SPOTLIGHT ON THE VALES m
Thatcher. Baroness Thatcher, known in popular culture as the Iron Lady, served from 1979 until 1990. She grew up in a flat above a grocery shop owned by her father in North Parade. A simple plaque commemorates the building. Chief among Grantham’s eye-catching architecture is the
14th-century St Wulfram’s Church with its 282-foot steeple. Hewn from mellow Lincolnshire limestone, the church has four distinctive surviving chapels, and a Chained Library, founded in 1598. Books include a printed volume from Venice which predates the printed works of Caxton. Another Grantham institution is the Angel & Royal
Hotel, which is one of the oldest surviving inns in England, and was originally kept as a hostel by the chivalrous brotherhood of the Knights Templar. The comfortable beamed bar and stone-walled restaurant could be a good place to relax and conclude your visit to this quiet region of beautiful limestone cottages and rich historical interest.
For more information on visiting Rutland and the Heritage Vales, go to
www.discover-rutland.co.uk and
www.southwestlincs.com. Tourist Information Centres: Rutland Water, Sykes Lane, Empingham; tel: (01572) 653026; Stamford Arts Centre; tel: (01780) 755611; Guildhall Arts Centre, Grantham; tel: (01476) 406166.
www.britain-magazine.com
Above: The village of Ketton in Rutland, notable for its parish church, St Mary's, which is more than 800 years old
t Barnsdale Lodge (3 star). This former farmhouse is positioned on the north shore of Rutland Water, and offers comfortable rooms and a very successful restaurant. Tel: (01572) 724678;
www.greatinns.co.uk. t Belton House, near Grantham. This exquisite stately home with a deer park was featured in the classic BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1995) starring Colin Firth. Tel: (01476) 566116;
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ main/w-beltonhouse. t The George of Stamford (3 star). This traditional inn has a rich history, a range of bright, well-appointed rooms, and an atmospheric oak-panelled restaurant. Tel: (01780) 750750;
www.georgehotelofstamford.com. t Hambleton Bakery. Excellent rustic breads and cakes are standard fare at the county’s artisan bakery, with shops in Hambleton, Oakham and Stamford. Tel: (01572) 812995;
www.hambletonbakery.co.uk. t Harlaxton Manor and Gardens. This fairy-tale turreted mansion, built in the 1830s by a wealthy businessman, takes its inspiration from Gothic, Jacobean and Baroque styles from across Europe. It is now the British campus of the University of Evansville, Indiana, and its occasional public events are well worth visiting. Tel: (01476) 403024;
www.ueharlax.
ac.uk/harlaxton. t Lyddington Bede House. This handsome, honey-coloured building is a perfect example of construction in ironstone. It has offered modest almshouse accommodation to 12 bedesmen and two women for more than 300 years. Tel: (01572) 822438;
www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/ properties/lyddington-bede-house. t The Olive Branch, Clipsham. Michelin Pub of the Year, tucked just off the A1 in Rutland. After sampling locally grown produce in classic pub dishes, real ales and fine wines, cross the road for a comfortable B&B stay at Beech House (4 star). Tel: (01780) 410355;
www.theolivebranchpub.com. t Rutland County Museum and Visitor Centre, Oakham. This free museum has a regular programme of exhibitions, craft fairs, film screenings and concerts. Tel: (01572) 758440;
www.rutland.
gov.uk/museum. t Stamford Shakespeare Season. June, July and August see the Stamford Shakespeare Company take to the stage at an open-air theatre in the grounds of the restored Elizabethan manor house Tolethorpe Hall, just north of Stamford. Tel: (01780) 756133;
www.stamfordshakespeare.co.uk.
t If calling from overseas, dial your international code, then 44, and then omit the first zero.
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PHOTO: V K GUY
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