Coltishall is located on the River Bure and within the Norfolk Broads, 2.4 miles (3.9km) north-west of Wroxham and 7.7 miles (12.4km) north-east of Norwich.
In local dialect, Coltishall may be pronounced "Coltshall",[1] "Coltshull"[2] or "Cõlesil/Cõltsul".[3]
Etymology
Coltishall's name is of Old English origin and first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086 in the forms Cokereshala and Coketeshala. From 1200 onwards, it is attested in the contracted form Couteshal(e), in which form it has more or less remained to the present day (the l in the modern spelling is due to hypercorrection). The second part of the name is thought to derive from the Old English word halh ('nook') but the origin of the first part is uncertain; one guess is that it was an otherwise unattested personal name Coccede or Cohhede, and thus meant 'Coccede's nook'.[4] However, The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names concludes that "the recorded forms are too few and contradictory for satisfactory explanation".[5]
Furthermore, from the mid-Eighteenth Century, Coltishall was a centre for the malting industry with many wherries being built in the village.[8]
In the late-Eighteenth Century, parts of the Bure Navigational Canal were dug in the parish to make the River Bure more easily navigable for watercraft.[9]
Horstead Watermill, close to the village, was one of the most photographed mills in Britain until it burned down in 1963.[10]
RAF Coltishall was opened in 1939 as a fighter station of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. It became home to No. 242 Squadron RAF, which was largely composed of Canadian personnel who had suffered heavy losses in the Battle of France. Morale within the unit was low, and on 24 June 1940, the squadron was placed under the command of the legless fighter ace Douglas Bader.[11][12] Bader quickly restored discipline, reshaped the squadron’s reputation, and led it effectively through the early stages of the Battle of Britain.
The main technical site was subsequently repurposed as HM Prison Bure, a Category C prison for adult male offenders.[14]
The adjoining married quarters and residential area were renamed Badersfield in honour of Douglas Bader. Although closely associated with RAF Coltishall, Badersfield does not fall within the civil parish of Coltishall. Instead, it lies partly in the parish of Scottow (in the North Norfolk district) and partly in the parish of Buxton with Lammas (in the Broadland district).[15]
Geography
According to the 2021 census, Coltishall has a population of 1,446 people which shows a decrease from the 1,503 people recorded in the 2011 census.[16]
Coltishall's parish church is dedicated John the Baptist and dates at its earliest to the Fifteenth Century. St. John's is located on Church Street and has been Grade I listed since 1984.[17]
The church was largely re-built in 1865 and boasts a Twelfth Century font made from Purbeck Marble. In addition, there is a good collection of stained-glass windows including some from the workshops of James Powell and Sons (depicting the Risen Christ) and memorial glass by Alfred Wilkinson.[18]
Within the parish there is a ruined church dedicated to Saint Theobald of Provins which was built in the Eleventh Century and was abandoned in the Nineteenth Century.[19]
Notable residents
Reverend John Alen- (1476–1534) priest and church lawyer, born in Coltishall.
Sir John Alan- (1500–1561) statesman and Irish Lord Chancellor, born in Coltishall.
Doctor John Smith- (1711–1795) academic and astronomer, born in Coltishall.
Thomas Holloway- (1748–1827) painter and engraver, lived and died in Coltishall.
Chaplain William Addison VC- (1883–1962) Church of England priest and army chaplain, Rector of Coltishall from 1938–1958.
Gwyneth Johnstone- (1915–2010) painter, born and died in Coltishall.
Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).[20]
Coltishall is both a civil parish and an electoral ward for local elections, falling within the district of Broadland. Local affairs are managed by Coltishall Parish Council, which oversees matters such as the village hall, playing fields, and provides input on planning applications.[23]
The council also supports the maintenance and improvement of community facilities, including the children's play park, picnic areas, basketball court, and outdoor gym equipment on the Recreation Ground. It works alongside local charities and trusts, such as the Coltishall Commons Management Trust and the Village Hall charity, to promote the wellbeing of residents and the protection of local green spaces. The Parish Council is a statutory consultee on planning matters and plays an active role in representing the interests of the village within the wider framework of local government.
Coltishall's war memorial is a stone cross on the High Street which is shared with the nearby village of Great Hautbois. The memorial was unveiled in August 1920[25] and lists the following names for the First World War:[26]
↑ The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, Based on the Collections of the English Place-Name Society, ed. by Victor Watts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), s.v. Coltishall.
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