Cotgrave - private primary school catchment area for Colston Bassett Preparatory School
Cotgrave, Nottinghmashire: 4 miles (7 mins)
Colston Bassett School is an independent co-educational school catering for boys and girls from the ages of four to eleven. If you are looking for private primary schools near Cotgrave, please get in touch.
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About Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire
Cotgrave is a town in the borough of Rushcliffe, in Nottinghamshire, England, lying south east of Nottingham. With a relatively small population of just over 7,000 and a heart that has largely escaped development Cotgrave has a village atmosphere. This is accented by its amenities and infrastructure that have remained comparatively underdeveloped even when the large estates were built around the village in the 1960s to house the population of workforce for the mine.
Its origins may be in the Iron Age but a 6th century Anglo Saxon burial ground has been excavated at Mill Hill. There was certainly a Saxon church a century before the Norman invasion. The Roman road Fosse Way passes a mile to the East where it changes direction slightly. Cotgrave is possible derived from "Cotta" (anglo Saxon name) and "Grave", (grove or thicket). The present substantial church, All Saints, dates from the twelfth century with several alterations and additions. An arson attack in 1996 caused considerable damage but the church was since fully restored at great expense. The church enjoys a ring of eight bells, most made by Taylor's. An experienced and competent team of ringers practice regularly (Fridays and Sundays) to great local delight. The plague visited the village in 1637 killing 93 of the 500 population. This horrendous loss to the village included 46 children. All Saints was used as a food store for the village during the outbreak. Money for the goods was disinfected as it was passed through a hollowed out stone filled with vinegar to the men who had locked themselves away in the church. The stone is still in the church. On Scrimshire Lane, near the church, can be found an old wall, dubbed the "Thousand Year Wall". It is riddled with small holes and provides a home for a large colony of stingless bees. Nearby, through a Lynch Gate, is a graveyard that is, unusually, separated from the church by a road. There can be found a war memorial.
The town lies on the Grantham Canal, opened in 1797, but it did not grow until the discovery of coal in the area in about 1950. A colliery was established in 1960 with large numbers of miners & their families being relocated from other mining areas in England, especially the North East, to live on a large purpose built housing estate. The local economy was devastated with its closure in 1993/4 a move that left many former miners bitter as to their fate. Like most Nottinghamshire mines Cotgrave continued working through the NUM declared UK miners' strike (1984-1985) however the view by many was that this allegiance to the then Conservative government was betrayed.
The extensive former mining area has been landscaped to form a country park. Here a long section of the canal has been partially restored including at least two locks. The canal is not navigable, however, as nearby road bridges have been removed. The country park is gradually acquiring a diverse population of wildlife. Wildfowl abound along with reports of cuckoos, warblers, swallows, little ringed plover, yellow wagtail, ring ouzel, wheatear, chiffchaff, dabchicks. Great crested newts are established in the lake and hares, rabbits, foxes, bats and owls have been reported. The actual pit head area is cordoned off from public and there are plans for redevelopment.
