Rutland

Rutland is a landlocked ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. In 1974 it was merged to be part of the administrative county of Leicestershire, but in 1997 it was separated to become a unitary local authority, which is responsible for all local services apart from the police and fire service. It is mainly rural, but has two market towns, Oakham, the county town, and Uppingham. The county has an area of 151.5 square miles (392 square kilometres), and the 2011 census showed a population of 37,400.In England, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are designated by Natural England, a non-departmental public body which is responsible for protecting England's natural environment. Designation as an SSSI gives legal protection to the most important wildlife and geological sites. As of November 2017, there are 19 SSSIs in the county. Sixteen are designated for their biological importance, one for its geological importance and two under both criteria. The largest site is Rutland Water at 1,555.3 hectares (3,843 acres), a Ramsar internationally important wetland site and a Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The smallest is Tolethorpe Road Verges at 1.0 hectare (2.5 acres), which has several regionally uncommon plants on Jurassic limestone.

The Hambleton Peninsula lies within the reservoir Rutland Water, in Rutland, England. When the Gwash Valley was dammed in 1975, the area surrounding what was then a ridge were submerged, including a small number of properties in the hamlets of Nether Hambleton and Middle Hambleton. The village of Upper Hambleton survived, and now sits on the peninsula, which is some 3500 metres in length and 1000 metres in width. The area of the peninsula lies in the parish of Hambleton with the exception of a small detached area of Exton parish on the north shore. The Hambleton Peninsula and its surroundings feature heavily in British author Robert Goddard´s fictional mystery thriller Set in Stone (1999).

Edith Weston Priory was a small alien house of Benedictine monks in Edith Weston, Rutland. The French parent house of Abbey of Saint-Georges, Boscherville was founded by Ralf de Tanquerville, chamberlain to William the Conqueror, about the year 1050. By 1114 his son William donated the church and manor at Edith Weston, and a small cell of monks was set up to collect the rents and intercede for the founder's soul.The cell was one of two in England: William founded Avebury Priory in Wiltshire around the same time. Like all alien houses, control (and revenues) passed to the Crown in time of war with France, and it was during one of these periods that the priory closed. The last known Prior was in 1361, and by 1394 the church and manor had been sold to St. Anne's Priory, Coventry, bringing the priory to an end.Pevsner was dismissive of the priory, saying that Brooke Priory was the only monastery in Rutland as "Edith Weston hardly counts as one".The earthwork remains probably now lie below the waters of Rutland Water.

Edith Weston is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population of the civil parish was 1,042 at the 2001 census, including Normanton and increasing to 1,359 at the 2011 census. It is on the south-eastern shore of Rutland Water and is home of the main sailing club and a fishing lodge. The village is named after Edith of Wessex (1029–1075), the queen of Edward the Confessor and sister of Harold Godwinson. The Grade I listed church is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin and includes stained glass by Paul Woodroffe and Hugh Arnold; the organ is by Samuel Green of London and dated 1787. The village pub is the Wheatsheaf on King Edward's Way. St George's Barracks is located to the south and east of the village; this was previously RAF North Luffenham. In August 2007 16th Regiment Royal Artillery, equipped with the Rapier FSC, moved here from Woolwich. Edith Weston features in the Alan Sillitoe novel Down From the Hill, with the main character stopping off in the Wheatsheaf for a shandy.

St Matthew's Church is a de-consecrated church in Normanton, Rutland. It is now on the shore of Rutland Water. The building is Grade II listed.

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a church in Edith Weston, Rutland. It is a Grade I listed building.

Normanton is a village and civil parish on the eastern shore of Rutland Water in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population remained less than 100 at the 2011 census and was included in the civil parish of Edith Weston. Normanton Hall was a seat of the Earls of Ancaster and an important centre of their estates. The stable block of their hall is now Normanton Park hotel. In the 18th century the village was cleared to make a park for the estate of the Heathcote family with the population mainly re-housed in Empingham. The village's name means 'farm/settlement of the Norwegian Vikings'.In the 1970s much of the parish was flooded by the construction of the Rutland Water reservoir. St Matthew's Church is a Grade II listed building, built in classical style. The tower and the western portico were built by Thomas Cundy Jr between 1826 and 1829, based on the design of St John's, Smith Square in Westminster, while the nave and apse were constructed in 1911, by J. B. Gridley of London. The building was once the private chapel for the Normanton Estate, but it was de-consecrated in 1970, and was to have been demolished as part of the reservoir construction, as its floor was below the proposed water level. Following a public outcry, the lower half was filled with stone and rubble, and a concrete cap constructed just below the level of the windows. An embankment was built around the church leaving it a prominent feature on the water's edge. The structure formerly housed a museum recording the history of Rutland Water, which is now located in the visitor centre. The structure is now used as a venue for civil weddings and concerts. Normanton is the name of a ward of Rutland County Council, returning two councillors. The ward includes Edith Weston, Empingham, North Luffenham and South Luffenham.

Normanton Hall was a large, now demolished, country house at Normanton in Rutland.

The Church of St Michael and All Angels is a church in Whitwell, Rutland. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Whitwell is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population at the 2001 census was 41. At the 2011 census the population remained less than 100 and was included together with the neighbouring parish of Exton. It is located on the A606, about four miles (6 km) east of Oakham, on the north shore of Rutland Water with car parking off Bull Brig Lane. Whitwell Harbour is a popular sailing and water sports area and a pleasure boat known as the Rutland Belle operates from the harbour. Whitwell is one of the smallest villages in Rutland; it only has 19 houses, plus The Noel pub, the name of which comes from the Earls of Gainsborough, who were landholders in the area.The village's name means 'spring/stream which is white', probably meaning it was infertile.Whitwell claims to be twinned with Paris, France. In 1980, regulars from the pub, the Noel Arms wrote to the then Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac proposing the link and with a tight deadline for a response. As no answer arrived from the Mayor's office by the set date, the village unilaterally declared itself to be twinned and erected road signs to that effect. The original wooden signs were later replaced in metal by Rutland County Council.

St George's Barracks is a British Army installation near to the village of North Luffenham in Rutland, England. It is set to close in 2026.

Royal Air Force North Luffenham or more simply RAF North Luffenham is a former Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England. It is near to the villages of Edith Weston and North Luffenham.