Oakham Rutland is a town that is steeped in history and also boasts a special character. Today it bustles with activity and being only twenty miles north of London and about the same distance from Peterborough and Leicester, you see people coming from these nearby destinations.
Every Wednesday and Saturday, Oakham Rutland opens its markets so that you can buy and sell all kinds of fish, fruit, vegetables and cheeses as well as clothes, bread and other household items.
Oakham is also home to a number of historic buildings and gardens, including Normanton Church, Oakham Church and Tolethorpe hall, plus there are several interesting museums and galleries worth visiting as well. These museums and galleries include the Rutland County Museum, the Rutland Railway Museum, the Catmose Gallery, and more.
Some of the top tourist attractions include All Saints Church and of course Oakham Church is also a must see. Oakham Castle in particular has a lot of historical significance and in fact this castle dating from the 1180s to 1190s even has a hall that is among the oldest halls in all of England.
Oakham Rutland is also famous for its tradition of accepting horseshoes. Traditionally, there have always been British royals as well as other important people who have come to this town to pay for the prizes in the shape of horseshoes. This custom dates back five hundred years, although today the tradition occurs only on a special occasion when royalty comes to visit here. Even so, there are more than two hundred commemorative horseshoes that can be seen on the town walls.
The oldest of all these horseshoes is the one introduced by King Edward IV in the year 1470. All horseshoes are made to hang upside down, although this too is a practice that is considered unfortunate. However, in Rutland the common belief is that doing so will help prevent the Devil from entering the town. That is why the arms of the town council include the inverted horseshoe as a motif.