THOUSANDS of people travel to Nottinghamshire every year to explore the legendary Sherwood Forest and capture the spirit of Robin Hood. The region has proven to be a timeless draw, with many of the places associated with Robin and his outlaws found around the town of New Ollerton and its surrounding villages.

Originally built as a colliery village in the mid 1920s, New Ollerton was once acclaimed by a magazine as “an admirable industrial housing scheme” – also known as a ‘model village’. Miners enjoyed a good standard of living, with semi-detached houses, large gardens and hot water supplied directly from the pit.

Times may have changed with the closure of the mine in 1994, but New Ollerton still possesses an innovative nature, with the colliery replaced by ‘The Sherwood Energy Village’, which has received much press for its environmental principles.

The adjacent village of Old Ollerton is situated at the crossroads of the York to London, Worksop to Newark and Lincoln to Mansfield roads. Due to its location, in mediaeval times the village became a meeting place for forest officials, commissioners and Justices of the Peace, leading to the development of its two coaching inns, The White Hart and The Hop Pole.

Throughout the centuries, watermills have played an important part of life in the village. Today, the only working watermill in Nottinghamshire can be found here, built in 1713 on the same spot as one of those listed in the Domesday Book. Visitors can enjoy sustenance at its award-winning teashop.

Naturalists cannot fail but be fascinated by the biodiversity of this area, with the 450-acre Sherwood Forest Country Park designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Facelift

A pleasant short walk away from the picturesque village of Old Ollerton lies a another popular park, one that has been owned by the Hibbs family for 40 years. Until seven years ago, Fairholme Park was mainly used for rental homes, mostly of the traditional 36ft x 10ft tin-sided caravan type. Work began then to replace these old units with modern park homes.

Owners and brothers Matt and Henry Hibbs took the park over from their father Matt five years ago and continued its modernisation with new street lighting and an upgrading of the roadways. However, many of the original homes have been let for a long time, with some residents in situ for upwards of 18 years. The occupied homes have received internal facelifts or, upon vacation, have been taken off the park and replaced by new park homes.

At present there are about 20 rental homes and 30 owner-occupied homes on Fairholme, ten of those being new park homes that have been sited in the last five years. The owners hope to have completed the replacement of all the rental homes within the next few years.

New and exclusive

About 20 years ago, the family purchased a three-acre field behind Fairholme. As the value of land increased, so letters began to arrive from prospective purchasers. However, as the family lived on site, they had no intention of selling to a property developer.

With years of family experience in the park home industry behind him, three years ago Matt Hibbs gained approval for 28 twin park homes and one single home, and announced the development of exclusive Fairfield Park. Starting from scratch with the greenfield site, it took around 18 months to complete the ground works.

“We had a clear idea of how we wanted to develop the park,” said Matt Hibbs, son of the current joint owner Matt (yes, it is confusing!). “We were keen to place an emphasis on creating larger plots, so we scaled back the original plans from 34 to 29 homes. As a result, some plots can take up to a 60ft x 22ft park home. That is probably never going to happen, but at least we have got the facility if somebody wants something different that they cannot necessarily find elsewhere.”

The Hibbs also wanted to maintain a high level of individuality, so rather than lay the homes out in rows, plans were drawn up for three individual roads, with well-spaced plots at different angles and slightly different levels, as well as homes of differing colours. Access to the park is through Fairholme Park, and then via custom-made, electrically operated gates, with security further enhanced by a comprehensive CCTV system.

Impressive security

The level of security is certainly impressive. “The people who have tended to be attracted to the park own properties abroad, or have caravans and motorhomes, so we wanted to make sure they had peace of mind when they went away, and everything would be as it was left upon their return,” said Matt.

“During our research of other parks, we became aware of the adoption of narrow roads. This can create a problem if someone, for example, wants to park outside their home to unload, and you have another car wanting to pass and which has to mount the grass verge. As a result, we widened the roadways to just under seven metres in order to accommodate two-way traffic. We had a similar thought about the driveways, which we have also made wider than the norm.”

Each of the homes are connected to mains gas, water, electricity and tele-phone, keeping the utility costs to a minimum. The homes are skirted with bricks, with brick and slab steps to all doors, and slabbed pathways. Each has a block paved driveway and the option for a garage or concrete-clad outbuilding. All this work has been carried out to the highest possible specification.

“Garages are built on a per plot basis,” said Matt. “We look at the style of home, where the driveway is positioned, and make an informed decision. Basically, they have got to fit in with their surroundings, as we do not want a garage impacting on a neighbouring property. It is a commonsense policy.

“We have spent a lot of money on the park’s infrastructure, as we wanted everything to be done to a high specification, and to last. We have been very fussy with the people who have been working with us on the development, to the point where they have cursed us a few times, but in the end it has been worth it because we have got everything how we wanted it.”

Key attractions

The first residents moved on to Fairfield Park in May 2007, attracted by a number of key factors, including the semi-rural location. Old Ollerton is a mere quarter-of-a-mile away, with its pubs, butchers, grocers, florist and several traditional village shops. A tarmac footpath runs for half-a-mile from the back of Fairholme, through a conservation area to a Tesco superstore and the town of Ollerton, with its banks and high street shops. The towns of Newark, Retford and Mansfield are easily accessible. There are also good bus routes to the major towns from the park entrance.

“The residents enjoy the fact that this is a clean, peaceful area, and you do not have to travel several miles to buy a loaf of bread and a pint of milk,” said Matt.

Despite the current economic climate, there has been no shortage of interest at Fairfield Park. The Hibbs are fortunate in the respect that they have owned Fairholme Park and the land that now accommodates Fairfield Park for many years. Priding themselves on the professional, caring service and attention to detail that is clearly in evidence, they are in this for the long haul, and the present climate is not expected to impact on them as it might others within the industry.

WHAT DO YOU THINK, PETER AND BARBARA?

Having sold their home in Retford, Peter and Barbara Savill lived in their touring caravan for five months while services were completed at Fairfield Park. “The owners kindly allowed us to leave the caravan on site, and put our belongings in the park home,” said Barbara, a native of the area.

The Savills took early retirement and spent about six years looking at various parks before deciding on Fairfield. Barbara’s knowledge of Ollerton certainly helped in the decision-making process. “Here, you have everything within a mile of the park, plus good bus services to major towns.

“Matt Hibbs explained his vision for the new development – at the time it was just a field. But, we were impressed with the plans, paid the deposit and away we went,” said Barbara.

“Our 42x20 Wessex Orchard Cottage came on site as a show home in September 2006, and we moved in just after Easter 2007.”

The Savills, who have just celebrated their Ruby wedding, enjoy the open-plan aspect, which, they say, has really come together this past year. “It has been nice to see the park develop,” said Peter. “The owners really are trying to do it right for the benefit of the residents. People all get on well together and look out for one another, which is one of the main reasons why we came to a park in the first place.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK, KEITH AND JANET?

Keith and Janet Reed moved from Skipton, Yorkshire, in May 2007. “I had retired from the Civil Service, we had no family, so we decided, ‘Equity out... retirement... quality of life’. It’s the best move we have ever made,” said Keith.

It was during a visit to the Yorkshire Show that Janet saw a holiday home and asked Keith if he could live in one. “It was only a foot narrower and two foot shorter than our bungalow,“ said Keith. Attending an open day at Badger’s Retreat Holiday Park, they met a representative from Stately-Albion, who explained that what they needed was a residential, not a holiday park.

With a Stately brochure to hand and a liking for a 42x20 Chatsworth Gold, Janet saw an ad for Fairfield Park. They instantly liked what they saw.

“I knew the area fairly well. We enjoy walking and cycling, and here you can put on your rucksack and head off in all directions,” said Keith. “We were the fifth couple to move in. When we first saw the park, there were just two homes and loads of soil. Our particular plot was used as a storage area, so the owners must have had some vision!

“There is an excellent community spirit. As a small group of residents, we have enjoyed Christmas, Valentine’s and Sunday lunches out. Only recently we all went on a mini-bus for a ‘40s Night’ at Rufford Park. During the summer Janet and I can sit out till nine o’clock in the sun, sheltered from the wind by the trees, with nobody overlooking you. It is a beautiful location.”

FOR SALE

At the time of our visit, properties for sale included a 40x20 Wessex Dorset priced at £164,750, a 40x20 Stately Albion Chatsworth Gold at £168,750, and a 42x20 Wessex Cranbourne, POA.

LOCAL INFO

• Local amenities: Tesco and Co-op stores half-a-mile. Two post offices, one in Ollerton under half-a-mile, other in New Ollerton. Two banks in New Ollerton, just over-half-a-mile away. Garden centre just over a mile away at Rufford Country Park.
• Health: There are two doctor’s surgeries within three-quarters of a mile. Nearest dentist is just over half-a-mile. Bassetlaw Hospital is nine miles away, and there are further hospitals in Retford and Mansfield. There is an opticians in New Ollerton, just over half-a-mile away, and three chemists within half-a-mile.
• Public transport: Nearest stations for East Midlands Trains include Shirebrook (7.81 miles), Mansfield Woodhouse (8 miles), Retford (8.52 miles), Mansfield (8.56 miles) and Worksop (9.06 miles). Frequent buses run past the park entrance, and serve the main towns.
• Eating and drinking: The area is well served with pubs, with seven within a mile, the nearest being Ollerton House, across the road from the park. There is a fish restaurant within half-a-mile, and other eateries within a mile, including a takeaway.
• Entertainment: The nearest cinema is in Mansfield, less than nine miles. The nearest theatre is in New Ollerton, under a mile, and further ones in Mansfield, Worksop and Retford, less than nine miles away. There is an Art and Craft Centre in Edwinstowe, two miles away.

WHAT CAN I DO AROUND HERE?

The bells are ringing… – Hundreds of visitors flock each year to the beautiful 12th century parish church of St Mary’s at Edwinstowe, where Robin Hood and Maid Marion were said to have married. Inside are decorative screens that commemorate the event.

Wood you believe it – The Major Oak – Robin Hood’s secret hiding place – can be found in Sherwood Forest Country Park. Tales would have you believe that the hole in its enormous split trunk provided a secret hiding place for Robin and his merry men.

Time for tea – The impressive Visitor Centre within the Sherwood Forest Country Park has displays on the natural history of the forest and its legendary associations. There is also a restaurant, shop and audiovisual room.

Arty crafts – At Forest Corner, Edwinstowe, is the Art and Craft Centre, housed in the former stable block and coach house of Edwinstowe Hall. In the main building are 11 studios enclosed by a glass atrium, and outside, five studios are grouped around a courtyard.

CONTACT

Fairfield Park, Wellow Road, Ollerton, Nottinghamshire NG22 9FB. Tel: 01623 860040. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.fairfieldparkhomes.com

• Ground rent is £108.16 per month
• Over 55, semi-retired and retired
• Pets allowed at park owner’s discretion
• Prices start at £145,750.


This review was published in the October 2008 issue of Park & Holiday Homes magazine. To order our latest issue please click here.


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