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Oakham b&b, guesthouse and hotel accommodation

Visit Oakham and the surrounding villages and stay in bed & breakfast accommodation:

Oakham, Rutland. The origin of the name of this pleasant county town remains obscure, but local belief maintains that there is a connection between the name Oakham and Occa, an influential Anglo-Saxon landowner of whom nothing more is known. Most certainly the manor later became the property of the Anglo-Saxon queens, and on the death of Edward the Confessor's wife, Edith, in 1075, the town, with its castle and church, as recorded in Domesday Book, was taken over by William of Normandy. By 1130 it was held by the powerful Ferrers family who built the castle, strictly speaking a fortified house, of which the surviving great hall is the finest of its kind in England. The hall is 60 ft long and 40 ft wide, a fascinating structure with handsome aisles and decorated doorways dating from c. 1180. The interior is filled from floor to roof with a remarkable collection of horse-shoes, following a centuries-old custom, perhaps starting from the time when the Conqueror's farrier lived here, of taking a token horse-shoe from every peer passing through the town. The highest ranks are represented here, including those of royalty, in a bewildering variety of horse-shoes ranging from some measuring only a few inches across to others of more than a yard. One of the shoes is said to have been given by Queen Elizabeth I. More recently, one was presented by Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to the county in May 1967.

Oakham was the birthplace, in 1619, of Jeffery Hudson, the dwarf presented in a pie to Charles I at Burley. Also born here, in 1649, was the infamous Titus Oates.

Oakham School was founded in 1584 by Archdeacon Robert Johnson. The original schoolhouse was restored in 1723 and is still used as a class-room.

The parish church, All Saints, has a 14^th-century spire and south porch dating from about 1190. The font has a l2^th-century circular bowl, and a square base which apparently belongs to the 14^th century. In the market place stands the picturesque old Butter Cross with its eight oak posts and a massive central shaft and steps. Here too are the well-worn stocks, a chilling reminder of village justice administered in a bygone age.

From Oakham to Langham is only 3 miles along the A606. There was probably an Iron Age settlement on Ranksborough Hill, at the east foot of which this straggling village lies. A Roman bronze statue was found there, now in the British Museum.

Langham is proud of its 17^th-century Hall and manor, but the church is the principal feature of the village. Its noble tower and spire are seen to advantage from lanes on the south side, the tower being l3^th-century with a Decorated l4^th-century spire added. It is spacious, with lovely windows in the chancel and the south transept by Comper. The pinnacled porch has a stone platform above, once part of an upper chamber.

Nearby cities: Leicester

Nearby towns: Corby, Melton Mowbray, Stamford, Uppingham

Nearby villages: Allexton, Barrowden, Bisbrooke, Braunston, Burley, Clipsham, Cottesmore, East Norton, Edith Weston, Edmondthorpe, Egleton, Empingham, Exton, Freeby, Goadby, Great Dalby, Greetham, Hambleton, Harringworth, Horninghold, Knossington, Liddington, Little Dalby, Lyddington, Manton, Marefield, Market Overton, Morcott, Normanton, North Luffenham, Preston, Ryhall, Seaton, Skeffington, South Luffenham, South Witham, Stockerston, Stretton, Tilton on the Hill, Tugby, Upper Hambleton, Wakerley, Withcote, Wymondham

Have you decided to visit Oakham or the surrounding villages? Please look above for somewhere to stay in:

• a Oakham bed and breakfast (a Oakham B&B or Oakham b and b)
• a Oakham guesthouse
• a Oakham hotel (or motel)
• a Oakham self-catering establishment, or
• other Oakham accommodation