Coltishall

Coltishall's name is of Old English origin and first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086 in the forms Cokereshala and Coketeshala. From 1200 onwards, it is attested in the contracted form Couteshal(e), in which form it has more or less remained to the present day (the l in the modern spelling is due to hypercorrection). The second part of the name is thought to derive from the Old English word halh ('nook') but the origin of the first part is uncertain; one guess is that it was an otherwise unattested personal name Coccede or Cohhede, and thus meant 'Coccede's nook'. University of Nottingham. (2022). Retrieved 18 December 2022. http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Coltishall. But The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names concludes that "the recorded forms are too few and contradictory for satisfactory explanation".The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, Based on the Collections of the English Place-Name Society, ed. by Victor Watts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), s.v. Coltishall.

In the Domesday Book, Coltishall is recorded as a settlement of 16 households in the hundred of South Erpingham. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of William de Warenne and Roger de Poitou.{{Cite web |title=Coltishall {{!}} Domesday Book |url=https://opendomesday.org/place/TG2719/coltishall/ |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=opendomesday.org}}

In 1231, Coltishall was made a 'free-town' by King Henry III.{{cite web |title=Coltishall, Norfolk - White's Directory 1845 |url=https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/NFK/Coltishall/White1845?utm_source=chatgpt.com |website=GENUKI |access-date=11 May 2025}}

Furthermore, from the mid-Eighteenth Century, Coltishall was a centre for the malting industry with many wherries being built in the village.{{Cite web |title=MNF19209 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer |url=https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF19209 |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk}}

In the late-Eighteenth Century, parts of the Bure Navigational Canal were dug in the parish to make the River Bure more easily navigable for watercraft.{{Cite web |title=MNF29856 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer |url=https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF29856 |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk}}

Horstead Watermill, close to the village, was one of the most photographed mills in Britain until it burned down in 1963.{{Cite web |title=Norfolk Mills - Horstead watermill |url=https://norfolkmills.co.uk/Watermills/horstead.html |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=norfolkmills.co.uk}}

RAF Coltishall was opened in 1939 as a fighter station of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. It became home to No. 242 Squadron RAF, which was largely composed of Canadian personnel who had suffered heavy losses in the Battle of France. Morale within the unit was low, and on 24 June 1940, the squadron was placed under the command of the legless fighter ace Douglas Bader.{{cite web |title=Douglas Bader Fighter Pilot – A Fighter Pilot Again |url=https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/douglas-bader-fighter-pilot/a-fighter-pilot-again.aspx |website=RAF Museum |access-date=11 May 2025}}{{cite web |title=24 June 1940 – Douglas Bader Takes Command of 242 Squadron |url=https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/24-june-1940-douglas-bader-takes-command-of-242-squadron/ |website=This Day in Aviation |access-date=11 May 2025}} Bader quickly restored discipline, reshaped the squadron’s reputation, and led it effectively through the early stages of the Battle of Britain.

RAF Coltishall remained an active RAF station throughout the Cold War, later becoming a base for English Electric Lightning and SEPECAT Jaguar aircraft. The station was operational until its closure in November 2006, following a review by the Ministry of Defence.{{cite web |title=MNF7697 - RAF Coltishall |url=https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF7697 |website=Norfolk Heritage Explorer |access-date=11 May 2025}}

The main technical site was subsequently repurposed as HM Prison Bure, a Category C prison for adult male offenders.{{cite web |date=2022-08-02 |title=Bure Prison |url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bure-prison |website=GOV.UK |access-date=11 May 2025}}

The adjoining married quarters and residential area were renamed **Badersfield** in honour of Douglas Bader. Although closely associated with RAF Coltishall, Badersfield does not fall within the civil parish of Coltishall. Instead, it lies partly in the parish of Scottow (in the North Norfolk district) and partly in the parish of Buxton with Lammas (in the Broadland district).{{cite web |title=RAF Coltishall (Badersfield) Planning Brief |url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/12442597/raf-coltishall-badersfield-north-norfolk-district-council |website=North Norfolk District Council |access-date=11 May 2025}}

According to the 2021 census, Coltishall has a population of 1,446 people which shows a decrease from the 1,503 people recorded in the 2011 census.{{Cite web |title=Coltishall (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/admin/broadland/E04006214__coltishall/ |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}

Coltishall is located on the River Bure and within the Norfolk Broads. The village is also located at the junction of the B1150, between Norwich and North Walsham, and the B1354, between Thursford and Hoveton.

Coltishall's parish church is dedicated John the Baptist and dates at its earliest to the Fifteenth Century. St. John's is located on Church Street and has been Grade I listed since 1984.{{Cite web |title=PARISH CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, Coltishall - 1177913 {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1177913?section=official-list-entry |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}}

The church was largely re-built in 1865 and boasts a Twelfth Century font made from Purbeck Marble. In addition, there is a good collection of stained-glass windows including some from the workshops of James Powell and Sons (depicting the Risen Christ) and memorial glass by Alfred Wilkinson.{{Cite web |title=Norfolk Churches |url=http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/coltishall/coltishall.htm |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=www.norfolkchurches.co.uk}}

Within the parish there is a ruined church dedicated to Saint Theobald of Provins which was built in the Eleventh Century and was abandoned in the Nineteenth Century.{{Cite web |title=Church of St Theobald, Coltishall - 1295280 {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1295280?section=official-list-entry |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}}

• Reverend John Alen- (1476-1534) priest and church lawyer, born in Coltishall.
• Sir John Alan- (1500-1561) statesman and Irish Lord Chancellor, born in Coltishall.
• Doctor John Smith- (1711-1795) academic and astronomer, born in Coltishall.
• Thomas Holloway- (1748-1827) painter and engraver, lived & died in Coltishall.
• Chaplain William Addison VC- (1883-1962) Church of England priest and army chaplain, Rector of Coltishall from 1938-1958.
• Gwyneth Johnstone- (1915-2010) painter, born & died in Coltishall.
• Robin Huggins- (b.1947) Norfolk cricketer, born in Coltishall.

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).[https://archive.today/20130630142108/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=591033&cityname=Broadland,+England,+United+Kingdom&units= Climate Summary for closest city on record]

{{Weather box|location = Coltishall 17m asl, 1991-2020

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|Jan high C = 7.5

|Feb high C = 8.1

|Mar high C = 10.4

|Apr high C = 13.2

|May high C = 16.3

|Jun high C = 19.2

|Jul high C = 21.7

|Aug high C = 21.7

|Sep high C = 18.9

|Oct high C = 14.9

|Nov high C = 10.8

|Dec high C = 8.0

|year high C =

|Jan low C = 1.8

|Feb low C = 1.7

|Mar low C = 3.0

|Apr low C = 4.8

|May low C = 7.8

|Jun low C = 10.5

|Jul low C = 12.7

|Aug low C = 12.5

|Sep low C = 10.5

|Oct low C = 7.8

|Nov low C = 4.3

|Dec low C = 2.3

|year low C =

|unit rain days= 1.0 mm

|Jan rain mm = 55.1

|Feb rain mm = 45.2

|Mar rain mm = 46.2

|Apr rain mm = 38.6

|May rain mm = 46.5

|Jun rain mm = 63.2

|Jul rain mm = 57.5

|Aug rain mm = 66.5

|Sep rain mm = 59.6

|Oct rain mm = 70.4

|Nov rain mm = 71.2

|Dec rain mm = 64.0

|year rain mm=

|Jan rain days = 11.5

|Feb rain days = 11.0

|Mar rain days = 9.2

|Apr rain days = 8.8

|May rain days = 7.9

|Jun rain days = 9.5

|Jul rain days = 9.4

|Aug rain days = 9.2

|Sep rain days = 9.4

|Oct rain days = 11.4

|Nov rain days = 12.8

|Dec rain days = 12.9

|year rain days=

|Jan sun = 58.9

|Feb sun = 80.4

|Mar sun = 129.6

|Apr sun = 174.5

|May sun = 207.0

|Jun sun = 181.3

|Jul sun = 205.6

|Aug sun = 184.8

|Sep sun = 154.4

|Oct sun = 113.1

|Nov sun = 66.5

|Dec sun = 55.2

|year sun =

|source 1 = Met Office{{cite web

|url = https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/u12unggmv

|title = Coltishall 1991–2020 averages

|access-date = 17 December 2021

|publisher = Met Office }}

|date = Dec 2021}}

Coltishall is both a civil parish and an electoral ward for local elections, falling within the district of Broadland. Local affairs are managed by Coltishall Parish Council, which oversees matters such as the village hall, playing fields, and provides input on planning applications.{{cite web |title=Coltishall Parish Council |url=https://coltishall-pc.gov.uk/ |website=Coltishall Parish Council |access-date=11 May 2025}}

The council also supports the maintenance and improvement of community facilities, including the children's play park, picnic areas, basketball court, and outdoor gym equipment on the Recreation Ground. It works alongside local charities and trusts, such as the Coltishall Commons Management Trust and the Village Hall charity, to promote the wellbeing of residents and the protection of local green spaces. The Parish Council is a statutory consultee on planning matters and plays an active role in representing the interests of the village within the wider framework of local government.

At the district level, Coltishall is governed by Broadland District Council, and at the county level by Norfolk County Council.

Nationally, the village forms part of the Broadland and Fakenham parliamentary constituency, which has been represented by Jerome Mayhew of the Conservative Party since the 2019 general election.{{cite web |title=Broadland and Fakenham Parliamentary Constituency |url=https://members.parliament.uk/constituency/3700/overview |website=UK Parliament |access-date=11 May 2025}}

Coltishall's war memorial is a stone cross on the High Street which is shared with the nearby village of Great Hautbois. The memorial was unveiled in August of 1920{{Cite web |title=Coltishall and Hautbois War Memorial, Coltishall - 1442412 {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1442412?section=official-list-entry |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}} and lists the following names for the First World War:{{Cite web |title=Geograph:: Caister to Croxton :: War Memorials in Norfolk |url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/article/War-Memorials-in-Norfolk/5 |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=www.geograph.org.uk}}

And, the following for the Second World War:

{{Reflist}}

• [https://coltishall-pc.gov.uk/ Coltishall Parish Council – Official website]

{{Commons category|Coltishall}}

{{Civil Parishes of Broadland}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Broadland

Category:Villages in Norfolk

Category:Civil parishes in Norfolk