Coltishall
| Coltishall | |
|---|---|
 Church of St. John the Baptist | |
  Coltishall Location within Norfolk | |
| Area | 7.27 km2 (2.81 sq mi) |
| Population | 1,446 (2021 census) |
| • Density | 199/km2 (520/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TG271197 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NORWICH |
| Postcode district | NR12 |
| Dialling code | 01603 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Coltishall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
Coltishall is located on the River Bure and within the Norfolk Broads, 2.4 miles (3.9 km) north-west of Wroxham and 7.7 miles (12.4 km) north-east of Norwich.
Etymology
[edit]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'.[1] But The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names concludes that "the recorded forms are too few and contradictory for satisfactory explanation".[2]
History
[edit]In the Domesday Book, Coltishall is recorded as a settlement of 16 households in the hundred of South Erpingham. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of William de Warenne and Roger de Poitou.[3]
In 1231, Coltishall was made a 'free-town' by King Henry III.[4]
Furthermore, from the mid-Eighteenth Century, Coltishall was a centre for the malting industry with many wherries being built in the village.[5]
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.[6]
Horstead Watermill, close to the village, was one of the most photographed mills in Britain until it burned down in 1963.[7]
RAF Coltishall
[edit]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.[8][9] Bader quickly restored discipline, reshaped the squadron’s reputation, and led it effectively through the early stages of the Battle of Britain.
RAF Coltishall remained an active RAF station throughout the Cold War, later becoming a base for English Electric Lightning and SEPECAT Jaguar aircraft. The station was operational until its closure in November 2006, following a review by the Ministry of Defence.[10]
The main technical site was subsequently repurposed as HM Prison Bure, a Category C prison for adult male offenders.[11]
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).[12]
Geography
[edit]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.[13]
Coltishall is located on the River Bure and within the Norfolk Broads. The village is also located at the junction of the B1150, between Norwich and North Walsham, and the B1354, between Thursford and Hoveton.
Church of St. John the Baptist
[edit]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.[14]
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.[15]
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.[16]
Notable Residents
[edit]- 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 & 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 & died in Coltishall.
- Robin Huggins- (b.1947) Norfolk cricketer, born in Coltishall.
Climate
[edit]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).[17]
| Climate data for Coltishall 17m asl, 1991-2020 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
8.1 (46.6) |
10.4 (50.7) |
13.2 (55.8) |
16.3 (61.3) |
19.2 (66.6) |
21.7 (71.1) |
21.7 (71.1) |
18.9 (66.0) |
14.9 (58.8) |
10.8 (51.4) |
8.0 (46.4) |
14.2 (57.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) |
1.7 (35.1) |
3.0 (37.4) |
4.8 (40.6) |
7.8 (46.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
12.7 (54.9) |
12.5 (54.5) |
10.5 (50.9) |
7.8 (46.0) |
4.3 (39.7) |
2.3 (36.1) |
6.6 (43.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 55.1 (2.17) |
45.2 (1.78) |
46.2 (1.82) |
38.6 (1.52) |
46.5 (1.83) |
63.2 (2.49) |
57.5 (2.26) |
66.5 (2.62) |
59.6 (2.35) |
70.4 (2.77) |
71.2 (2.80) |
64.0 (2.52) |
684 (26.93) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 11.5 | 11.0 | 9.2 | 8.8 | 7.9 | 9.5 | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 11.4 | 12.8 | 12.9 | 123 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 58.9 | 80.4 | 129.6 | 174.5 | 207.0 | 181.3 | 205.6 | 184.8 | 154.4 | 113.1 | 66.5 | 55.2 | 1,611.3 |
| Source: Met Office[18] | |||||||||||||
Governance
[edit]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.[19]
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.
At the district level, Coltishall is governed by Broadland District Council, and at the county level by Norfolk County Council.
Nationally, the village forms part of the Broadland and Fakenham parliamentary constituency, which has been represented by Jerome Mayhew of the Conservative Party since the 2019 general election.[20]
War Memorial
[edit]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 of 1920[21] and lists the following names for the First World War:[22]
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capt. | Charles W. Archdale | 5th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 20 Nov. 1917 | Cambrai Memorial |
| 2Lt. | Edgar H. Collison | Norfolk Regt. | 26 Jun. 1916 | St. Mary's Churchyard |
| CSM | Charlie Wells | 8th Bn., East Surrey Regiment | 1 Jul. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Sgt. | Stanley W. Nicholson | 12th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 30 Dec. 1917 | Shatby Memorial |
| Cpl. | William H. Lemon | 7th Bn., Border Regiment | 3 Jul. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| LCpl. | Bertie E. Gilham | 7th Bn., Buffs | 7 Aug. 1918 | Beacon Cemetery |
| LCpl. | Horace A. Daniels | 10th Bn., East Yorkshire Regiment | 2 Apr. 1918 | St. Sever Cemetery |
| Pte. | Frederick J. Hilling | 4th Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment | 16 Jan. 1918 | Mont-Huon Cemetery |
| Pte. | Charles A. Earl | 8th Bn., Bedfordshire Regt. | 14 Oct. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Edward G. Billing | 7th Bn., Border Regiment | 2 May 1918 | Forceville Cemetery |
| Pte. | Alfred H. Brighton | 1st Bn., Cameronian Rifles | 7 Nov. 1918 | Dourlers Cemetery |
| Pte. | Sidney Feek | 54th (Kootenay) Bn., CEF | 30 Sep. 1918 | Cantimpre Cemetery |
| Pte. | David Tunmore | 2nd Bn., Duke of Wellington's Regt. | 17 Nov. 1918 | Cambrai East Cemetery |
| Pte. | Jacob H. Landamore | 8th Bn., East Surrey Regiment | 9 Aug. 1917 | Menin Gate |
| Pte. | George F. Bean | 103rd Coy., Machine Gun Corps | 1 Jul. 1916 | Bapaume Post Cemetery |
| Pte. | Charles H. Brown | 1st (Drake) Bn., Royal Naval Division | 26 Feb. 1917 | St. Sever Cemetery |
| Pte. | John Bean | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 31 May 1915 | Perth Cemetery |
| Pte. | William R. Chaplin | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 14 Sep. 1914 | La Ferté Memorial |
| Pte. | Arthur H. Riseborough | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 28 May 1918 | Tannay Cemetery |
| Pte. | Jonathan E. Feltham | 1/4th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 19 Apr. 1917 | Gaza War Cemetery |
| Pte. | Herbert J. Gilham | 1/4th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 14 Sep. 1915 | Helles Memorial |
| Pte. | Benjamin Bean | 7th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 12 Oct. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | George B. Burton | 8th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 1 Jul. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | John R. Davison | 8th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 21 Oct. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Harry Graveling | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 10 Feb. 1917 | Bethune Town Cemetery |
| Pte. | Ivan J. A. Spinks | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 18 Oct. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Arthur E. Youngs | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 17 Nov. 1915 | Hollybrook Cemetery |
| Pte. | Leslie Wells | 1/5th Bn., Northumberland Fusilers | 14 Nov. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | George H. Pye | 2/7th Bn., Royal Warwickshire Regt. | 18 Aug. 1918 | Tannay Cemetery |
| Pte. | Arthur T. Bullen | 3rd Bn., Worcestershire Regiment | 11 Oct. 1916 | Pozières Cemetery |
| Pte. | Ernest Riseborough | 4th Bn., Worcestershire Regt. | 2 Jun. 1917 | Arras Memorial |
| Spr. | Arthur Tunmore | 55th Coy., Royal Engineers | 27 Jul. 1915 | St. John's Churchyard |
| App. | Wilfred C. D. Walton | S.S. Arab | 7 Jan. 1918 | Bizerte Cemetery |
And, the following for the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO | Peter H. Watson | Royal Air Force Reserve | 7 Apr. 1945 | Karachi War Cemetery |
| Sgt. | Basil G. Crisp | No. 75 Squadron RAF | 16 Aug. 1943 | Olonne-sur-Mer Cemetery |
| Sgt. | Frederick H. Hilling | Royal Air Force | 30 Dec. 1942 | St. John's Churchyard |
| Pte. | Arthur Y. Woods | 2nd Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment | 27 May 1940 | Dunkirk Memorial |
| Pte. | Benjamin H. Goodson | 5th Bn., Royal Norfolks. | 16 Jun. 1944 | Kanchanaburi War Cemetery |
| Pte. | Leonard M. Neville | 5th Bn., Royal Norfolks. | 21 Sep. 1944 | Kranji War Memorial |
References
[edit]- ^ University of Nottingham. (2022). Retrieved 18 December 2022. http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Coltishall.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Coltishall | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Coltishall, Norfolk - White's Directory 1845". GENUKI. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "MNF19209 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "MNF29856 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Norfolk Mills - Horstead watermill". norfolkmills.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Douglas Bader Fighter Pilot – A Fighter Pilot Again". RAF Museum. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "24 June 1940 – Douglas Bader Takes Command of 242 Squadron". This Day in Aviation. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "MNF7697 - RAF Coltishall". Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "Bure Prison". GOV.UK. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "RAF Coltishall (Badersfield) Planning Brief". North Norfolk District Council. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "Coltishall (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "PARISH CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, Coltishall - 1177913 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Church of St Theobald, Coltishall - 1295280 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Climate Summary for closest city on record
- ^ "Coltishall 1991–2020 averages". Met Office. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ "Coltishall Parish Council". Coltishall Parish Council. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "Broadland and Fakenham Parliamentary Constituency". UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "Coltishall and Hautbois War Memorial, Coltishall - 1442412 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Geograph:: Caister to Croxton :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
External links
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