Oakham Castle

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Great Hall of Oakham Castle

Oakham Castle is a fortified manor house in Oakham in English administrative unit Rutland . It was built from 1180 to 1190, during the reign of Henry II for Walchelin de Ferriers , Lord of the Manor of Oskham. Known for its collection of massive horseshoes , the castle is considered one of the best examples of Norman house architecture in England. Entry to the castle is free.

Oakham Castle is owned and administered by Rutland County Council . Civil weddings can be held at the castle.

Fortified mansion

Castle Lane from Market Place to Castle
Horseshoes on the east wall of the great hall

Oakham Castle doesn't look like an old castle because it's so small. The knight's hall is the only part of the early medieval fortified mansion that has survived to this day. The building originally had many details of a real castle to offer, e.g. B. a curtain wall , a gatehouse and a drawbridge with iron chains. There is also historical and archaeological evidence of towers in strategic positions along the castle wall and a moat that Oakham Castle once owned.

The knight's hall consists of a central nave and two side aisles with arches, each with three large stone columns. There are a number of 12th century sculptures in the hall, such as B. six musicians standing on pillars. The sculptures were modeled from locally available stone obtained from a quarry in Clipsham . They are believed to have been created by the same builders who worked on Canterbury Cathedral . The mansion is said to have been built for Walchelin de Ferriers around 1180–1190.

Today's passage to the market square is very similar to the passages in Burley-on-the-Hill and is said to have been built at the behest of the first Duke of Buckingham .

Time Team , the Channel 4 archeology series , was filming at Oakham Castle on May 26-28. June 2012. The episode aired on February 10, 2013.

Civil weddings are permitted at Oakham Castle. The property is owned and administered by Rutland County Council .

The horseshoe

Ferrers family coat of arms

There is a unique tradition at Oakham Castle that nobles must bring a horseshoe to the Lord of the Manor on their first visit to town. 230 horseshoes currently decorate the walls of Oakham Castle. This tradition is probably based on the de Ferrers family name . Ferrier (French) means “blacksmith” in German and the horseshoe has been a family symbol since the arrival of Henry de Ferrers in England in 1066.

The oldest surviving horseshoe in the collection was brought in 1470 by Edward IV after his victory in the Battle of Losecote Field . Recently, the horseshoes of Princess Anne were added in 1999, Prince Charles in 2003, Princess Alexandra in 2005 and Duchess Camilla in 2014.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Oakham Castle . Historic England.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 11, 2015.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / list.historicengland.org.uk  
  2. ^ Gateway to Oakham Castle . Historic England. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  3. ↑ Tony Robinson and Time Team uncover horseshoe at Oakham Castle . June 29, 2012. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 11, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.stamfordmercury.co.uk
  4. ↑ Oakham Castle . In: Weddings and Civil Partnerships . Rutland county council. Retrieved June 11, 2015.

literature

  • TH McK Clough: The Horseshoes of Oakham Castle . Rutland County Museum.
  • TH McK Clough: Oakham Castle, A Guide and History . Rutland County Museum.

Web links

Commons : Oakham Castle  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 52 ° 40 ′ 15.4 "  N , 0 ° 43 ′ 38.8"  W.