Hatewatchhallofshame: Oakham

Showing posts with label Oakham. Show all posts

"It's Illegal to Use a Legal Name"

These strange posters have been appearing across the country. I photographed this one outside Oakham station when I was in the town a couple of weeks ago for the reopening of the castle.

Jon Kelly tries to get to the bottom of the mystery on the BBC News site, but reaches no firm conclusion. You will also a thread about it on Above Top Secret.

There are lots of people out there with strange views, but not many of them have the money to pay for a national billboard campaign.

The mud walls of Oakham

Mud Walls, Oakham, Rutland No comments

In Oakham for the reopening of the castle on Monday, I noticed a couple of mud walls in the town.

I realise it is a niche interest, but you can find more examples on this blog's mud walls label.

Oakham Castle reopens after major restoration project

Archaeology, Oakham, Rutland, Television No comments

I went over to Oakham today for the official reopening of its castle after a £2m restoration project.

The castle grounds and town centre were en fête with more or less Norman attractions.

There is a report on BBC News:

Oakham Castle, in Rutland, has been closed since September to allow for the restoration of the Great Hall and cleaning of the 230 commemorative horseshoes inside.

The ancient defensive walls have also been revealed for the first time in 150 years.

It is one of the oldest surviving secular buildings in the country.

Oakham Castle, which dates back to 1180, was built as a manor house and was later heavily fortified with walls, a moat and a drawbridge but by the 16th Century most of the castle was a ruin.

If you want to know more about the archaeology of the site, there is a helpful episode of Time Team.

To an occasional visitor like me, the revelation of the walls around the site is striking.

Oakham Castle to reopen to the public on Monday 30 May

Oakham, Rutland No comments

The Rutland Times has the news that Oakham Castle will reopen to the public after its restoration on Monday 30 May:

A grand reopening will take place, transporting visitors back to Norman England. There will be demonstrations and chances to have a go at a variety of activities including Norman coin striking, falconry, archery and weaving. Knights on horseback will parade through the town and guided tours of the site will help unlock the castle’s secrets.

I think I may have a go at repressing a Saxon.

Major restoration work at Oakham Castle

Oakham, Rutland No comments

Read more about this project on the Oakham Castle Restoration Project blog.

Lord Bonkers' Diary: An alternative chameleon

Comedy, Golf, Lord Bonkers, Margaret Thatcher, Music, Oakham No comments

Our latest visit to Bonkers Hall ends with an outing to Oakham Zoo.

An alternative chameleon

A sombre day: the moving television brings news of the deaths of both Pierre Boulez and Christy O’Connor Jnr. I am confident that they will go down in the annals of the game as one of the great Ryder Cup pairings.

To cheer myself up, I take a party of particularly Well-Behaved Orphans to Oakham Zoo. The consensus on the charabanc is that we want to see the chameleons.

As is the way with such creatures, they rather blend into the background. I am struck, however, by one that spends its time ranting about how much it hates “Thatcher”. I ask the keeper why it does this. “Oh,” comes the reply, “it’s an alternative chameleon”.

Lord Bonkers was Liberal MP for Rutland South West 1906-10.

Earlier this week in Lord Bonkers' Diary

A shadow cabinet maker

Giving Isis one up the snoot

Andrew Neil's press gang

Corbyn sends for Christopher Robin Milne

Cooking hedgehogs for Nick Clegg