Seventeen miles west of Nottingham. Called the ?key to the north' from Saxon times. An attractive town. A ruined Norman castle and a good church. A I4th century monument marked the former crossroads of the Fosse Way (A46) and the Great North Road (A1). King John died in 1216 in the castle. Scene of a hugh siege in the Civil War. One old gatehouse survives. Museum of Social and Folk Life and, nearby, Air Museum.