Naylor Avenue

Most of the nine houses on Naylor Avenue were built in 1967. The avenue was named after Ernest Naylor who was appointed headmaster of Gotham School on 3 November 1930. He came from Eastwood and told us D H Lawrence had once taught him, while Lawrence was a pupil teacher there. He soon introduced the ‘house system’ with pupils balloting for the captains of the houses that were called St Lawrence [green] and Rushcliffe [blue].

The headmaster was very fond of music. He wrote the school song, Play the Game and formed the Gotham school choir as well as being the Primitive Methodist Chapel’s choirmaster.

Ernest Naylor was a member of the parish council from 1933 and its chairman on many occasions. He was the principal of the Evening Institute for more than 12 years. During the war he was the commandant of the ATC [Air Training Corps] in Gotham and was a member of the Comforts Fund Committee. He edited a fortnightly newsletter to scholars who were on war service.

After retirement he went to live in West Bridgford. Sadly he died three years later on 22 November 1962, aged 63 and was buried in Gotham Cemetery.