Rutland County Council: Ryhall Walks
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www.rutland.gov.uk/row W: [email protected] E: 771117 01572 T: 28 - 34 Station Approach, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6QW 6QW LE15 Rutland, Oakham, Approach, Station 34 - 28 Highways Council County Rutland Rutland County Council Highways at the address below: below: address the at Highways Council County Rutland or require it in an alternative format please contact contact please format alternative an in it require or If you require further information regarding this leaflet leaflet this regarding information further require you If theatres in the grounds. the in theatres who created one of Europe’s finest open air air open finest Europe’s of one created who acquired by the Stamford Shakespeare Company, Company, Shakespeare Stamford the by acquired Explorer 234 Explorer In 1977 the near derelict Tolethorpe Hall was was Hall Tolethorpe derelict near the 1977 In Landranger 130 Landranger Separatists. were Fathers Pilgrim the and Night” Ordnance Survey Maps Survey Ordnance Shakespeare referred to the Brownists in “Twelfth “Twelfth in Brownists the to referred Shakespeare separate church from the Church of England. England. of Church the from church separate movement, also known as Brownists, seeking a a seeking Brownists, as known also movement, The nearest railway station is Stamford. is station railway nearest The Rail: and leading campaigner of the religious Separatist Separatist religious the of campaigner leading and www.traveline.org.uk www.traveline.org.uk E: 2002233 0871 T: by the Brownes. Robert Browne was the founder founder the was Browne Robert Brownes. the by Stamford. from 202 and 4 Services Bus: Norman family. In 1503 the property was acquired acquired was property the 1503 In family. Norman House was built on the site of the present hall by a a by hall present the of site the on built was House of Stamford on the A6121. A6121. the on Stamford of 11th Century when it is believed that the first Manor Manor first the that believed is it when Century 11th north miles 2 approximately situated is Ryhall Road: the to back going origins has Hall Tolethorpe Travel Tolethorpe Hall Tolethorpe A6003 Ryhall Uppingham Barrowden Tolethorpe to Belinsford Bridge. Belinsford to Tolethorpe A47 A47 spring on Tibba’s Well Hill, this being on the hill from from hill the on being this Hill, Well Tibba’s on spring monks there. It is said that she used to bathe at the the at bathe to used she that said is It there. monks by Abbot Elgin because of the jealousy of the the of jealousy the of because Elgin Abbot by A1 Edith Weston Edith were removed to Peterborough Monastery in 963 963 in Monastery Peterborough to removed were In-Rutland Originally buried in the churchyard, her remains remains her churchyard, the in buried Originally Braunston- and is said to have lived here in the 7th century. century. 7th the in here lived have to said is and A6003 She was the niece of King Penda of Mercia, Mercia, of Penda King of niece the was She Stamford Oakham Empingham legend of St. Tibba, the patron saint of falconers. falconers. of saint patron the Tibba, St. of legend A606 Ryhall The Church is traditionally associated with the the with associated traditionally is Church The Exton Langham Legend of St. Tibba St. of Legend A6121 A1 St John’s Church Ryhall The Norman church of St. John the Evangelist is the oldest remaining building in the village, constructed of Barnack and Ketton stone in around 1200. It was enlarged in 1250 with the addition of the chancel and tower arches with various other additions being made through subsequent centuries. Along an outdoor string course runs a host of grotesque figures. Many of the human faces would have been Introduction church which has a splendid 13th Century vaulted known to the sculptor, so perhaps we have here a cellar. Both Church Farm and The Green Dragon portrait gallery of some of the Ryhall worthies who Ryhall is a parish of irregular shape lying 3 miles to almost certainly stand upon the former site of the first lived here nearly 900 years ago! The South doorway the north of Stamford and is first mentioned in the Manor House built by Hugh Despenser around 1250. has over it a priest’s chamber, known nowadays Domesday Book. The name Ryhall derives from He was a close ally of Simon de Montfort and was as the Parvis room, which was once used as a ‘a nook on the bend of a river with rye growing there’. killed at the battle of Evesham in 1256. schoolroom. On the North arcade is a large figure The village does indeed lay either side of a meander of St. Christopher, the Patron Saint of Travellers. The Directly opposite the Green Dragon Inn is a Queen in the little river Gwash and is bordered on its west by Font and Sedilia (priests’ seats in the Chancel) are Anne house, one of the oldest houses in Ryhall. the road from Stamford to Bourne, a former turnpike over 700 years old. There are three stained glass Originally it was the Five Bells Inn, possibly a reference road. The areas of the village north and south of the windows in the Church. The Gann window in the to the five bells in the church. Since it was built thatch river are linked by a three arched stone bridge and east end of the South arcade was made by Kempe has been removed and the roof raised. The Five Bells causeway built in 1650. The land is mostly low lying in 1900. Kempe’s windows can be recognised by the Inn closed in 1914, one of the five pubs in the village falling from Ryhall Heath to the Gwash. Flooding of personal mark, the Wheatsheaf, which can be seen that have now closed. the Gwash, a tributary of the River Welland rising near in this window near the bottom left hand corner. Knossington, was a regular occurrence in the village. The Hall at Ryhall was first mentioned in 1587. However, since the creation of Rutland Water in 1972 The present Hall is Georgian and was reconstructed the flow of the river through Ryhall has been from the original Elizabethan house by Michael under control. Pierrepont in 1800. It was he who gave the land on which the National School was built in 1857. The School Ryhall is a beautiful village despite many of the older was closed in 1963 and the building is now used as the limestone buildings having long since disappeared. Village Hall. Despite this a number of Grade 2 listed buildings do remain, including Church Farm to the north of the Two tunnels are thought to run beneath the village; church standing against the churchyard boundary. one from the Hall to Manor Farm (now Hemgate On the chimney of the farmhouse can be seen the House), the other from a well in the garden of the initials and date “J W E 1685”. The initials are those of Hall to the cellar of the Green Dragon Inn. In 1950, a John Wallett and his wife Elizabeth who owned the villager was forbidden from entering the well by the estate at that time. owner of the Hall, whereupon the villager threw his cap down the well, and had to be allowed to retrieve Another fine building is The Green Dragon Inn it. He was thus able to see the tunnel entrance. standing a short distance to the north east of the Follow The Drift to its junction with the Careby Road 2 Cross the bridge over the river Gwash and turn left Ryhall Walk Number 1 and turn right. After a short distance you will see a on to Mill Street. Continue to the junction with Turnpike Start from the Village Hall. bridleway on your left. Road. Cross the road with care, turn left and after a short distance you will find a footpath signposted on your 1 Stand outside the village hall facing the library. 6 Follow the bridleway around the fields edge, Turn left and walk downhill, passing the church on right. Follow the footpath and bear left as it opens out through a small spinney, and then up a hill. On your left, towards the village square. On arriving in the into a large arable field. reaching the top of the hill a row of trees will be visible square, with the Green Dragon Inn ahead and on your in the distance which marks the bridleways junction 3 At the top of the hill is a field gate at the junction with left, take a right on to Bridge Street. with the Essendine Road. the Careby Road. Cross over the road to the entrance to Top Farm. Climb the stile on your right and continue in 7 Cross over the road and turn right. After around this direction, passing over a second stile and through a 10 minutes, as the path starts to head down hill, you gap in a hedge, until you reach the junction with a will find a footpath on your left. Climb over the stile farm track. and follow the footpath to a kissing gate on the opposite side of the field. Continue down the hill, 4 Turn left and take the track past Ryhall Grange to its passing through a number of gates on your way, end at the top of a large arable field. Walk diagonally until you emerge on to a byway called ‘Back Lane’. across the field heading for gate that will be visible in the hedgerow ahead.