VIDEO: New £5m Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre is taking shape
Set to open next year, the centre will include information abhout the legendary tales of Robin Hood, as well the local environment and wildlife. And it is expected to attract about 350,000 visitors every year.
The construction work is being carried out by the Edwinstowe-based building company Robert Woodhead Ltd, whose site manager for the project, Andy Stamford, said: “We are very pleased with the progress so far. The building is going to look fantastic when it’s completed
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Hide Ad“We’ve got the foundations in, and we’ve been working on the laminated timber frame which forms the structure of the unique building.
“There has been a lot of interest in the site from the thousands of visitors that come here. We have a strong team, and we are working closely with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to ensure everything goes to plan.”
The RSPB heads the consortium behind the new-look centre and is in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council, which manages the site and has invested £4 million. The consortium also includes the visitor-attraction firm, Continuum Attractions, the Sherwood Forest Trust, the Woodland Trust and Thoresby Estates, who own the land.
Ross Frazer, the RSPB’s project manager, said: “We’ve reached a really exciting phase of the build, now the wooden framework of the building is starting to go up. We can’t wait to see the completed centre and begin to start welcoming people to this fantastic landscape.”
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Hide AdThe centre, which will be based at Forest Corner, just outside Edwinstowe, will include a shop and cafe, with a terrace and amphitheatre outside. Future plans include the addition of a new play area.
Once it is open, the consortium will manage the stunning ancient wooodland within Sherwood Forest Nature Reserve, including the famous Major Oak.