Editing Oakham (section)

==Landmarks==<!-- This heading linked from redirects for stocks and cross -->
Tourist attractions in Oakham include All Saints' Church and [[Oakham Castle]]. Another historic feature is the open-air [[Market (place)|market]] held in the town's market place every Wednesday and Saturday. Nearby is the [[Oakham Market Cross|Buttercross]] with an octagonal stone-slate roof and the wooden [[stocks]] – both Grade I [[listed building]]s.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1073278 |desc=Market Cross |access-date=1 October 2006}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE |num=1073279 |desc=Stocks |access-date=15 May 2021}}</ref> 

===All Saints' Church===
{{main|All Saints' Church, Oakham}}
[[File:Oakham Castle and All Saints' Church.jpg|thumb|right|The great hall of [[Oakham Castle]], with the spire of [[All Saints' Church, Oakham|All Saints' Church]] beyond]]
The spire of Oakham parish church, built during the 14th century, dominates distant views of the town for several miles in all directions. Restored in 1857–1858 by [[Sir George Gilbert Scott]], the church is a Grade I listed building.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1073305 |desc=CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS, Oakham |access-date=20 June 2017}}</ref>

===Oakham Castle===
{{main|Oakham Castle}}
Only the great hall of the [[Norman architecture|Norman]] castle is still standing, surrounded by steep earthworks marking the [[Motte-and-bailey|inner bailey]]. The hall dates from about 1180–1190. The architectural historian [[Nikolaus Pevsner]], in his ''Leicestershire and Rutland'' volume of the [[Pevsner Architectural Guides|Buildings of England]] series, noted; "It is the earliest hall of any English castle surviving so completely, and it is doubly interesting in that it belonged not to a castle strictly speaking, but rather to a fortified manor house." The building is decorated with [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] architectural details, including six carvings of musicians. It is a Grade I listed building.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1073277 |desc=Oakham "Castle" |access-date=1 October 2006}}</ref> The hall was in use as an [[assize court]] until 1970 and is still occasionally used as a [[Coroner|coroner's court]] or [[Crown Court]]. It is also licensed for weddings.

The outer bailey of the castle, which is still surrounded by low earthworks, lies to the north of the castle. Known as Cutts Close, it is now a park. The park has some deep hollows which are remnants of the castle's dried-up [[stew pond]]s (fishponds).<ref name="Oakham Castle">{{Cite web |title=Oakham Castle |work=Rutland On Line |url=http://www.rutnet.co.uk//pp/Gold/viewGold.asp?id=824 |access-date=20 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301001547/http://www.rutnet.co.uk/pp/Gold/viewGold.asp?id=824 |archive-date=1 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A {{sclass2|Castle|corvette|1}} named [[HMS Oakham Castle|HMS ''Oakham Castle'']] was launched in July 1944.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Castle Class Corvettes |work=Battleships-Cruisers |url=http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/castle_class_corvettes.htm |access-date=20 February 2007 |archive-date=14 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061014061342/http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/castle_class_corvettes.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>
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===Oakham's horseshoes===
[[File:Oakham Castle Horseshoes.jpg|thumb|left|Ceremonial horseshoes in Oakham Castle]]
Traditionally, members of [[British royal family|royalty]] and [[Peerage|peers of the realm]] who visited or passed through the town had to pay a forfeit in the form of a [[horseshoe]]. This unique custom has been enforced for over 500 years, but nowadays it only happens on special occasions (such as royal visits), when an outsize ceremonial horseshoe, specially made and decorated, is hung in the great hall of the castle. There are now over 200 of these commemorative shoes on its walls. Not all are dated and some of the earliest (which would doubtless have been ordinary horseshoes given without ceremony by exasperated noblemen) may not have survived. The earliest datable one is an outsize example commemorating a visit by King [[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]] in about 1470. Recent horseshoes commemorate visits by [[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Anne]] (1999), [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince Charles]] (2003) and [[Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy|Princess Alexandra]] (2005).<ref name="Oakham Castle"/> The horseshoes hang with the ends pointing down; while this is generally held to be unlucky, in Rutland this was thought to stop the Devil from sitting in the hollow. The horseshoe motif appears in the county council's arms and on [[Ruddles Brewery|Ruddles beer]] labels.
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===Rutland County Museum===
{{Main|Rutland County Museum}}
The museum is located in the old Riding School of the [[Rutland Yeomanry Cavalry|Rutland Fencible Cavalry]] which was built in 1794–1795.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rutland County Museum |url=https://rutlandcountymuseum.org.uk/ |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-date=3 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103082732/https://rutlandcountymuseum.org.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The museum houses a collection of objects relating to local rural and agricultural life, social history and archaeology.

===Statue of Queen Elizabeth II===
{{Main|Statue of Elizabeth II, Oakham}}
A statue of [[Elizabeth II]] by [[Hywel Pratley]] was unveiled on 21 April 2024, which would have been the 98th birthday of the late Queen. The 7ft (2.1m) tall sculpture on a limestone base was commissioned by the [[Lord Lieutenant of Rutland]] and funded through donations from businesses and members of the public, at the cost of £125,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-68870129|title=Rutland: Hundreds attend Queen Elizabeth II statue unveiling|work=BBC News|first=Jeremy|last=Ball|first2=Asha|last2=Patel|date=21 April 2024|access-date=23 April 2024}}</ref>