Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire

Gunthorpe
Village and civil parish
River Trent and The Unicorn Hotel
Parish map
Gunthorpe Location within Nottinghamshire
Area	1.76 sq mi (4.6 km2)
Population	740 (2021)
•  Density	420/sq mi (160/km2)
OS grid reference	SK 680441
•  London	110 mi (180 km)  SSE
District	Newark and Sherwood
Shire county	Nottinghamshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NOTTINGHAM
Postcode district	NG14
Dialling code	0115
Police	Nottinghamshire
Fire	Nottinghamshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Newark
Website	gunthorpenottspc.org.uk
List of places UK England Nottinghamshire 52°59′24″N0°59′13″W / 52.990°N 0.987°W / 52.990; -0.987

Gunthorpe is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. Its population was 740 at the 2021 census. ^[1] It lies on the left bank of the River Trent. Gunthorpe Bridge on the A6097 is the only road crossing of the river between Newark and Nottingham.

Places named Gunthorpe

There are five places in England named Gunthorpe:

• Gunthorpe ward in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, population 9400. ^[2]

• Gunthorpe village in Nottinghamshire, population 740, ^[1] site of Gunthorpe Bridge over the River Trent.

• Gunthorpe village in Norfolk, population 230, ^[3] site of Gunthorpe Hall.

• Gunthorpe hamlet in the parish of Owston Ferry, Lincolnshire, population 180,^{[ citation needed ]} sited on the bank of the River Trent.

• Gunthorpe hamlet in Rutland, population 21. ^[4]

Origin of the name Gunthorpe

The name Gunthorpe refers not to guns but to a Viking woman. Gunnhildr was a common Viking female name, notably in the family of King Cnut, ^[5] and could be shortened to Gunni. The name Gunthorpe combines Gunnhildr with the Old Norse element þorp meaning ‘outlying farm/settlement’. ^[6]

The surname Gunthorpe developed later, being first recorded in Northumberland in 1207. ^[7] The most eminent bearer was John Gunthorpe (c1449-1498), Dean of Wells, who probably took his name from Gunthorpe in Lincolnshire, where he owned land. ^[8]

History

The significance of the river crossing at Gunthorpe is indicated by the presence of a buried earthwork of 53m diameter surrounded by a ditch and bank, believed to be a “henge”, a ceremonial centre from the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age (2800-2000 BC). It is one of only about 80 examples in the country. ^[9] The henge is on private land east of the A6097. ^[10] It was detected by aerial survey in 1996 and scheduled as an ancient monument in 1998. ^[11]

The Roman Fosse Way from Exeter to Lincoln followed the high ground to the east of the River Trent. From the nearest fort at Margidunum near Bingham, a road led to a ford across the river at what is now East Bridgford but there is no evidence of any continuation on the Gunthorpe side. ^[12]

The Old Norse origin of the name suggests that the settlement of Gunthorpe originated in the Danelaw period. ^[6] The Viking Great Army sailed up this part of the River Trent in 873. ^[13] The shallow water at Gunthorpe would have been a significant obstacle on the way. A treaty with the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred the Great established Viking rule over the Danelaw, and Gunthorpe became part of the Viking Borough of Nottingham.

The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded Gunthorpe (then spelled “Gulnhorp”) as a substantial settlement. It had 52 households, compared to 165 in Nottingham, 39 in Newark and 3 in Lowdham, putting Gunthorpe among the largest 20% of recorded settlements. ^[14]

A ferry boat across the river at Gunthorpe existed since before the Norman conquest, as mentioned in the Domesday Book and several Medieval and later references. ^[15]

In the late Middle Ages, Gunthorpe’s status declined compared to the neighbouring villages of Lowdham and East Bridgford, which had roads and churches on higher ground above the river floodplain. In 1559 the parish register of Lowdham recorded that there was a chapel of ease at Gunthorpe. It suffered from vandalism and theft, and stones from it appear to form the foundations of the cottage opposite (now No 37 Main Street). By 1798 the chapel had been converted to a blacksmith’s shop. ^[16]

An iron toll bridge over the River Trent between Gunthorpe and East Bridgford opened in 1875. ^[17] The toll house is now the Bridge & Bayleaf restaurant.

In 1881 the population of Gunthorpe was 323, including 40 attending the church school. The village had two inns, two shops, three farmers, a blacksmith, a wheelwright, a tailor and a shoe maker. The chief crops were wheat, barley, beans, turnips and roots. Most people were employed in framework knitting. ^[18]

Of the 58 men of Gunthorpe who served in the First World War, 12 were killed. Of the 66 who served in the Second World War, 2 were killed. ^[19]

The modern riverside was constructed during the 1920s. Gunthorpe lock was excavated during 1922-25 as a job creation scheme. It was one of six locks of similar size on the river between Nottingham and Newark. The associated weir created deeper water in the river allowing the passage of larger barges to Nottingham.^{[ citation needed ]} A new concrete bridge over the river was completed in 1927, served by a by-pass road whose embankment used the spoil from the lock excavation. ^[20]

Amenities

Gunthorpe's Anglican church, St John the Baptist's, was originally a chapel of ease built in 1850. It became a parish in its own right, separate from Lowdham, in 1993. Extensions were made in 1991 and 2001. A service is held only on the morning of the second Sunday in the month. ^[21]

Gunthorpe Church of England Primary School is in David's Lane just off Main Street. ^{[22] [23]} The school was established in 1873 ^[18] in a riverfront building now occupied by Tom Brown’s restaurant and moved to the present site in 1974.

The Unicorn Hotel on Gunthorpe river front was first recorded as the Ferry Inn in 1832. ^[24]

Tom Brown’s restaurant opened in 1986 on the former site of Gunthorpe Primary School. ^[25]

The Bridge & Bayleaf restaurant opened in 2010. ^[26] It was formerly the Lighthouse Café, and is the toll house of the first Gunthorpe Bridge. ^[27]

The Mediterraneo restaurant closed in 2017. It was formerly the Anchor Inn, which was Gunthorpe’s second public house from approximately 1890 to 2008. ^[28]

There was a post office and shop in Gunthorpe since before 1891. ^[18] From 1924 it was owned by HW Spouge (sited in the present Bramley Close), which closed in 1994. The post office moved to 74 Main Street, where it closed in 1999. ^[29]

Flooding

Gunthorpe has suffered from flooding by the River Trent. The need for further flood defences was argued after flooding in 2000.^{[ citation needed ]}

Transport

The daytime Trent Barton "Rushcliffe Villager" service links Gunthorpe with Nottingham and Bingham about once an hour on Monday to Saturday. ^[30]

The nearest railway station is at Lowdham, just over a mile away. This has regular services to Nottingham and Newark and beyond.

References

1. "Custom Area Profile – Gunthorpe Census merged parish in Newark and Sherwood (E04007908)". UK Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
2. "Custom Area Profile – Gunthorpe ward in Peterborough (E05010814)". UK Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
3. "Custom Area Profile – Gunthorpe Census merged parish in North Norfolk (E04006420)". UK Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
4. "Gunthorpe parish postcodes". doogal.co.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
5. "Gunnhild". Vikings in the East Midlands. University of Nottingham. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
6. "Gunthorpe". Vikings in the East Midlands. University of Nottingham. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
7. "Last name: Gunthorpe". SurnameDB. Name Origin Research. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
8. Clough, C. "Gunthorpe, John (d. 1498), dean of Wells and administrator". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
9. "Henge 120m south of Lodge Farm". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
10. "Gunthorpe Bridge Henge". The Modern Antiquarian. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
11. "Monument record M8259 - Henge, Gunthorpe". Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record. Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
12. Oswald, F (January 1933). "The Roman Roads of Nottinghamshire". The Nottinghamshire Magazine. 1 (3). Retrieved 27 September 2024.
13. "The Viking Great Army". Minerva Magazine. October 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
14. Powell-Smith, Anna. "Gunthorpe". Open Domesday. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
15. "Monument record M5472 - The Ferry at Gunthorpe". Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record. Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
16. "Gunthorpe St John the Baptist History". Southwell & Nottingham Church History Project. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
17. "Monument record M1961 - Gunthorpe Toll Bridge, East Bridgford". Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record. Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
18. Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland and Nottinghamshire. London: Kelly & Co. 1891.
19. "Gunthorpe St John the Baptist War Memorial". Southwell & Nottingham Church History Project. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
20. "Gunthorpe Bridge". Sabre. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
21. Church Retrieved 5 February 2020.
22. Gunthorpe school
23. Ofsted page. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
24. "Unicorn, Gunthorpe". CAMRA. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
25. "Gunthorpe restaurant Tom Browns announces temporary closure ahead of new ownership". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
26. "The Bridge and Bayleaf, Gunthorpe". Things to do in Nottinghamshire.
27. "Lighthouse Cafe, River Trent, Gunthorpe, c 1950s". Picture Nottingham. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
28. "Anchor Inn, Gunthorpe". Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
29. "Post Office, Main Street, Gunthorpe, 1999". Picture Nottingham. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
30. Bus times. Retrieved 5 February 2020.