There has been a Newtonian telescope on the Sherwood Observatory site since the early 1980’s when David Collins, William Henshaw, Gordon Jones and  the volunteer (members) came together to form the Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society.

The initial design comprised a 24-inch reflecting telescope with an electrically rotating dome, a lecture room for 27 members and other facilities on the site at Coxmoor Road, one of the highest points in Nottinghamshire.

Fast-forward just over 50 years and things have changed quite dramatically. 

It was in 2014 that things really progressed when the society purchased a piece of neglected land adjacent to the observatory, which contained a redundant brick-vaulted underground Victorian reservoir dating back to the 1880s. And after making this discovery an ambition was born to  enhance the existing site by adding a world-class Science Centre and Planetarium to inspire a future generation of scientists and engineers.

Feasibility studies and surveys followed before funding – totalling £6.8million – was put in place to finance the build. This came in the form of private donations, private sector charities and the National Lottery Heritage Fund which supplemented a grant of £5.35million from government funding programmes.

Contractors came on site at the end of August 2023 with the newly constructed Sherwood Observatory Planetarium and Science Centre opening in November 2024, becoming the first new planetarium of its size in the UK for over a decade.

The huge dome houses an overhead wraparound hemispherical screen, which provides immersive experiences bringing the universe to life. The projection screen is ten metres (32.8 feet) in diameter and has 4k resolution projection throughout, with each of the 59 reclining seats allowing a comfortable and immersive viewing experience. And with sound quality to match, visitors can truly feel part of what they are seeing.

The show programme extends to over 20 Planetarium shows, which are all STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related and come in varied formats, from animations aimed at younger children to more hard-hitting documentary-style shows. They even do a Pink Floyd show (Dark Side of the Moon) as well as BSL ones too. Making STEM accessible to all age groups and levels of knowledge. Many of these are complimented by a follow on talk with a knowledgeable planetarium lead.

New shows for 2026 include H20: The Cosmic States of Water (aimed at viewers 5-10 years old); The Universe Through All the Senses; One Step Beyond: A Journey to Mars; and Moonbase: The Next Step. This latter show looks at the International Space Station and how we are preparing for the day we move farther into the Solar System. In the next ten years it is expected that humans will return to the Moon and develop a sustained, strategic presence near the lunar South Pole. The Moon will become our first ‘staging post’ from which Mars and the rest of the Solar System becomes tantalisingly closer.

Matt Nutter, lead planetarium presenter, says : “Finding and bringing new shows to the schedule makes each visit fresh and unique. Seeing how some tricky concepts and cutting-edge science are explained through ever-improving graphics makes the planetarium a font of inspiration and wonder!”

As part of the new build, the old brick-vaulted underground Victorian reservoir, which was originally completed in 1886, has been transformed into a beautiful exhibition space. Many of its original features have been preserved and retained, including water valves and artifacts, and are exhibited in and around the new Centre, thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

“We’ve got a really lovely space exhibition where we’ve collaborated with different people and we also have items that have been donated and that evolves over time,” said centre manager Tony Booth. “We also get visiting exhibitors – the University of Nottingham brought us tiny and incredibly rare little specimens of meteorite, collected from all over the world.”

There are further plans to add to this space and later this year there will also be a special exhibition based on the space shuttle programme.

Enhancing the visitor experience even further is a cafe, which is run by a local ATTFE college supporting the skills development of local people through volunteering.Volunteers are the lifeblood of Sherwood Observatory and staff all areas of the centre, alongside a small agile, employed team.“Over the last year we’ve had around 90 membership volunteers, and they’ve collectively put in over 6,000 hours,” adds Tony. “Without them we wouldn’t be here. They bring expertise, passion and so much more.”

Since opening in November 2024, Sherwood Observatory has exceeded all the society’s expectations. 

“Our business forecast was for 20,000 people [in our first year] and we ended up attracting over 36,000,” says Tony. “It’s been fantastic, it’s incredibly wide-reaching, we’ve even had people coming from America.”

A significant part of these visitor numbers has been provided by the Observatory’s group and school visits programme, with over 1,000 children visiting in that first year from local schools, 1,300 from the uniformed groups (cubs, scouts, brownies etc) and over 1,400 visitors from adult and private groups, as well as away-days and training sessions from local companies.

“We support schools and club visits to support curriculum topics and activity badges and encourage visitors of all ages to visit to learn more about the wonders of our skies and space whilst having an enjoyable and entertaining visit,” says Susanna Holt, marketing officer. 

“Ashfield and Mansfield feature in the top ten of worst-performing districts in the UK for social mobility. Educational achievement is also below the UK national average.

The area has a proud history of mining and manufacturing, however a significant percentage of lower-skilled jobs in the area are under threat from increased automation.

“At Sherwood Observatory our vision is to inspire the local population, young people in particular, to take an interest in STEM subjects leading on to careers in STEM. These invaluable subject areas will equip young people to secure well-paid jobs which contribute to the area’s future economic prosperity.”

As such, Sherwood Observatory is a registered charity dedicated to furthering interest in astronomy within the community. Its patrons are the 13th Astronomer Royal Professor Sir Francis Graham-Smith F.R.S. and Professor Michael R. Merrifield, formerly of the University of Nottingham School of Physics and Astronomy.

In addition to the planetarium and observatory, the Coxmoor Road site is also home to radio astronomy. Society member Michael Knowles initiated this after developing Forward Scatter meteor detection, initially using an analogue TV station’s signal from Spain. 

As well as using Back Scatter meteor detection techniques, this centre also studies other astronomical objects using direct and indirect radio observations using a range of antennas and dishes.

In connection to this, Sherwood Observatory is the base station for the UK Meteor Beacon project, which is a collaboration between the world of amateur radio and radio astronomy. It provides a means of studying meteor events over the UK and supports development of STEM projects that introduce radio, radar, and astronomy.

“Sherwood Observatory provides a place where visitors feel a sense of wonder from the moment they arrive,” adds Susanna. “You can learn about the wonders of the cosmos, experience the scale of the universe in our wrap-around planetarium shows, browse our exhibition and stargaze through our observatory telescopes at one of our open events.

“Let us take you on a journey of discovery to find out how we watch and listen to space, what we know about the galaxies beyond, and what is yet to be discovered!”

To supplement the programme on offer, Sherwood Observatory have regular guest speakers, including renowned astrophotographer Will Cheung and even musical performances including local composer Chris Miggells, in addition to open days and evenings.

Coming up are astronomy courses, UK Astronomy’s Guide to the Solar System and creative workshops. Keep an eye on the website each month as new additions are added.Entry to Sherwood Observatory is £7.50 for adults, £6 for children and free for under threes (this includes entry to planetarium shows, the cafe and exhibitions). Click here to find out more. It is advisable that tickets are purchased online in advance of the visit.