25 - The Last Thatched Cottage, Nottingham Road

This is the only remaining thatched cottage in the village. It was originally three houses with two storeys, the upper floor being reached by ladder. It is not easy to believe that one family had nine children.

Originally part of the Earl Howe’s Estate, it is considered to be over 150 years old. It is built of wattle and daub (with plaster). It is often quoted as the place, in the “Tales of Gotham” where the cow was hauled up on to the roof to eat grass, unfortunately the tale has it, the poor beast died in the hauling process.

The cottage has now been modernised with outer brick wall added. It is known to have been thatched in 1910 by George Bradbury, in 1952 by Gotham thatcher Sid Bradbury using straw, renewed with reed again in 1984 by Mellor. The thatch was again refurbished in June 2007.