Hidden Rutland
R 70 BRITAIN
utland and Lincolnshire’s Heritage Vales have all the honey-hued beauty and rural charm of the Cotswolds. But this particular patchwork of quiet villages, stately homes and picturesque countryside is still very much off the beaten
track. Taken in a triangular circuit – ideally with some gentle meandering in between – the towns of Oakham, Stamford and Grantham make an excellent tour of the area. Rutland is the very smallest of England’s historic counties,
measuring just 17 by 18 miles. Its landscape, though, is varied, ranging from ancient woodland and hedgerows to grasslands, limestone escarpments and lush wetlands. Minor roads stretch around undulating fields, passing through Uppington village, and Oakham, the county town. Oakham has been thriving for centuries, and the
surviving part of Oakham Castle – a great hall with significant ornamental detailing – dates back to 1180-90. Technically speaking, Oakham Castle was a fortified manor house, but its nod to the Romanesque has earned it Grade I listed status. One quirky custom at the castle was the longstanding request that any peer or member of royalty
Above: St Matthew's church, the only suriving building from the village of Normanton, flooded to create Rutland Water in the 1970s. The distinctive building now houses a museum
who visited was to present a horseshoe as a gift. The earliest datable example is from a visit made in 1470 by Edward IV. Key to Rutland’s warmth is the red-tinged earth of its
fields, and the signature building materials: ironstone, sandstone and limestone. This is clear to see in Lyddington, a village that has conservation status on account of its numerous Tudor and Stuart houses. Two fine inns dominate the centre: the Marquess of Exeter and the Old White Hart. The Old White Hart is a 17th-century pub by the village green, and is a true inn for all seasons: settle in front of the inviting open fire during winter, or watch the last rays of the sun pick out the red brickwork to stunning effect from the garden in summer. Even the village’s 14th-century church, St Andrew, is hewn from ironstone. It is said to have one of the best English examples of medieval acoustic jars – used to improve sound quality – built into the chancel walls.
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PHOTO: LEE BEEL/DAVE PORTER
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