Development:
An
Historical
Overview
It is felt appropriate to consider the pattern
of development which has taken place
depressions in gardens. It is known that the
field between Cedars and Grange Farm was
used for gravel extraction for local road
maintenance. (Raising road between Holly
Farm and Marlock 1935?)
The original trackway would certainly take
the high point of the gravel bank through
within the study area.
The Park.
Firstly it is suggested that the presence of
The village was situated on the western
the gravel beds will have been the influence
flank of the gravel bank so the road turned
historically for the establishment of a
across from what is now Newbridge Garage
settlement at Gunthorpe.
towards The Hall crossing the low point.
The attraction of excellent farming land
It seems entirely reasonable to assume that
within the valley will not have gone
flooding would be just as prevalent and
unnoticed – and there are hints in
frequent: and that frequency would be such
documents that off the valley floor there
that any landowner would have adequate
were important woodlands: there is a
experience of such events. Any farming and
reference to Skithorne Wood in 1235.
settlement activity would be linked to that
scenario.
There are references to arguments over
cattle grazing in 1321 between Gunthorpe
In 1875 the steel arched toll bridge was
and Hoveringham and references to various
opened – no doubt adjacent to the ford /
mills on Dover Beck.
ferry provision to East Bridgford, Bingham
and so on. The remnant of Bridgford Street
There is reference in 1328 to a ferry at
(now a bridleway) is slightly to the west of
Gunthorpe.
the derelict toll bridge.
There appears to have been lively activity in
Prior to this construction the Trent flowed
the Lowdham / Gunthorpe axis from
unhinderd past Gunthorpe.
Doomsday and it seems reasonable that any
pathway / trackway would take account of
In 1925 Nottingham Corporation built the
high points across the floodplain.
lock system.
From an 1888 geology map it can be seen
The tollbridge was superceded in 1927 by
that The Park is built within a gravel bank.
the present structure (opened 17th
A quarry is shown to the east of the main
November). At this time the first major
road: this extraction would account for the
barrier to flood water was created due to the
embanked roadway either side of the bridge.
There is a single arch which seems to have
The building development from Main Street
been provided for field access rather than
junction northwards has two elements: the
flood control plus a culvert on the East
early buildings which were on known ‘high
Bridgford side.
points’ and others on the east side where
gravel had been removed.
Quarrying to the west of the new embanked
road (now reclassified to A6097) probably
The Majestic Café was built in the 1930s on
commenced in the late 1930s. A small
what is now the site of AVR / Fullers and it
culvert replaced a previous short drainage
is recalled that it was built on a high plinth.
dyke across the site into what is now
The site was then taken over by ARC and
Riverside Caravan Park which then passed
became both a petrol site and a used vehicle
under The Approach into the Trent approx
plant site before being split as now. The
100M downstream of the new bridge.
agricultural buildings north and south of
Fullers/AVR plus Lodge Farm (rear of
A further culvert ran under the new road
Gunthorpe Lodge) have been developed on
adjacent to the small layby towards The
the present scale in recent years making use
Hall.
of the relaxed Planning Permission for such
buildings.
This new road crossed fields which lay lower
than the section of Main Street between the
junction with A6097 and The Hall. The
track opposite Main Street was known as
Mickle Meadow Lane – Mickle Meadow
related to the land over the Cocker Beck
which was subsequently quarried. From
personal diary entries in 1960 (February)
On the east side the small garage of 1930s
the main road remained under water after
progressively developed into what is now
Main Street, East Bridgford and Shelford
Newbridge Garage and Newbridge House.
Lanes had cleared of floodwater. I noted
All these developments were, at one stage or
that there was up to 5ft. of floodwater on the
another, passed by the relevant authorities:
Main Road and there is evidence of a lorry
all are within what is shown to be a major
cab being inundated when the driver
flow route for flood water.
attempted to get through. I also recall an
image of a lone cyclist with water over the
handlebars!
Thus although a barrier was created
immediately either side of the new bridge in
1927 the road did not create a further
barrier from the old gravel pit entrance
point northwards.
Copyright : Evening Post
In more recent times – particularly since
Generally it can be shown that the total area
the mid-1970s – a series of individual
now altered with agreed permissions is
applications have been passed by the Local
significant. Experienced local opinion is
Planning Authority (Newark & Sherwood
that this has created different flooding
District Council) where properties along the
sequences and pressures of water flow.
A6097 have been radically extended.
Lodge Farm has been established under a
At some time (possibly 1935/38) the A6097
series of tenants / owners to the rear of
was raised between Holly Farm and Little
Gunthorpe Lodge: other agrictural buildings
Marlock (north of The Park). Turn of
have been erected. All are within the
century AOD was 57ft. and post-war data is
primary floodwater flow zone. Most recently
59ft. The road is set above the fields on
on the Lodge Farm land a drainage dyke has
either side thereby creating a barrier to the
been infilled with a small tubular culvert as
west-east flow of flood water.
replacement.
In the mid-1960s the Highway Authority
Elsewhere in the core village housing
raised the road level of A6097 between the
developments have been carried out on the
present entrance to Lowdham Leisure and
western edge of the village: these are now
Main Street. This amounted to possibly 4ft.
properties at modest risk (eg. Hobson’s Acre
(1200mm) and was vigorously opposed at
/ Thorpe Lea and Brookside). Of particular
the time by local residents whose experience
significance is the agreed infilling of the
of flood flows was ignored.
garden areas of many of these properties
(10) pipe culvert was incorporated to take a
which run out to the main By-Pass Road.
small volume of flood water under the road
A multiple
Riverdale Caravan Park has systematically
been raising the level of land for the static
vans currently in position: historically this
action was opposed on grounds of
washland.
A new extension for a restaurant has been
permitted at Toads (site of old tollbridge
house).
This has recently been completely cleared
and unblocked as part of the 2001 A6097
The old gravel workings have been infilled
Maintenance Programme. Considerable
and part of the site is now Lowdham
ditching and drainage repairs are part of
Leisure: the restored level is probably
this extensive programme.
higher than the original. This development
was with Local Authority approval.
18 Oct 01 R.Fell 0115 966 5513