About Sherwood Observatory Sherwood Observatory is the home of the Mansfield & Sutton Astronomical Society and is situated in Sutton-in-Ashfield overlooking the town of Mansfield to the north. The Observatory building was built by the founders of the society on a purely voluntary basis so that the society could have a place to meet and view the stars together. The building work was started in 1972 and was finally opened to the public in 1986. As well as visiting our web site, you are usually more than welcome to visit us in person at the observatory, however please note that the society members are all volunteers, most of whom are in full time employment, thus any visits MUST fit around the availability of society members. All events are held at our observatory, unless otherwise specified. In addition to our scheduled events, normally there are a number of members present on Monday and Wednesday evenings who will be more than happy to show visitors around and discuss astronomy related issues. Please note that these times are usually reserved for members only meetings, or to maintain the observatory premises and equipment, or the observatory may have been booked for a private group, so it may not always be possible to visit. To avoid any disappointment, please ring to make sure that someone is present and that they will be able to entertain visitors.