of how to help these mysterious and important little creatures
Every small action adds up! Thank you for helping us protect our local bats.
07/10/2025
It’s fungi-fantastic on the heath at this time of year 🍄🟫
16/07/2025
🌙🌿 Discover the magic of nature after dark!
Join The Sherwood Forest Trust for a Nocturnal Nature Walk on Saturday 19 July, 9:30–11:30pm at Sherwood Heath Local Nature Reserve.
Led by The Sherwood Forest Trust Conservation Manager, this gentle 2km evening walk will explore the heathland in search of night-time wildlife like bats, owls, glow worms, and more! 🦉🦇
🎟️ Free parking
👟 Family-friendly
🔦 Bring a torch and dress for the weather
📍 Meet at the Sherwood Heath sign (layby opposite the green hut)
🎫 Book your spot: eventbrite.co.uk/e/nocturnal-nature-walk-tickets-1460624460079
15/07/2025
We are so pleased to announce that for yet another year Sherwood Heath has been recognised as a Green Flag Award-winner!💚
This award is down to the dedication of so many people who work year-round to keep the heath such a wonderful place to be by supporting the wildlife and biodiversity and maintaining our facilities. Thank you to everyone for your dedication and efforts.👏
More information is below 👇
🌳💚 From heatwave to downpour - but our parks are still winning!
We’re thrilled to announce that six of our parks and green spaces have been awarded the prestigious Green Flag Award - the international mark of quality for parks!
Sherwood Avenue Park joins the list after a £500,000 transformation, including a new Play Zone, skatepark, and nature zone!
Our award-winning parks now include:
💚 Sherwood Heath
💚 Vicar Water Country Park
💚 Newark Castle Gardens
💚 Sconce and Devon Park
💚 Queen Elizabeth Memorial Gardens
💚 Sherwood Avenue Park
A huge thank you to our Park Rangers, Street Scene teams, volunteers, Friend groups and partners for making this possible!
📸 Mayor of Newark Barbara Corrigan, Councillor Simon Forde, and local skate group members Ashton, Bradley, and Alfie - who contributed to the design of the new skatepark - are pictured at Sherwood Avenue Park with the Green Flag.
01/07/2025
Here are just a few of the brilliant butterflies and moths to look out for in your gardens and on the heath this month! 🦋🌻🌿
See how many you can spot in the Big Butterfly Count.
07/05/2025
Thank you to Claire and the gang from Abode in Ollerton for joining us for a litter picking walk today. Along with two members of the friends group and staff from the Sherwood Forest Trust we did our good deeds today and got our steps in.
The heath is always lovely and today the sunshine was bringing out the early butterflies including small white, green-veined white, peacock and speckled wood.
Sadly we also had to pick up more litter than usual, over 30 dog poo piles, lots of cigarette ends dropped around benches and we discovered an abandoned camp fire.
With the spring bring so dry please do not have fires of any kind on the heath or drop ci******es. It’s an accident waiting to happen.
Little reminder that Sherwood Heath is a SSSI - Site of Special Scientific Interest. It’s a special place and we all need to look after it.
Ollerton & Boughton Town Council Newark and Sherwood District Council Sherwood Life Roundabout Community Newspaper in Ollerton and Boughton Sherwood Forest Trust
06/05/2025
Join us tomorrow with our friends from the Sherwood Trust for a walk on the heath from 10am.
🚮Join us tomorrow!🚮
Litter pick on the Sherwood Heath 10am - 12pm 🌱
If you'd like to join Erin, we will be meeting at the notice board by the entrance to the heath at 10am! You don’t need to bring anything with you, just a bottle of water and a smile! 😁
If you’re unsure of where Sherwood Heath is, or would like to know more details about the session, please get in touch with us via Facebook message
Hope to see some of you there to help restore our beautiful heathland!💚
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