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Our walk begins at the Church. What you see has remained largely unchanged since the reformation over 400 years ago. It is the largest church in South Nottinghamshire and work is believed to have commenced around 1346.

Inside the church at the western end of the north isle is a memorial to Sir Thomas Parkyns (1662-1741). Sir Thomas designed it himself and had it built during his own lifetime. The life size effigy in the left hand panel shows Sir Thomas in a wrestling stance. In the right hand panel he is shown ‘thrown’ by old father time. As well as being a wrestling fanatic, Sir Thomas was a magistrate, author, scholar and architect. In his latter capacity he has left his stamp on the village for most of the older buildings in Bunny apart from the church were designed by him.

Through the gate turn left and immediately right down Main Street.

Notice too the built up gable ends of idiosyncratic design. Similar houses can be seen, not only in Bunny, but also in Bradmore, Ruddington and elsewhere.

The rest of the houses in the street are a mixture of old and new, with some attractive cottages on the right towards the end, probably built in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

These are known as the Moors, and the curious name Bunny means ‘a reedy island’. Although so low lying, Bunny is built on gravel and is well drained.

The brook was much wider and navigable in Roman times than it is today.

The occupation roads from here are all public footpaths and may be used by walkers. Straight on goes to Bradmore, left goes to Gotham, and near the footbridge a mile down here you might be lucky enough to see a Heron or even a Kingfisher. Most of the nearby fields are arable land. There is little grassland in Bunny.

The big house on the left opposite the pollarded Lime trees is the old Vicarage, and the large house on the right is the Grange. The road off to the right Moor View leads to some new houses built on the old farmyards.

Bear round to the left onto Church Street, and with the church on the right, past a white painted old cottage and barn dated 1686 on your left.

Walk to the left up the main road. The white washed house on the right is on of the hall lodges and behind it are some large converted stable blocks. At one time the main road ran between these buildings.

A little further on the right you can see part of the walled nursery gardens. The main road here crosses an old common field and on both sides you can see the ridge and furrow of mediaeval ploughing. Further away you can see Bradmore on its hill.

Straight ahead at the narrowest part of the road is the third of Bunny’s schools, the original grammar school built by Parkyns in 1700. It has a pleasing symmetry and is the most aesthetically satisfying of all Parkyns buildings.

Stop on the far side by the church gate and examine the coat of arms and Latin inscription. The schoolroom is now a men’s institute and the rest of the building is divided into two flats owned by the Bunny charity.

At one time it was a coaching inn on the main Nottingham to London turnpike road. Horses from it would have been fresh to tackle the notoriously steep Bunny Hill, just to the south.

If you feel like a longer walk, stroll on down the main road past the garage and turn left down the narrow lane towards Wysall.

On the left you will see the park wall built by Parkyns for over £5,000 and over two miles long. If you walk around the perimeter you will see an old entrance to the estate with Pineapples on the gateposts.

More energetic still is the path up to the ancient Bunny wood. The style on the right leads past the old Gypsum mine into the woods that are noted for their springtime bluebells.