The Robin Hood Statue was unveiled on 24^th July 1952 on the Lawn by the Duchess of Portland. The lawn can be found beneath Nottingham Castle. The Robin Hood Statue was gifted by Mr. Phillip Clay, a local businessman with the aim of providing an iconic tangible figure which relates to Nottingham’s own world famous hero and icon.

During the unveiling of the Robin Hood Statue, 500 school children gathered and sat patiently on the grass to watch the ceremony. During the Ceremony the statue as well as other plaques and sculptures were unveiled to the public.

Following the unveiling ceremony of the statue, Mr. Clay was honoured. Lunch also took place at the Council House following the unveiling at which guests dined on Fillet of Sole Robin Hood and Venison Chasseur or Roast Duckling. This feast was completed with mead (honey flavoured beverage) which was prominent during the medieval times.

The Robin Hood statue is made in eight pieces of half inch thick bronze which is made to last 6000 years and weighs half a ton. The statue stands at an eye catching height of 7 ft. The tall and heavy Robin Hood Statue stands on a mouth-watering two and a half ton block of white Clipsham stone. The statue is situated on the grounds of Nottingham Castle. The famous arrow of Robin Hood points towards the gatehouse and the establishment.

The task to produce the robin Hood Statue was delegated to James Woodford who was the respected Royal Academy Sculptor. James Woodford also designed and made the other plaques and statuary.

Not only visitors from across the country or the world have taken pictures with the famous statue, but celebrities have also had pictures taken with the sculpture. The Robin Hood Statue is also an ideal location for celebrity shoots, newspapers and magazine covers as well as links with the television.

Disney time was famously introduced from the location of the Robin Hood Statue. The statue has also appeared on the front page of the New York Times as well as feature on The One Show by the BBC. The iconic sculpture has also been used for political purposes with newsreader Jan Leeming filming the Conversative party political broadcast from the location. The Robin Hood Statue also represents Nottingham on the Central News montage.

4 plaques are placed outside the castles outer bailey wall on Robin Hood’s lawn. The plaques illustrate tales from the Nottingham’s legend. One plaque portrays Robin hood, Maid Marian and Friar Tuck fighting the men of Guy of Gisborne. One plaque is a symbol of marriage showing Richard the Lionheart joining the hands of Robin Hood and Maid Marian. The third plaque depicts the fight between the legend of Nottingham and Little John as they were crossing a river. The final plaque shows Robin Hood shooting his final arrow whilst dying to mark his burial site. 

There have been many collections and tales of Robin Hood over the years. One of the tales portrays the outlaw being captured by the Sheriff of Nottingham and prisoned in the Nottingham Castle. Robin Hood escaped the Castle through the caves and underground tunnels of the castle and went in the Sherwood Forest. Despite there being no definitive history this escape seems feasible given it has been noted that Edward III entered the castle from the caves and tunnels to capture Roger Mortimer.

Despite the legend of Robin hood being famous across the world, the statue has on many occasions suffered vandalism. In the 1950’s & 1960s damage was caused to the statue by either removing or damaging the arrow or the bowstring. The cost of replacing the arrows were £55.00 each time and was paid by Nottingham City Council. In order to avoid the Robin Hood Statue being vandalised a former Sheriff of Nottingham engaged with engineers at the Royal Ordnance Factory. The engineers made the arrow from a strong material which was fixed with a welding process to try and deter the vandalism.

Despite the works of engineers there have been subsequent occasions where sculpture of the iconic figure has been damaged. The statue has often lost the bottom half of its bow and this was the case as recently as in 2008, 2009 and even 2018. This has caused upset to most people who remember Robin Hood as a legend of Nottingham.

The Robin Hood Statue can be accessed at any time given it is located just outside of Nottingham Castle. You can therefore take advantage of viewing the statue or even taking your pictures with the sculpture at a time to suit you.

The Robin Hood Statue is located outside the Nottingham Castle at Castle Place, NG1 6EL. The lawn and the statue can be conveniently accessed by car and public transport. Many visitors often explore the Nottingham Castle at the same time given their very close proximity.

At Kabir family Law we only deal with family. If you are facing any family disputes then please get in touch with us on 0115 666 3800 to arrange a free initial consultation. We are situated approximately 0.7 miles (and a 5 minute drive) from the Robin Hood Statue at 2 King Street, Nottingham, NG1 2AS.