Oakham Castle
| Oakham Castle | |
|---|---|
 The Great Hall of Oakham Castle 2014 | |
| Location | Oakham,Rutland |
| Coordinates | Maps52°40′15″N0°43′39″W/ 52.670957°N 0.727449°W |
| Built | 12th century |
Listed Building– Grade I | |
| Designated | 8 May 1950 |
| Reference no. | 1073277 |
  Location of Oakham Castle in Rutland | |
Oakham Castleis a historic building inOakham,Rutland.The castle is known for its collection of massivehorseshoesand is also recognised as one of the best examples of domesticNorman architecturein England.[1]It is a Grade Ilisted building.[1]Owned and managed by theRutland County Council,Oakham Castle is licensed forcivil ceremonies.Admission to the castle is free.
History
[edit]
The castle was built between 1180 and 1190 byWalkelin de Ferrers,lord of the manorof Oakham, and a great nephew ofRobert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby.[1]The Great Hall comprises a nave and two arcaded aisles, each with three large stone columns. There are a number of 12th-century sculptures decorating the hall including six musicians that are supported by the columns. The sculptures are carved from local stone quarried atClipshamand are believed to have been made by masons who had also worked atCanterbury Cathedral.[2]
Oakham Castle is one of the longest-running seats of justice in England; aCrown Courthas been held in the castle every two years[3]since 1229.[4]
The present gateway into the market place closely resembles the gateways atBurley-on-the-Hill,and is thought to have been erected byGeorge Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckinghamin the early 17th century.[5]
Following the implementation of theLocal Government Act 1888,which established county councils in every county, it became the meeting place forRutland County Council[6]and remained as such until the county council moved toCatmose Housein 1936.[7]
Time Team,the Channel 4 archaeology series, filmed at Oakham Castle 26–28 June 2012; the programme was shown on 10 February 2013.[8]
The castle was temporarily closed for an extensive restoration of the castle, including the curtain wall. Oakham Castle was awarded a £2.165 million grant from theHeritage Lottery Fundin 2014 following a joint bid by Rutland County Council, Oakham Town Council and the Friends of Rutland County Museum.[9]The castle reopened on 30 May 2016.[10]
Description
[edit]Due to its small size, Oakham Castle does not represent the traditional image of a castle. However, what is now called Oakham Castle was originally the Great Hall of a much larger fortified manor house. This had many of the traditional features of a castle such as a curtain wall, a gatehouse and a drawbridge with iron chains. There is also historical and archaeological evidence to suggest that Oakham Castle possessed towers at strategic points along the walls as well as a moat. An illustration inMediaeval Englandedited byH. W. C. Davissuggests that the doorway shown to be in the centre of the wall was originally where the window at the end on the right now is. Also, there are no dormer windows in the illustration.[11]
The horseshoes
[edit]
There remains a unique tradition thatpeers of the realmshould forfeit a horseshoe to the Lord of the Manor of Oakham on their first visit to the town. Two hundred and thirty horseshoes currently decorate the walls of Oakham Castle. It is thought that this tradition is linked to the de Ferrers' family name;Ferrierwas theNorman Frenchword forfarrierand the horseshoe has been a symbol of the de Ferrers family sinceHenry de Ferrersarrived in England in 1066. A horseshoe, orientated in accordance with county custom as the horseshoes are hung in the castle, is used as a symbol of the county of Rutland and appears on the arms of the county council and on theflag of Rutland.[12]
The oldest surviving horseshoe in the collection is one that was presented byEdward IVin 1470 after his victory at theBattle of Losecoat Field.Recent additions to the collection are horseshoes presented by thePrincess Royalin 1999, thePrince of Walesin 2003,Princess Alexandrain 2005, theDuchess of Cornwallin 2014,[13]and theDukeandDuchess of Edinburghin 2024.[14]
References
[edit]- ^abcHistoric England."Oakham Castle (Grade I) (1073277)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved1 June2013.
- ^"About Oakham Castle".Retrieved28 September2019.
- ^"Gallery: Justice is served at Oakham Castle".Stamford Mercury. 6 October 2015.Retrieved28 September2019.
- ^"Oakham Castle perimeter wall unearthed by archaeologists".Market Business News. 28 December 2015.Retrieved28 September2019.
- ^Historic England."Gateway to Oakham Castle (Grade I) (1361781)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved1 June2013.
- ^"Local Government Act 1888".Legislation.gov.uk.Retrieved17 August2019.
- ^Crowden, Hilary John (2017)."Rutland: the development of a county community within the modern age"(PDF).University of Leicester. p. 249.
- ^"Tony Robinson and Time Team uncover horseshoe at Oakham Castle".Rutland Mercury.29 June 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 7 July 2012.Retrieved1 July2012.
- ^"Oakham Castle Closed For Restoration Work"Archived2015-09-15 at theWayback MachineRutland County Council 1 September 2015
- ^"Oakham Castle in Rutland reopens after £2m restoration"BBC News 30 May 2016
- ^Mediaeval England. A new edition of Barnard's Companion to English History.HWC Davis Ed. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1924. p.55
- ^"Rutland".Flag Institute.Retrieved28 September2019.
- ^"Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall visit Rutland".BBC. 28 July 2014.Retrieved28 September2019.
- ^"Horseshoe from Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh welcomed at Oakham Castle".Oakham Nub News.15 May 2024.Retrieved16 May2024.
Further reading
[edit]- The Horseshoes of Oakham Castle,by T. H. McK. Clough, Curator ofRutland County Museum
- Oakham Castle, A Guide and History,by T. H. McK. Clough
External links
[edit]
