The best running trails around Hockerton

Great, easy going trail for all abilities. Well maintained.

Lovely shop. Very welcoming & knowledgeable

The trail is 7.5 miles and built on the former railway line of the Midland Railway. It stretches from Southwell to Bilsthorpe and passes the villages of Farnsfield, Kirklington and Maythorne. You can walk, cycle or horse ride along the trail and there are a number of free car parks to allow access.

Caudwell's Mill stands on the River Greet on the site of Southwell’s mediaeval Burgage mill. When Charles Caudwell, whose family originated from Derbyshire, bought the mill in 1851 he made changes, thus greatly increasing the mill’s capacity. Wheat was transported to the mill by road, rail and water. Local corn arrived by horse and cart, supplies from further afield came from the R.Trent by barge to a wharf at Fiskerton which still stands. The mill suffered serious fires on three occasions in 1867, 1893 and 1917. On each occasion the opportunity was taken to modernise the plant. Local bakers took their supply of flour from the mill, best known was ‘Mosedale’s’ Bakery and Caudwell’s ‘Greet Lily Flour’ won the Nottinghamshire’s Bakers Cup in 1907, 1908, 1909, 1912 and 1914. The mill was taken over by Associated British Foods, who closed it in 1977 and in 1989 the mill was converted into residential apartments.

The earliest church on the site is believed to have been founded in 627 by Paulinus, the first Archbishop of York, when he visited the area while baptising believers in the River Trent. The legend is commemorated in the Minster's baptistry window. In 956 King Eadwig gave land in Southwell to Oskytel, Archbishop of York, on which a minster church was established. The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded the Southwell manor in great detail. The Norman reconstruction of the church began in 1108, probably as a rebuilding of the Anglo-Saxon church, starting at the east end so that the high altar could be used as soon as possible and the Saxon building was dismantled as work progressed. Many stones from this earlier Anglo-Saxon church were reused in the construction. The church was originally attached to the Archbishop of York's Palace which stood next door and is now ruined.

The Palace Gardens are a fantastic place to explore and discover our history through living plants. A beautiful landscape set amongst the magnificent ruins of The Archbishop’s Palace is packed with shrubs, flowering plants, mature trees and lawns. Work is underway to develop a new Physic Garden to provide visitors with the opportunity to learn more about the plants that would have been used to treat our medieval ancestors of their various maladies, from a broken heart to the plague. Garden sculptures and literature provide links to the famous ‘Leaves of Southwell’ – the 13th century carved stone leaves in the Minster’s Chapter House. The gardens encourage wildlife through the inclusion of bird boxes, insect hotels and log piles, as well as a several areas of wildflower, ensuring that our beautiful gardens are welcome to humans and wildlife alike.

Excavations, led by Charles Daniels, took place in the summer of 1959. They revealed parts of the Southern and eastern wings of what seemed to be a major villa, constructed around a courtyard. The eastern wing included a substantial bath building of which the cold plunge bath was uncovered. The small section of the south wing that was excavated contained six rooms all decorated with mosaic pavements.

The land, formerly occupied by the Minster School, contains remains of an extensive Roman villa. The school site was initially earmarked for housing development, but was purchased anonymously and then donated as indicated on the plaque.