rutland county museum

We stayed two nights in Oakham. The first day was very wet and so this museum, which is free of charge was a welcome convenience. GoodThe building itself is very interesting, but it left me wanting to know more about it and the building opposite.The staff were very friendly.There was an excellent temporary exhibition of paintings in the foyer by local teenagers - amazing talent, we really enjoyed it.It was well put together.Bad.The problem was that we felt this was effectively an agricultural museum - so similar to so many other local museums around the country with much the same information and exhibits, but very little that was specifically about Rutland - Rutland is Britain's smallest county, it has the largest manmade lake in the country and it ceased to be a county at all for about twenty years towards the end of the 20th century. It did touch on this, but we wanted to know more. There was no information about Rutland water at all (that we could see), we'd have liked to have known about the lost village, about why Rutland water exists, and more about why Rutland ceased to exist.We found the information about the yellow Earl very interesting, we just felt that rather than general agricultural information, it could have been more specific to Rutland.Having said that, it was free, it was interesting and it was very welcome.

Located in the centre of Oakham -signpostedThere is a charge for the carparkMore people would visit if they removed the car park charge, but sadly that is short sighted Council thinking.The museum is nicely laid out, with items of local interest, a small military section. Sometimes art and crafts are displayed.The museum tells the story of the people who lived in Oakham, and what they got up to. I enjoyed the quirkyness of it.Well worth a visit

The museum is housed in what was once the indoor riding school of the Rutland Fencibles, a volunteer cavalry regiment raised by the Noels of Oakham in 1794. The building itself is interesting - huge, the roof supported by enormous wooden beams. At the back of the main building is an outside area housing more exhibits, and from there another enclosed room contains more. The modern shop at the entrance is pleasant.Exhibits centre on Rutland's history, principally of farming and rural life, but there's much more. The farming equipment is fascinating and includes information as to how it was used. Inside and out there are tractors, ploughs, wagons and carts of all shapes and sizes, an enormous threshing machine, used until combine harvesters were invented, and smaller machines with multiple functions. Domesticated animals are included - tack for horses, dairy equipment, explanations as to how pigs were slaughtered...... In a gallery around the main hall are exhibits from the ages, found in Rutland, wonderful Victorian inventions for home and for children, toys, police and army equipment. In the building at the back, there for the winter, is a 1899 Decauville car, a gallows used at Oakham gaol and other local ephemera.If you're in the pretty town of Oakham you must go to the museum.