Gotham, Nottinghamshire
Gotham is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. Its population was 1,563 in the 2011 census and marginally increased to 1,567 in the 2021 census. It is in the borough of Rushcliffe and has a parish council.
The name Gotham comes from the Old English for "goat home".
Second World War
There are few remaining physical examples of Gotham's wartime past. The word Gotham was removed from the face of the school building and from all signs and direction posts during the Second World War to confuse any enemy troops that may have invaded. The pillbox pictured is the only remaining structure dating from the Second World War in the village. It was one of two pillboxes erected to form a defence for the village and also to serve as a searchlight battery. The damage to the pillbox was caused after the war and was not due to enemy action. On 31 December 2018, a horse had to be rescued by the fire service after becoming trapped in the pillbox.Transport
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, but the section from Loughborough to Ruddington was reopened and is now owned and operated by the Nottingham Heritage Railway, giving access to the railway heritage centre at Ruddington. The closest main line station today is East Midlands Parkway railway station which opened early in 2008 at Ratcliffe-on-Soar providing links on the Midland Main Line.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.
Local government and elections
Parliamentary elections
Gotham lies in the Rushcliffe constituency. The Member of Parliament for the seat is James Naish of the Labour Party, elected in 2024. The constituency had previously been represented by Ruth Edwards and Kenneth Clarke, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, from 1970 until 2019.Local government
County council
Gotham lies in the Leake and Ruddington ward, which elects two councillors. In the 2025 election, Andy Brown and Stuart Matthews were elected with 2,241 and 1,863 votes respectively.District council
Gotham is a part of Rushcliffe Borough Council. It is part of the Gotham ward, which elects two councillors, along with Barton in Fabis, Kingston on Soar, Ratcliffe on Soar, and Thrumpton. In the 2023 election, Gotham elected Rex Walker and Andy Brown with 561 and 437 votes respectively.Parish council
The parish council has 13 members. The most recent election in 2023 was uncontested.Churches
The village has a twelfth-century church, St Lawrence's, dedicated to the martyr Lawrence of Rome.Other points of interest
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 is home to a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest listed as Gotham Hill Pasture.