There's an area in Nottingham that's caused heads to be scratched for years over which neighbourhood its's actually in. The area in question is where the A60 Mansfield Road has its junction with A6211 Thackeray's Lane and Ribblesdale Road is known as Sherwood, Woodthorpe and Daybrook, depending on who you ask.
Ever so slightly to the north of the junction on the left side facing north are a small number of shops, one of which is called Sherwood Lighting. Directly opposite is The Vale pub which has a Woodthorpe address, and to the south of that are shops and takeaways, one of which is called Woodthorpe Tandoori.
And that's before mentioning Daybrook, which starts at Nottingham High sports fields, runs alongside Nottingham City Hospital adjacent to A6514 Valley Road, by Thackeray's Lane recreation ground and stops just short of Arnold Fire Station, which is in Daybrook. No wonder it has caused so much confusion.
Nottinghamshire Live spoke to people in the area on A60 Mansfield Road on the side with the railings with Valley Road Park just down from the nearby shops and pub, and one local resident thinks she has the answer. Jane Thomson, 66, who's retired and lives in Sherwood, said: "On this side of the road, this is Sherwood, and Woodthorpe is the other side.
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"I think Sherwood goes up to Bedale Road just further up off Mansfield Road, and that road is split where one side is in Sherwood, and the other is in Gedling, and I've known people to argue about the boundaries. It's nice and friendly around here and on the estate where I live."
But others do not agree with this. Fahren Williams, 28, who works in admin at Nottingham City Hospital and lives in Arnold, said: "Whenever I'm on the bus and I'm going somewhere, if I'm around here I'll say I'm coming into Sherwood.
"I think Daybrook ends at the lights near GO Outdoors, and then you've got Sherwood and Woodthorpe. I wouldn't know what the houses on the other side of the road from us would be classed as.
"I'd say where we are is classed as Sherwood, and there's a bit of Woodthorpe here somewhere. If I could live anywhere at the moment, I'd live in Sherwood, as Arnold is becoming more expensive."
Another person had an altogether different theory. Dave Mooney, 42, who works as a carer in the area, said: "I'd say the area we're in at the moment is Daybrook, as we're near the Day Brook trail.
"It's such a nice green area to walk on. It's a nice pleasant area around here I have to say, I work here and it's a great and beautiful area, everyone is really friendly."
But who is right? Well, part of Jane and Fahren's answers are correct, but not entirely. The easiest way to solve the ongoing debate is by looking at ward boundaries.
Ward boundaries are the areas in which votes are counted and determines which local authority is responsible for that area. For example, Sherwood comes under Nottingham City Council, whereas Woodthorpe and Daybrook come under Gedling Borough Council.
According to the City Council, and in relation to the area in question, the Sherwood boundary travels up A60 Mansfield Road, with Sherwood on the left side as north is faced. Going up Mansfield Road, Ribblesdale Road is classed as Sherwood, and it extends up to include all of Bedale Road, but does not include the turn off for Madford Retail Park.
Looking at the Gedling Borough Council boundaries, again facing north, the right hand side of A60 Mansfield Road, including the houses, takeaways and The Vale pub, are all classed as Woodthorpe. The boundary veers to the right at the same spot the Sherwood boundary veers to the left.
You'd expect in that case anything north of that would be classed as Daybrook, right? Well, this is where it gets even more confusing...
That's because there's yet another place to add into the mix. Immediately north of that divide, (created by Sherwood and Woodthorpe boundaries cutting across A60 Mansfield Road) anything to the left is classed as Daybrook, and anything to the right is classed as Ernehale, also in Gedling.
Nottingham Road, at its junction with A60 Mansfield Road, then continues to be the divide between Daybrook and Ernehale, with anything north classed as Daybrook, and anything south classed as Ernehale until the Woodthorpe boundary is reached. That means around the junction for Madford Retail Park is an area where four different wards meet - Sherwood in Nottingham city, and Woodthorpe, Daybrook and Ernehale in Gedling borough.
If three different options can't be decided on what to call the place, how on earth can four be?!
