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ABOUT OAKHAM RUTLAND
Oakham is the county town of Rutland in the East Midlands of England,
25 miles (40.2 km) east of Leicester,
28 miles (45.1 km) south-east of Nottingham and
23 miles (37.0 km)
west of Peterborough.
Oakham is to the west of Rutland Water, one of Europe's largest man-made lakes, and in the Vale of Catmose.
Local governance for Oakham is provided for by the single-tier unitary
Rutland County Council, which is based in the town.
Oakham is a civil parish with a town council.
Oakham, along with Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, and the rest of Rutland,
has been represented at Westminster by the Conservative Member of Parliament Alicia Kearns since 2019.
Having lain within the historic county boundaries of Rutland from a very early time,
it became part of the non-metropolitan county of Leicestershire from 1974 to 1997.
Oakham Rural District was a local government area from 1894 to 1974,
and Oakham Urban District from 1911 to 1974.
Tourist attractions in Oakham include All Saints' Church and Oakham Castle.
Another popular and historic feature is the open-air market
held in the town's market square every Wednesday and Saturday
(near the ancient octagonal Buttercross
with its pyramidal roof and wooden stocks,
a Grade I listed building).
WHO WE ARE
Here at Oakham Rutland Local News,
We are proud of our town and community.
We Start this project with a aim to promote our town and county

OAKHAM CASTLE AND OAKHAM HORSESHOES
Oakham Castle
Only the great hall of the Norman castle is still standing,
surrounded by steep earthworks marking the inner bailey.
The hall dates from about 1180–1190 and according to Nikolaus Pevsner
(in his The Buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland):
It is the earliest hall of any English castle surviving so completely,
and it is doubly interesting in that it belonged not to a castle strictly speaking,
but rather to a fortified manor house.
The building is attractively ornamented with Romanesque architectural details,
including six carvings of musicians. It is a Grade I listed building.
The hall was in use as an assize court until 1970 and is still occasionally
used as a coroner's court or Crown Court. It is also licensed for weddings.
The outer bailey of the castle, which is still surrounded by low earthworks,
lies to the north of the castle.
Known as Cutts Close, it is now a park with a bandstand, skateboard area,
flower beds and a children's playground.
The park has some deep hollows which are remnants of the castle's
dried-up stew ponds (fishponds)
A Castle-class corvette named HMS Oakham Castle
was launched in July 1944.
Oakham Horseshoes
Traditionally, members of royalty and peers of the realm who visited
or passed through the town had to pay a forfeit in the form of a horseshoe.
This unique custom has been enforced for over 500 years,
but nowadays it only happens on special occasions (such as royal visits),
when an outsize ceremonial horseshoe, specially made and decorated,
is hung in the great hall of the castle.
There are now over 200 of these commemorative shoes on its walls.
Not all are dated and some of the earliest
(which would doubtless have been ordinary horseshoes
given without ceremony by exasperated noblemen) may not have survived.
The earliest datable one is an outsize example commemorating a visit by
King Edward IV in about 1470.
The horseshoes hang with the ends pointing down;
while this is generally held to be unlucky,
in Rutland this was thought to stop the Devil from sitting in the hollow.
The horseshoe motif appears in the county council's arms.
Recent horseshoes commemorate visits by Princess Anne (1999),
Prince Charles (2003)
and Princess Alexandra (2005)
ALL SAINTS CHURCH
The impressive spire of Oakham parish church,
built during the 14th century,
dominates distant views of the town for several miles in all directions.
Restored in 1857–58 by Sir George Gilbert Scott,
the church is a Grade I listed building.
RUTLAND COUNTY MUSEUM
Rutland County Museum
Rutland County Museum
The museum is located in the old Riding School of
the Rutland Fencible Cavalry which was built in 1794–1795.
The museum houses a collection of objects relating to local rural and agricultural life,
social history and archaeology.
EDUCATION
Oakham School is an English public school,
founded together with Uppingham School in 1584.
The original school building survives, north-east of the church.
It has across its south front the inscription Schola Latina – Graeca – Hebraica A° 1584
and above its door a stone with an inscription in Latin, Greek and Hebrew.
Oakham School is the current owner of Oakham's former workhouse.
Built in 1836–1837 by the Oakham Poor Law Union, it held 167 inmates
until its conversion into Catmose Vale Hospital.
It now contains two of the school houses for girls.
Catmose College, founded in 1920, is a state-funded secondary school.
Harington School is a sixth form centre next to it.
SPORTS & RECREATION
Oakham United Football Club won the Peterborough
and District Football League in 2015,
winning promotion to the United Counties League First Division.
They are currently playing in the Peterborough & District League Premier Division.
Oakham Rugby Football Club play at the Rutland Showground.
Oakham Cricket Club plays at the Lime Kilns off Cricket Lawns.
SHOPPING
Oakham has a varied choice of independent stores alongside a few national brands.
Oakham is served by four supermarkets.
Tesco, South Street
The Co-operative Food, Burley Road,
Lidl Barlethorpe Road,
Aldi, Hackamore Way
FAST FOOD
Rutland is no longer the only county with out a McDonalds.
McDonalds opened here in Oakham in 2020
McDonalds, Lands End Way
NOTABLE PEOPLE
Stuart Broad (born 1986), cricketer
John Furley (1847–1909), cricketer
Sir Jeffrey Hudson (1619 – c. 1682) became a royal court dwarf.
Tom Marshall – artist and photo colouriser, grew up in Oakham.
Thomas Merton (1915–1968), a religious scholar,
studied at Oakham School in 1929–1932.
Titus Oates (1649–1705), perjuror
Weston Stewart (1887–1969), Anglican bishop
Jonnie Peacock (born 1993), Paralympic runner