Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire


Gunthorpe is a small village and civil parish, in the Newark and Sherwood district near Nottingham, England. Its population was put at 752 in the 2011 census. It lies on the left bank of the River Trent. Gunthorpe Bridge on the A6097 road is the only bridge over the river between Newark and Nottingham.

Amenities and living

Gunthorpe has an Anglican church, St John the Baptist's. The church building 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. At present a service is held only once a month, on the morning of the second Sunday.
Gunthorpe Church of England Primary School is located in David's Lane just off Main Street. It currently has about 90 children pupils. A full Ofsted inspection in November 2013 rated it good in all respects.
Gunthorpe has four pubs/restaurants: Tom Browns, The Unicorn, The Bridge and Bayleaf and Biondi. The site of a fifth restaurant, Mediterraneo Italian, formerly The Anchor is currently vacant. There is a large motor-home and caravan centre called Lowdhams built on the former Tarmac landfill site in 1991. There is also a smaller centre called Fuller Leisure, and a small caravan and motorhome service and repair centre called Lodge Farm Leisure. The nearest shopping facilities are at Lowdham.
Gunthorpe has suffered from flooding by the River Trent. The need for further flood defences was argued after flooding in 2000.

Heritage

Queen Boudica is said to have defeated the Roman IX Legion near present-day Gunthorpe in the 1st century AD.
Settlement came with the Danes sailing up the Trent in the 9th century. The ferry at "Gulnetorp" was mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book. Further mentions occur throughout the Middle Ages. The toll bridge completed in 1875 was largely made of iron. It was replaced under powers gained in 1925 by the present bridge, which is free.
Of the 58 men of Gunthorpe who fought in the First World War, 12 were killed.

Transport

The daytime Trent Barton "Rushcliffe Villager" service links Gunthorpe with Nottingham and Bingham about once an hour on Monday to Saturday.
The nearest railway station is at Lowdham, just over a mile away. This has regular services to Nottingham and Newark and beyond.