Lowdham is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

Newark and Sherwood Newark and Sherwood is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest district by area in the county. The council is based in Newark-on-Trent, the area's largest town. The district also incl ...

district of

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

between

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

and Southwell. According to the 2021 census, it had a population of 3,247. Two main roads slicing through the village are the A6097 south-east to north-west and the A612 between Nottingham and Southwell.

History

The name Lowdham seems to be derived from the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

masculine personal nickname Hluda, combined with "hām," meaning village, community, manor, estate, or homestead, resulting in "Hluda's homestead or village." However, the name Lowdham also suggests a Danish origin, with earlier forms such as Ludham and Ludholme. Relics from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

include an

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral and a soft Rock (geology), rock used for carvings and as a source of plaster powder. Archaeologists, geologists, and the stone industry have different definitions for the word ''alabaster''. In archaeology, the term ''alab ...

slab and a figure of a knight in armour, located in the chancel of St Mary's Church and inscribed in memory of Sir John de Loudham. The dog at the feet of the effigy indicates that Loudham was a warrior. According to one source, "Many of the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

are represented with their feet on a dog, to show that they followed the standard of the Lord as faithfully as a dog follows the footsteps of his master." The old church and the castle mound are located to the west of the bypass. St Mary's Church dates back to before the 14th century. In 1826 a Wesleyan Methodist chapel (Top Chapel) was built on Ton Lane, and in 1844 an Independent Primitive Methodist chapel (Bottom Chapel) was established on Main Street. The Top Chapel closed in 1986, but the Bottom Chapel continues to be used as an Independent Methodist church. To the northeast of the bypass is Lowdham Mill. There is now little evidence of the frame

knitting Knitting is a method for production of textile Knitted fabric, fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done Hand knitting, by hand or Knitting machi ...

industry that was significant in this area during the 19th century. In 1844 there were 94

stocking frame A stocking frame was a mechanical knitting machine used in the textiles industry. It was invented by William Lee of Calverton near Nottingham in 1589. Its use, known traditionally as framework knitting, was the first major stage in the mechanis ...

s operating in Lowdham.

Notable people

In birth order: *Sir John de Loudham (died 1318), landowner, is commemorated in St Mary's Church. * George Wilkins (1785–1865), Vicar of Lowdham (1815–1839), was later Vicar of

St Mary's Church, Nottingham The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest parish churchDomesday Book: A Complete Translation (Penguin Classics) of Nottingham, in Nottinghamshire, England. The church is Grade I listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Spo ...

and

Archdeacon of Nottingham The Archdeacon of Nottingham is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, who exercises supervision of clergy and has responsibility for church buildings within the Archdeaconry of Nottingham. ...

, and prominent in church building and restoration in the city. * Cornelius Brown (1852–1907), local historian and newspaper editor, was born in Lowdham. *

Harold Cottam Harold Thomas Cottam (27 January 1891 – 30 May 1984) was a British Wireless telegraphy, wireless operator on the RMS Carpathia, RMS ''Carpathia'' who fortuitously happened to receive the distress call from the sinking RMS Titanic, RMS ''Titan ...

(1891–1984), wireless operator aboard the RMS ''Carpathia'', who received RMS ''Titanic'''s distress call and was instrumental in getting the ''Carpathia'' to come to her aid. He is honoured by a blue plaque on the wall of ''The Old Ship Inn''. * Richard Whitehead (born 1976), Paralympic sprinter, is honoured by a gold-painted post box outside the post office.

Amenities

Lowdham railway station is on the Nottingham to Lincoln Line. Two miles from the railway station is HMP Lowdham Grange. Village pubs are the ''Railway'', the ''Magna Charta'', the ''World's End'' (formerly the ''Plough'' and still located in Plough Lane), and the ''Old Ship''. All have open lounge/bar layouts and are situated near the centre of the village. The retail services include two general stores, a sub-post office, several take-away eating places, a filling station and a bookshop.

Bus services

Nottingham City Transport *26: Nottingham – Carlton – Gedling – Burton Joyce – Lowdham *26A: Nottingham – Carlton – Gedling – Burton Joyce – Lowdham – Southwell NottsBus Connect * 747 CT4N * 300

References

External links