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The Dark Side of Sherwood Vale’s History
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1950’s Sherwood Vale
One day in August 1951 Herbert Leonard Mills who lived in Mansfield Street, Sherwood, rang the “New of the World” offices to say he had discovered a woman’s body in the woods off Sherwood Vale. He wanted money for an exclusive story but the reporter was suspicious and contacted the police, who actually caught Mills in the phone box. He led them to the body of Mrs. Mabel Tattershaw who had lived on Longmead Drive, Sherwood. She had been murdered.
After a preliminary enquiry the police set Mills free. It was only after persistent questioning by the “News of the World” reported that Mills confessed to what he thought was a perfect crime. He met Mrs. Tattershaw at the Roxy Cinema on Ribblesdale Road and arranged to meet her the next day at the Metropole Cinema. Afterwards they went for a walk in Woodthorpe Park. Mills appears to have committed the murder for no other reason than the notoriety and said he “was quite proud of it”. Obviously he was unstable but he was declared sane and hanged at Lincoln Prison on December 11th 1951.
The History of Sherwood, A Nottingham Suburb
Terry Fry, 1989 p 48