Nottingham has many historical buildings and ruins which are worth a visit or two. However, many people may not know that the county has the remains of a former royal residence hidden in a field in Clipstone, North-west Nottinghamshire.
The former royal residency is now reduced to three stone walls which are known as 'King John's Palace. The medieval palace was thought to have been built in stone around 1180 and was used as a royal meeting place before falling into disuse in the 15th century.
The remaining walls are thought to be part of a Romanesque stone chamber that had a timber upper floor which gave visitors a spectacular view over the deer park. Sherwood Forest animals were protected by forest law which was introduced by the Normans. It meant the animals that lived there were owned by the king and could only be hunted by royalty.
The grade II listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument has been in ruins since approximately 1525. The decline happened as a result of diminishing royal interest and a lack of visits by any monarchs after Richard II. It was known as a palace from the 18th century but referred to as the King's house before that.
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King John, who features in the Robin Hood legends, was thought to stay in the palace while hunting and it is rumoured that he only spent nine days in total there. The surrounding area was once full of deer making it the perfect place for hunting. Richard I once arranged a meeting with William King of Scotland there and in 1290 Edward I held Parliament in the building.
It has also been visited by all eight kings from Henry II to Richard II with King John thought to hold parliament there in the early 13th century. Excavations in more recent times revealed the outline of other potential buildings thought to be from the 13th century including a ditch, palisade and a pond.
There have been attempts over the years to repair the ruins in order to stop the walls from collapsing. The ruins, whcih are on private land, were repaired in 2010 after they were deemed in 'imminent danger' due to erosion. The monument was added to the English Heritage’s Buildings at Risk Register and craftsmen were brought in to tie and mortar the masonry together in a bid to prevent further collapse.
There have been a number of historical discoveries on the property dating back as far as the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries. This includes Roman arrowheads from the Bronze age and Saxon pottery.
Channel 4's Time Team along with experts from the University of Nottingham once visited the site to dig the ruin The show also investigated if the ruins could reveal anything about the history and the episode aired in 2012
It is thought that the royal ownership of the remains of the palace was passed on in October 1603 when James I granted it to Charles Blount, Lord Mountjoy.
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