I like other people’s pictures especially when they come from the family, and so I was especially pleased to receive a heap of holiday photographs from our Elizabeth.
She and Colin were in Oakham which my Wikipedia tells me is a “market town and civil parish in 25 miles east of Leicester, [with] a population of 12,149*.
Its not one I knew and to be strictly accurate was less a castle and more a "fortified manor house [with] 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”.
Today all that has survived is the Great Hall and the gateway into the marketplace.
But that was enough for our Elizabeth who recorded bits of the place along with exhibits from the museum including lots of horseshoes which the castle is famous for.
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 at Clipsham and are believed to have been made by masons who had also worked at Canterbury Cathedral”.**
At which point I could loop off into a detailed description, but where would be the point in that given that the pictures do the place credit and there are always the guide books and online information, for a castle which is free to visit.
Leaving me just to thank Elizabeth and Colin for the images.
And conclude that their accommodation looked excellent and was indeed just a step away from the property.
Location; Oakham
Pictures, the castle and much more 2024, from the collection of Elizabeth Fitzpatrick
*Oakham, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakham
** Oakham Castle, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakham_Castle
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