What To Do In The Area

 

We are in south-east Leicestershire, close to the borders with Rutland and Northamptonshire.

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Market towns

Independent retailers, well-known stores, restaurants, tearooms… our local towns have it all. Market Harborough and Uppingham have friendly, bustling high streets where you can eat, drink and shop. Uppingham is famous for its art galleries, while Market Harborough is perhaps best known for the ‘Old Grammar School – a building on ‘stilts’. Stamford, Oakham and Oundle are within easy reach, too.

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Schools

As well as well-respected state schools, independent schools are another key draw of the region, with Uppingham, Oundle, Stamford, Oakham and Leicester Grammar all within easy reach. Rugby and even Stowe are reachable, too.

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​Arts and culture

Nevill Holt Festival takes place in June each year less than a mile from Medbourne at Nevill Holt Hall. The venue has an opera house-cum-theatre seating about 400 created in a 17th-century stable block. Its opera festival has evolved into a multi-arts event, with an eclectic programme of artists, musicians, writers and speakers.

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​History

Rockingham Castle, which ‘celebrates 950 years of living history’, was built on the instruction of William the Conqueror. Lyddington Bede House, an English Heritage property, was by 1600 an alms house for the poor if they were “free of lunacy, leprosy or the French pox”. Leicestershire is also the site of The Battle of Naseby, the decisive battle in the First Civil War in 1645, and The Battle of Bosworth which took place in 1485. Leicester is the location of the King Richard III Visitor Centre.​

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The great outdoors 

Eyebrook Reservoir is a haven for wildlife, but in 1943 was used by Lancaster bombers as a training ground for the famous Second World War ‘Dambusters’ raid. Rutland Water is a great spot for fishing, sailing, cycling and other outdoor pursuits.

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Stately homes

Burghley House (the site of the annual world-famous horse trials in September), Deene Park, Kirby Hall, Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens and Boughton House are all beautiful venues, bringing visitors to the area for events and weddings.

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Engineering and science

Foxton Locks, dating back to 1810, are Britain’s longest, steepest staircase flight of locks. Rising 23 metres up a steep escarpment, they comprise two sets of five locks. Harringworth Viaduct is the longest masonry viaduct in the UK at 1.17km long. It has 82 arches, each with a 12m span. The city of Leicester is home to The National Space Centre.