09 - Village Pump, The square

Mains water was not installed to the village houses until 1933, the new supply coming from Nottingham. Prior to that time many houses had their own wells, frequently drying up in warm weather. In 1832 Earl Howe provided a supply of water to this Pump site by laying a pipe from Weldon Spring in the hills behind the present Royal British Legion. This spring dried up in 1885, Earl Howe then removed the pipe and re-installed it to another spring situated near the fourteenth green on what is now Rushcliffe Golf Course. Also built at this time is the covering Pump structure, with which we are familiar, at a cost of £500. Subsequent repairs were carried out in 1965 when the structure became unsafe, renovation being carried out by a local builder and a £500 village collection.

It should be remembered that in the early 1900s Gotham was extremely short of water and additional supplies were brought in barrels carried by horse and cart from surrounding villages, until the Railway was built and supplies came in regularly from Ruddington in 1900.