The market town of Retford in Nottinghamshire is one of England's oldest boroughs. Its Royal Charter was granted by Henry III in 1246. It has fine Georgian buildings and a spacious square, often the scene of lively open-air markets. A number of historic inns are reminders of the great coaching era when Dick Turpin was one of Retford' s more notorious visitors.
Retford is in the District of Bassetlaw in North Nottinghamshire, which is a mainly rural area made up of open countryside, forest and parklands. It was the base for the Pilgrim Fathers long before their epic voyage in the Mayflower and is only a short distance from Sherwood Forest, the legendary home of Robin Hood and his Merry Men.