Balderton

For the village of the same name in Cheshire, see Balderton, Cheshire

Coordinates: 53°03′18″N 0°46′22″W / 53.05487°N 0.7727°W / 53.05487; -0.7727

Balderton
Balderton  Balderton shown within Nottinghamshire
Population	10,298
OS grid reference	SK815515
District	Newark and Sherwood
Shire county	Nottinghamshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NEWARK
Postcode district	NG24
Dialling code	01636
Police	Nottinghamshire
Fire	Nottinghamshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
EU Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Newark
List of places: UK • England • Nottinghamshire

Balderton is a village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, England. The parish, which then included Fernwood had a population of 10,298 as of 2001.^[1]

Balderton is one of the largest villages in Nottinghamshire,^[2] although it may be more properly considered a suburb of Newark on Trent. Balderton is split into Balderton ('Old Balderton'- the southern part of the village) and New Balderton, both of a roughly equal size. The eighteenth-century maps of Bowen and Owen say "Balderton vulgo Bodderton."

Geography

The busy A1 trunk road once ran through the village - recent improvements have created a bypass for the A1, improving the environment. The old A1 near the site of the hospital/hall was called the Ramper. The east coast main railway line between London and Edinburgh also skirts the village, the nearest station stop being in Newark. Balderton was also once situated on the Great North Road.

The soil is mostly alluvial clays. Large deposits of gravel and sand were excavated in New Balderton - the resulting pits have now turned into a park. Gypsum was once mined nearby. The surrounding area is mostly agricultural, mixed arable and livestock.

History

The name Balderton has obscure roots but may have been derived from Balder or Baldur – the Norse god of innocence, beauty, joy, purity, and peace and Odin's second son. The village itself is probably of Anglo-Saxon origin and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The ton suffix suggests a Late Anglo-Saxon origin. The Saxon countess Godiva, the wife of Earl Leofric, had property in the Manor of Newark nearby.

In the Domesday Book (1086) the place is called Baldretune and is described as a berewick (a dependent hamlet) of Newark. In the pope Nicholas IV taxatio of 1291 it is spelt Baldirton.

Balderton's Lords, the Busseys, lived in the area in William the Conqueror's era and held it until the reign of Elizabeth I. It subsequently descended to the Meers and Lascels. In the 1840s, when its population was a little over 1,000, large parts of the village were owned principally by the Duke of Newcastle, who was lord of the manor.

Two petitions of the fourteenth century show disputes with the nearby village of Claypole. In 1305 the bishop of Lincoln and the Busseys were hindering passage along the road to Newark market (National Archives S8/161/8038) and in 1324 the people of Claypole petitioned about Balderton people attacking jurors in relation to the Oldebrigg between Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire (National Archives S8/39/1930). The will of John de Boston, a mercer of Newark, in 1443 left twenty shillings for the maintenance of the bridge between Balderton and Bennington; the bridge was called "fennebrige" (Brown (1907) 1.172).

Grapes were once grown at Balderton. In 1578 there were accusations of vines being cut down (Brown (1907) 1.188).

During the final siege of Newark in the Civil War Colonel Rossiter, a parliamentary commander, was camped at Balderton.

A Balderton enclosure act was passed in 1766.

London Road was built in about 1790 as a turnpike (bypass) for the Great North Road (designated the A1 in 1934) which ran through Balderton and to the north of England. One of the former coachouses built to serve the turnpike is now a public house.

A windmill at Balderton was recorded as having been removed c. 1845. It was a postmill on a 2-storey roundhouse, with 2 spring and 2 common sails. A windmill was recorded on the Old Series Ordnance Survey map on a site close to Spring Lane (grid reference SK832506).

In 1901 Simpson and Co opened their pump manufacturing works at Balderton; it was subsequently Worthington Simpson in 1917 and from 2001 Flowserve Pumps Ltd. Their products are used in the chemical, water, and pharmaceutical industries.

Pre-Roman and Roman sites have been noted in English Heritage's Pastscape records for Balderton, along with two Civil War sites.

Administration

Since 1894 Balderton has been governed at the village level by a parish council. There are currently^[when?] 18 elected members. Land owned by the Balderton Parish Council includes the cemetery and Garden of Remembrance on Belvoir Road and Mount Road, the Coronation Street playing field, Balderton Lake, and the Parish Council Hall on Pinfold Lane.^[3]

Architecture

The Parish Church of St Giles (diocese of Southwell) was originally built in the 12th century and enlarged considerably in the 13th and 14th centuries. Two Romanesque-style porch doorways, dating from about 1140, face north and south. The more imposing north entrance is topped by a niche containing a figure, possibly St Giles, although this was probably added as late as the 19th century. The north and south arcades are of 13th and 14th century date respectively and the font is octagonal and early 14th century. The rood screen dates from about 1475 and the numerous bench ends are of an uncommon symmetrical design. The church has a substantial spire at the west end of the building containing a peal of eight bells. The lower part of the tower is 13th century but the upper parts must be later, either late 14th or early 15th century.^[4]

Schools

At the beginning of the twentieth century education in Balderton was organised in a senior school in Main Street and a primary school on London Road, the latter opening in 1903.

A few children from the village went from the primary school to the grammar schools in Newark, the numbers increasing after the 1944 education act. Some children at thirteen went to the technical college in Newark.

John Hunt Primary and Nursery School

This is a school resulting from a merging of the John Hunt Infant & Nursery School and the John Hunt Junior School,the new school opening in September 2008 John Hunt Primary and Nursery School, on London Road.

Chuter Ede

A second primary school was opened in 1964 in Main Street and opened in its present buildings in Wolfit Avenue in 1967. It is called Chuter Ede[1] school.

Highfields

A private preparatory school, Highfields, on the border with Newark.

The Grove School

Secondary education for those aged eleven to eighteen is at the Grove science college[2], a comprehensive school which now has the status of science college. The students are allocated to one of six different houses, Richmond (red), Kenilworth(green), Pembroke, Stirling, Warwick and Ludlow(purple). The house to which the student belongs is shown by the colour of the stripes on their ties. In September 2008 it joined with the Newark High School. The Newark high site is now known as the Lilley and Stone site for the Grove School, and is home to the sixth form and vocational courses. The school has been fighting alongside the Orchard School and Magnus School in Newark to get their funding back that they have lost since the cut of the building schools for the future projects.

Balderton Entertainment

Balderton Lake

Balderton Lake originally known as Blue Lake is owned by the Balderton Parish Council, who maintain the walkway around the lake, as well as the wooded area and grasslands. Currently, work is commencing on creating a viewing area for disabled people.^[2] A number of trees around the lake were planted early in the 1990s as part of a project undertaken by John Hunt Infant School. A local fishing club rent fishing rights from the council, and are responsible for taking care of the water, while the charity Sustrans have resurfaced the old Newark-Bottesford railway line bordering the lake, resulting in several miles of walking and cycle track. It is now surrounded by a large number of houses.

Grove Leisure Centre

Balderton has a leisure centre which contains two swimming pools, a large adult gym and a junior Shokk! gym, squash courts and several large halls used for fitness classes. It also does a number of life guarding courses including theory work which all students enjoy.

Pubs

The following pubs can be found in Balderton.

• Chesters (formerly called the Cock Inn)
• The Grove
• Rose and Crown
• The Turk's Head - existing in 1829 as mentioned in the Times 2 October 1829. In 2008 this became a veterinary surgery.

Football teams

RHP are the main football team. Grove Rangers junior football club also play in Balderton. Newark Town sports clubs also provide football teams for all ages.

Balderton Old Boys also are a local football team.

Balderton New Hall

A large private house on the southern outskirts of the village built 1840 for Thomas Spragging Godfrey. Godfrey became sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1853 (Times 9 February 1853, page 3) and died at Balderton Hall on 7 September 1877. The hall was advertised for sale in the Times in November 1880: house, stables, cottages for gardener and groom, and 135 acres (0.55 km²), the remaining 425 acres (1.72 km²) to be sold separately.

It was bought in 1930 by Nottinghamshire county council for conversion to a mental hospital but work on this stopped during World War II. The hospital was opened for patients in 1957 and closed in 1993. There is now housing on the former hospital site and nearby is the Fernwood business park.

RAF Balderton

During World War II, Balderton Airfield, opened in 1941, became home to RAF bombers and Sir Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine, lived and worked on his engine designs at Balderton Hall.

For more on the former Balderton airfield see RAF Balderton.

References

1. ^ 2001 Census
2. ^ ^{a b} Balderton Parish Council Website
3. ^ Balderton Parish Council Website
4. ^ Pevsner, N. (1951) Nottinghamshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin; p. 33

Bibliography

• Brown, Cornelius (1879) The Annals of Newark upon Trent: H. Sotheran, London and S. Whiles, Newark (reprinted 2005). Available for free download at www.archive.org/
• Brown, Cornelius (1904, 1907) A History of Newark on Trent: S. Whiles, Newark (reprinted 1995, two volumes)
• WEA/Balderton Local History Group (1992) Balderton in Times Past
• Balderton Parish Council (1994) Balderton Updated

External links

• St. Giles Church
• St. Giles Church Architecture
• Balderton Hospital
• Balderton New Hall