Rutland County Museum in Oakham is the perfect place to discover the history and heritage of England’s smallest county. Opened in 1969, it is housed in the former Riding School of the Rutland Fencible Cavalry, a handsome late 18th-century building that gives the museum a distinctive setting. The museum is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm, with the last admission at 3:45 pm. It is closed on Bank Holidays, including Good Friday.
Admission is completely free of charge, although donations are welcomed to help support the museum’s work. The site is very visitor-friendly, with a lift, accessible toilets, baby changing facilities, hearing loops, and even a wheelchair available for loan. Guide dogs are also welcome.
The museum holds a collection of over 13,000 objects reflecting Rutland’s rural, social, and archaeological history. Visitors can see agricultural tools, domestic items, and fascinating archaeological finds. Among the highlights are the only surviving “New Drop” gallows in the United Kingdom, once a portable execution device, and one of the country’s oldest surviving wooden wagons. The museum also houses a local studies library, with maps, photographs, parish records, and historic newspapers—an excellent resource for anyone researching family or local history.
Throughout the year, the museum hosts family activities, seasonal displays, and monthly talks on heritage topics. It is also a venue for the popular Rutland Open Art Exhibition, which showcases the creativity of local artists each summer.
Photos courtesy of Tripadvisor.
