Gotham, Nottinghamshire
Encyclopedia
Gotham is a village in Nottinghamshire
, England
, south of Nottingham
and north-east of Kegworth
. Gotham has a population of about 1,600. It is administered as part of the Rushcliffe
district of Nottingham, and has a parish council.
It has a twelfth-century church named after St Lawrence.
The village is most famed for the stories of the "Wise Men of Gotham
". These depict the people of the village as being stupid. However, the reason for the behaviour is believed to be that the villagers wished to feign madness in order to avoid a Royal Highway
being built through the village, as they would then be expected to build and maintain this route. Madness was believed at the time to be highly contagious, and when 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.
One of the mad deeds seen by the knights was a group of villagers fencing off a small tree in order to keep a cuckoo
captive from the sheriff of Nottingham. One of the three pubs/inns
in the village is known as The Cuckoo Bush Inn.
Reminded of the foolish ingenuity of Gotham's residents, Washington Irving
gave the name "Gotham" to New York City
in his Salmagundi Papers (1807). In turn, Bob Kane
named the pastiche New York City home of Batman
, Gotham City
. The existence of Gotham, Nottinghamshire in the DC Universe
was recently acknowledged in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #206 (and again in 52
#27), although the connection between two names within the DCU has not been fully explained. In a story titled 'Cityscape' in Batman Chronicles
#6 it is revealed that Gotham was initially built for the purpose of housing the criminally insane "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."
Although Gotham has never been served by a passenger railway station, it does lie at the end of a branch line about 2 miles in length that leads westwards from the Great Central
main line, opened in March 1899. The branch used to serve a plaster factory and gypsum mines, but was closed in the early 1960s. The main line itself closed to regular services in May 1969, although that section from Loughborough
to Ruddington
is still extant, giving access to the railway heritage centre at Ruddington. The closest station today is East Midlands Parkway
which opened early in 2008 at
Ratcliffe on Soar providing links on the Midland Main Line
.
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.
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.
Gotham is home to a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) listed as Gotham Hill Pasture.
There are few remaining physical examples of Gotham’s wartime past. The word Gotham was removed from the face of the schools building along with all signs and direction posts during the Second World War
to confuse troops. The Pillbox pictured is the only remaining structure dating from the Second World War. It was one of two pillboxes erected to form a defence for the village and also for a searchlight battery. The damage to the Pillbox was caused post war and not due to enemy action.
see also British hardened field defences of World War II
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, south of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and north-east of Kegworth
Kegworth
Kegworth is a large village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England....
. Gotham has a population of about 1,600. It is administered as part of the Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe is a local government district with borough status in Nottinghamshire, England. Its council is based in West Bridgford. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by merging the West Bridgford Urban District, the Bingham Rural District and part of Basford Rural District.-Political representation:The...
district of Nottingham, and has a parish council.
It has a twelfth-century church named after St Lawrence.
Wise Men of Gotham
Wise Men of Gotham is the early name given to the people of the village of Gotham, Nottinghamshire, in allusion to their reputed simplicity. If tradition is to be believed, the people of Gotham were not so very simple.- Legend :...
". These depict the people of the village as being stupid. However, the reason for the behaviour is believed to be that the villagers wished to feign madness in order to avoid a Royal Highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
being built through the village, as they would then be expected to build and maintain this route. Madness was believed at the time to be highly contagious, and when King John's
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
knights saw the villagers behaving as if insane, the knights swiftly withdrew and the King's road was re-routed to avoid the village.
One of the mad deeds seen by the knights was a group of villagers fencing off a small tree in order to keep a cuckoo
Cuckoo
The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...
captive from the sheriff of Nottingham. One of the three pubs/inns
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in the village is known as The Cuckoo Bush Inn.
Reminded of the foolish ingenuity of Gotham's residents, Washington Irving
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
gave the name "Gotham" to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in his Salmagundi Papers (1807). In turn, Bob Kane
Bob Kane
Bob Kane was an American comic book artist and writer, credited as the creator of the DC Comics superhero Batman...
named the pastiche New York City home of Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
. The existence of Gotham, Nottinghamshire in the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
was recently acknowledged in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #206 (and again in 52
52 (comic book)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
#27), although the connection between two names within the DCU has not been fully explained. In a story titled 'Cityscape' in Batman Chronicles
Batman Chronicles
The Batman Chronicles is a series of comics published by DC Comics from 1995 to 2001, which lasted 23 quarterly issues and a series of collections.-Publication history:...
#6 it is revealed that Gotham was initially built for the purpose of housing the criminally insane "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."
Although Gotham has never been served by a passenger railway station, it does lie at the end of a branch line about 2 miles in length that leads westwards from the Great Central
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
main line, opened in March 1899. The branch used to serve a plaster factory and gypsum mines, but was closed in the early 1960s. The main line itself closed to regular services in May 1969, although that section from Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
to Ruddington
Ruddington
Ruddington is an English village situated five miles south of Nottingham in the Borough of Rushcliffe. It had a population of 6,441 at the 2001 UK census....
is still extant, giving access to the railway heritage centre at Ruddington. The closest station today is East Midlands Parkway
East Midlands Parkway railway station
East Midlands Parkway is a railway station located north of Ratcliffe-on-Soar on the Midland Main Line in the East Midlands of England. It provides park and ride facilities for rail passengers on the routes from Leicester to Derby and Nottingham...
which opened early in 2008 at
Ratcliffe on Soar providing links on the Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
.
On 2 August 1984, as rain storms lashed the county, Gotham was hit by a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
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.
Gotham was home to the South Notts Bus Company
South Notts Bus Company
The South Notts Bus Company Ltd was a British bus operator based in Gotham, Nottinghamshire. It commenced service in 1926 and became a limited company in 1929...
, 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
Nottingham City Transport
Nottingham City Transport is the major bus operator of the English city of Nottingham, running a comprehensive network of services in the Greater Nottingham area, with some services continuing to Southwell, Loughborough, and East Midlands Airport. There are over 80 routes across the City, giving...
, which took over the service in 1991.
Gotham is home to a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) listed as Gotham Hill Pasture.
Gotham’s World War II past
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to confuse troops. The Pillbox pictured is the only remaining structure dating from the Second World War. It was one of two pillboxes erected to form a defence for the village and also for a searchlight battery. The damage to the Pillbox was caused post war and not due to enemy action.
see also British hardened field defences of World War II
British hardened field defences of World War II
British hardened field defences of World War II were small fortified structures constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations. They were popularly known as pillboxes by reference to their shape.-Design and development:...