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Black Boy in Retford from near Morrisons
Russian cannon in the eponymous square
St Swithun's Church from near the Denham library
Retford Market SquareRetford
"East Retford"
Retford is a market town which used to sit on the old A1 road from London to Edinburgh. It has a big, pleasant market square and some decent pubs. East Retford is divided from West Retford by the river Idle which is rather small and eventually ends up as part of the river Trent, joining it at Stockwith. The town is mentioned approvingly in Bill Bryson's book 'Tales from a Small Island', and has also a small station on the main line from London Kings Cross to York and beyond. It also sits on the line from Sheffield Midland to Lincoln which passes underneath.
"East Retford parish church - St Swithun's"
You can see the church from some way off. It was established in the 13th century although most of the building is 15th century and built in the Perpendicular style. The 10 bells in the tower are well known locally. The area around has some pubs and is quite lively in the evenings. I have a few good nights out here myself, particularly on New Years' Eve, and you can get fish and chips nearby afterwards.
"Cannon Square"
The small square by St Swithun's church is called Cannon Square due to the large cannon at its centre which was captured at Sebastopol from Russian forces in the Crimean War in 1855. A rather long way to bring a cannon, but there you go.
