Oft-forgotten Rutland, England’s smallest county, is a ‘Notswold’ haven deserving of more attention says Nicola Venning.
If your idea of rural bliss a Georgian gem in a village of honey-coloured stone surrounded by unspoilt countryside? We’re not talking about the Cotswolds, rather the East Midlands secret that is Rutland. This area of gentle rolling hills, where, as Bach may have said, ‘sheep may safely graze’, is England’s smallest county. You could drive past on the A1 and barely know you had done so, which perhaps explains why it is so bafflingly overlooked. Yet it deserves attention.
Rutland (and some of the bordering ‘Notswolds’ counties of Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire) have the same mellow, creamy limestone as the Cotswolds and boast beguiling market towns and villages that are every bit as attractive, but without the tourists or hefty prices. If you wish to buy a coveted rectory or converted farmhouse, you will be spoilt for choice. ‘Rutland has never been very trendy, whereas the Cotswolds has, so the area retains excellent value,’ says Tom Wilson, a director at King West.
Nick Leeming, chairman of Jackson-Stops, agrees. ‘Rutland may be the smallest county in the UK, but it is well located with beautiful countryside, historic market towns, public schools and Rutland Water,’ he says.
‘With good rail links to London and limestone villages, it has all the ambience of the Cotswolds without the price tag.’ The average property price in Rutland is £446,892 (according to Savills, using Experian data). In the Cotswolds, the average is £640,422.
Cottesmore Grange is a handsome six-bedroom Georgian property at Cottesmore near Oakham. £2.85m via Savills.
One of the most desirable spots is Rutland Water, one of the largest manmade lakes in Europe, and its surrounds, which draws people for everything from birdwatching (ospreys breed here) to swimming, hiking, sailing and cycling, as well as some of the best hunting. Nearby are the stone and thatch villages of Manton (with the popular Rutland Nursery on its doorstep), Edith Weston and extremely desired Hambleton, which sits in rural bliss on its own peninsula.
There are waterfront walks, a cosy pub and elegant Hambleton Hall Hotel, with an excellent view over the water and an equally excellent restaurant, which has held a Michelin star for more than 40 years. A classic Georgian vicarage here starts from roughly £1 million.
Buyers tend to be well-heeled locals, as well as professional families from London and the Home Counties attracted by the good commuting links. The proportion of Londoners buying in Rutland has increased from 3.6% before the pandemic to 5.5%, according to Savills. Trains to London King’s Cross run from Oakham or Stamford via Peterborough, taking about 1½ hours, or direct from Corby to St Pancras (about 1¼ hours). ‘There is also a really helpful route, on the Midlands CrossCountry line, from Birmingham airport through Oakham to Cambridge and Stansted airport,’ says James Abbott, head of the residential department at Savills based in Stamford.
In particular, Uppingham and Oakham public schools are ‘a big draw,’ he adds, as well as Ofsted ‘outstanding’ state schools, such as Harington School sixth form and Catmose College, both in Oakham. This county town bustles with useful shops, a handsome market square and a train station; Uppingham, which is a little smaller and more quaint, has a slightly arty feel, with antique shops and boutiques.
Charming villages include nearby Exton, close to the Barnsdale Hotel with its popular restaurant, or Barrowden and Lyddington. All three boast mellow stone buildings, a green and that most important of amenities, a gastro pub. Three/four-bedroom cottages in these villages range between £500,000 and £750,000.
This charming 18th-century Grade II-listed cottage in Bull Lane at Ketton — three miles from Stamford — was once the village bakery. It offers three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a granary office and a studio annex at just £480,000 via Savills.
Most people are drawn by ‘the quality of life,’ says Mr Abbott, and Rutland manages to be peaceful, as well as offering variety. An Arts and music festival has developed from the regular opera programme held at Nevill Holt Hall (in neighbouring Leicestershire); the inaugural festival was held in June this year, on the estate owned by Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross.
Sports enthusiasts can enjoy golf or on-trend padel tennis at Woolfox, a new members club outside Stamford, with its pool, gym, yoga glasses and Tarka kids exercise club, as well as the Scandi-esque Woolfox café. Larch-clad, high-end holiday homes are being built by the golf course. These boast airy rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows through which herds of deer or golfers can be seen; prices start from £1.8 million.
A Georgian three/four-bedroom townhouse in the centre of Stamford (in Lincolnshire, strictly speaking) ranges between £750,000 and £1 million. The former wool town’s stone splendour is matched by the range and quality of shops and restaurants: everything from antique emporiums to excellent local butchers can be found here, as well as imposing Burghley House, home of the Cecil family and the Burghley Horse Trials.
Multum in parvo — or ‘much in a small space’ — is Rutland’s motto. Rarely has a motto been more true.
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