Gotham, Nottinghamshire

Coordinates: 52°52′01″N 1°12′22″W / 52.867°N 1.206°W / 52.867; -1.206
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Gotham (disambiguation).

Gotham
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNOTTINGHAM
Postcode districtNG11
Dialling code0115
PoliceNottinghamshire
FireNottinghamshire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament
Websitegothamparishcouncil.uk
List of places
UK
England
Nottinghamshire
52°52′01″N 1°12′22″W / 52.867°N 1.206°W / 52.867; -1.206

Gotham (

parish council
.

The name Gotham comes from the Old English for "goat home".[3]

References to Gotham in literature

Cuckoo Bush Mound is the alleged site for the tale of the Wise Men of Gotham's attempt at fencing in the cuckoo, but is actually a Neolithic burial mound. It is about three thousand years old and was excavated in 1847

The village is most famed for the stories of the "

King John's
knights saw the villagers behaving as if insane, the knights swiftly withdrew and the King's road was re-routed to avoid the village.

Gotham magistrates were said to have attempted to fence in a bush to keep a

pubs
in the village is known as the "Cuckoo Bush Inn".

Reminded of the foolish ingenuity of Gotham's residents, the American writer

Robin reads a journal that tells of how Gotham got its name; "I even have a name for it. We could call it 'Gotham' after a village in England – where, according to common belief, all are bereft of their wits."[6]

Responding to the connection between the Gotham in Nottinghamshire and Gotham for New York City, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani wrote that it was "a pleasure to have this opportunity to acknowledge the cultural and historical link" between the two places.[6]

Second World War

See also: British hardened field defences of World War II
Gotham Pillbox

There are few remaining physical examples of Gotham's wartime past. The word Gotham was removed from the face of the school building and from all signs and direction posts during the

Second World War to confuse any enemy troops that may have invaded. The pillbox pictured is the only remaining structure dating from the Second World War in the village. It was one of two pillboxes erected to form a defence for the village and also to serve as a searchlight battery. The damage to the pillbox was caused after the war and was not due to enemy action.[7] On 31 December 2018, a horse had to be rescued by the fire service after becoming trapped in the pillbox.[8]

Transport

Although Gotham has never been served by a passenger railway station, it does lie at the end of a

Nottingham Heritage Railway, giving access to the railway heritage centre at Ruddington. The closest main line station today is East Midlands Parkway railway station which opened early in 2008 at Ratcliffe-on-Soar providing links on the Midland Main Line
.

Gotham was home to the South Notts Bus Company, which provided a bus service between Nottingham and Loughborough running through the village. The South Notts trading name is still used by Nottingham City Transport, which took over the service in 1991.

Local government and elections

Parliamentary elections

Gotham lies in the Rushcliffe constituency. The Member of Parliament for the seat is Ruth Edwards, of the Conservative Party, who has held the seat since 2019. She was elected with 28,765 votes.[9] The constituency had previously been represented by Kenneth Clarke, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, from 1970 until 2019.

Local government

County council

Gotham lies in the Leake and Ruddington ward, which elects two councillors. In the 2021 election, Matt Barney and Reg Adair (both Conservative) were elected with 3,451 and 3,337 votes respectively.[10]

District council

Gotham is a part of

Ratcliffe on Soar, and Thrumpton.[12] In the 2023 election, Gotham elected Rex Walker and Andy Brown (Conservative) with 561 and 437 votes respectively.[13]

Parish council

The

parish council has 13 members.[14] The most recent election in 2023 was uncontested.[15]

Churches

The village has a twelfth-century church,

Lawrence of Rome
.

Other points of interest

On 2 August 1984, as rain storms lashed the county, Gotham was hit by a tornado at approximately 5:50 pm, uprooting trees, blowing garden sheds onto power cables, destroying greenhouses and severely damaging houses, roofs and chimneys; however, no one was injured.[16]

Gotham is home to a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) listed as Gotham Hill Pasture.[17][18]

See also

Gallery

  • In 2014, the Gotham sign had been stolen three times in four years by Batman fans[19]
    In 2014, the Gotham sign had been stolen three times in four years by Batman fans[19]
  • The Square
    The Square
  • Wind vane in the centre of town displaying the legends of Gotham
    Wind vane in the centre of town displaying the legends of Gotham
  • The Cuckoo Bush Inn
    The Cuckoo Bush Inn
  • The Star Inn
    The Star Inn
  • Thatched house on Nottingham Road
    Thatched house on Nottingham Road
  • St Lawrence's Church
    St Lawrence's Church
  • Gotham Manor
    Gotham Manor
  • The old gypsum workings on Gotham Hill
    The old gypsum workings on Gotham Hill
  • Woods on Gotham Hill
    Woods on Gotham Hill
  • The Gotham branch of the Great Central Railway, now converted to a footpath
    The Gotham branch of the Great Central Railway, now converted to a footpath

References

  1. ^ "Civil Parish population 2021". City Population. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  2. Office for National Statistics
    . Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  3. ISBN 0198605617
    .
  4. ^ "Local Legends: Wise men of Gotham". BBC. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  5. ^ Grose, Francis; 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
  6. ^ a b c d Caroline Lowbridge (1 January 2014). "The real Gotham: The village behind the Batman stories". BBC News. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  7. ^ "Pillbox above Gotham: This is part of the information board provided as part of the Gotham Heritage Trail". Geograph British Isles. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  8. ^ Horse rescued from Nottinghamshire wartime pill box https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-46740525
  9. ^ "Election of a Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe Constituency" (PDF). Rushcliffe Borough Council. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Leake and Ruddington". Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  11. ^ "The Rushcliffe (Electoral Changes) Order 2022 - Schedule 1". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Ward boundary maps". Rushcliffe Borough Council. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  13. ^ Pridmore, Oliver; Beck, Laycie (5 May 2023). "Tory majority narrowly slips on Rushcliffe Borough Council". NottinghamshireLive. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Gotham Parish Council". Rushcliffe Borough Council. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  15. ^ "RETURN OF RESULT OF UNCONTESTED ELECTION" (PDF). Rushcliffe Borough Council. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Hold on! Twisters in Nottinghamshire". BBC. January 2004. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  17. ^ "Gotham Hill Pasture: Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) notified under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981" (PDF). Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  18. ^ Sanbanks Gotham SSSI "Gotham Sandbanks Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine. English Nature.
  19. ^ "Batman fans take Gotham village sign in 'prank'. BBC News. Retrieved 20 June 2015

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gotham, Nottinghamshire.
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