Church update : All Saints, Oakham

Returning to Oakham this year i had the opportunity to revisit the fine church of All Saints. I was able to go inside this time. Parts of the church date from the 13th century though most of the main church is 15th and is in very good condition. The font though is 13th century. 

Oakham departure

Leaving Rutland's only railway station.

Rutland County Museum

One of the places i visited in Rutland on Saturday was the county museum. Now i love a regional museum and really should visit more of them. The Rutland museum in Oakham has a nice little local collection of historical items and curios. It also has a rather nice fossil fish, and a couple of old tractors! What more could you want? You can see my museum photos (and other Oakham photos) here.

Manton

I enjoyed my little bus trip into Rutland a few weeks ago, so headed back by train to Oakham yesterday and took the bus to the nice little village of Manton which is about half way between Oakham and Uppingham. There isn't a whole lot there apart from some pretty houses and a nice church but that is fine. Afterwards i headed back to Oakham but we'll cover that in a later blog post. My photographs from Manton can be seen here.

Uppingham, Rutland by bus

I want to explore Rutland more but the problem is only the county town Oakham has a rail connection. However, yesterday i went to Oakham by train and then took a bus out to the second largest town in the county which is Uppingham. The buses in Rutland seem to work pretty well so i will be doing this again in future to explore more villages in the county.

Uppingham is a lovely place, full of beautiful buildings and a good church. You can see my photos here.

Churches (40) : All Saints, Oakham

All Saints' Church is the largest church in the county town of Oakham in Rutland the smallest county of England!

The church has elements dating back to the thirteenth century though the tower and spire dates from the fourteenth [1] and other parts of the church the fifteenth. The tower and spire, which dominate the town of Oakham, are in the Decorated style though much of the rest of the church is Perpendicular Gothic. The church exteriors are made from limestone ashlar.

The church was restored in the late 1850s.

[1] Nikolaus Pevsner, Leicestershire and Rutland (Penguin, 1960) p. 314

Oakham Market Cross

Oakham Market Cross is a buttercross, a type of medieval cross often found in market towns. The name buttercross comes from the practice of selling local dairy produce and eggs around the base of the cross. Oakham cross consists of a stone pillar with a wooden octagonal pyramid roof around it held up by 8 timber posts [1]. The cross is located outside of Oakham school and near the market place. A set of stocks lies underneath the roof by the pillar - no longer in use!

[1] Nikolaus Pevsner, Leicestershire & Rutland (Penguin, 1960) p. 318

Oakham

As well as visiting the castle i also had a walk around the rest of Oakham. I like the town a lot, its just how a small county town should be. Quaint old buildings and nice people. I shall definitely be returning. I didn't have the chance to visit the museum so will rectify that next time. The station is quite nice too! You can see my photos of Oakham here.

Castles (3) : Oakham

Oakham is the county town of Rutland and also home to Oakham Castle which dates from Norman times and is a great example of Norman architecture. While the defences and ramparts are largely gone the great hall survives intact though was more a fortified manor house than a strategic defensive position.

The castle has been recently fully restored and is also a court house, in fact it is the longest running seat of justice in England.

A notable feature of Oakham Castle is the collection of horseshoes. Peers of the realm by tradition submit a horseshoe to the Lord of the Manor of Oakham when they first visit. The oldest surviving horseshoe was presented by King Edward IV in 1470. Several other monarchs have also presented horseshoes including Queen Elizabeth II. The horseshoe has become the symbol of the county of Rutland. You can see my photos at Oakham Castle here.