Wing | |
---|---|
Wing's turf maze | |
Location within Rutland | |
Area | 1.74 sq mi (4.5 km2) [1] |
Population | 315 2001 Census [2] |
• Density | 181/sq mi (70/km2) |
OS grid reference | SK893033 |
• London | 80 mi (130 km) SSE |
Unitary authority | |
Shire county | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | OAKHAM |
Postcode district | LE15 |
Dialling code | 01572 |
Police | Leicestershire |
Fire | Leicestershire |
Ambulance | East Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Wing is a village and civil parish in the East Midlands county of Rutland, England. The population was 315 at the 2001 census and 314 at that of 2011. [3] It features a fine church and a labyrinth made of turf. Rutland Water reservoir is nearby.
The village name, first found as Wenge in the 12th century, probably derives from the Old Norse vengi, meaning field. [4]
Seventeenth-century houses in Wing were built of stone quarried at nearby Barnack and Clipsham. Many are roofed with Collyweston stone slate. [5]
The Church of St Peter and St Paul, Wing [6] was much rebuilt in 1875, when the spire was removed. Some parts date from Norman times, including the south arcade of about 1150, the slightly later north arcade, and the north doorway. [7]
Cut into the turf beside Glaston Road is a circular "turf maze" roughly 40 ft (12 m) in diameter (actually a unicursal labyrinth) It is thought to date back to medieval times, based on the fact that its design is similar to the pavement maze in Chartres cathedral and those at other medieval sites. [8]
The remaining public house is the King's Arms. The name of the Cuckoo Inn, closed in 2004, alluded to a legend that the people of Wing once tried to keep spring in the village forever by erecting a fence around a cuckoo to stop it from leaving. Naturally, it flew over the fence and away. As a result, people from the village were known as "Wing Fools". [5] This is actually a widespread story, the best-known version probably appearing among the adventures the Wise Men of Gotham. There is a village hall. [9]
Wing Hall has a camping and caravan site with a shop and café.
A plant outside Wing treats water extracted from Rutland Water reservoir a few miles to the north. Proposals by Anglian Water to raise the volume of water extracted were opposed by the RSPB, fearing that water-level changes would damage adjacent wildfowl habitats. [10]
Medical, legal and other services can be found in Oakham (6 miles, 10 km).
Wing has one or two daily weekday buses with Oakham. Hourly daytime buses six days a week between Melton Mowbray, Oakham and Corby pass through Manton 1.3 miles (2 km) away. The nearest railway station is at Oakham (6 miles, 10 km), but Corby (11.5 miles, 18.5 km) has hourly services seven days a week to London St Pancras, changing at Kettering (a little over an hour).
Also nearby (1.5 miles, 2.4 km) is the main A6003 road between Kettering and Oakham via Uppingham.
In birth order:
Oakham is the county town of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, 25 miles (40.2 km) east of Leicester, 28 miles (45.1 km) south-east of Nottingham and 23 miles (37.0 km) north west of Peterborough. It had a population of 12,149 in the 2021 census. Oakham is to the west of Rutland Water and in the Vale of Catmose. Its height above sea level ranges from 325 to 400 ft.
Uppingham is a market town in Rutland, England, off the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, 6 miles (10 km) south of the county town, Oakham. It had a population of 4,745 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 4,853 in 2019. It is known for its eponymous public school. With its art galleries Uppingham has become a popular destination for art lovers. Uppingham was named "best place to live in the Midlands in 2022" by The Times newspaper, who commented on the town by calling it "a discerning market town with art, heart and smarts — plus the magnificent Rutland Water".
Langham is a village and civil parish in Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The village is about 2 miles (3 km) north-west of Oakham, on the A606 main road linking Oakham and Melton Mowbray.
North Luffenham is a village in Rutland, in the East Midlands of England. The population of the civil parish at the 2001 census was 704, decreasing to 679 at the 2011 census. It lies to the north of the River Chater, 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Uppingham and 7 miles (11 km) west of Stamford. Located to the north of the village is St George's Barracks, formerly RAF North Luffenham.
Belton-in-Rutland is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population at the 2001 census was 345 increasing to 348 at the 2011 census. It is situated about six miles (9.6 km) southwest of Oakham and about four miles (6.4 km) west of Uppingham and overlooks the A47. The Eye Brook forms the county boundary with Leicestershire.
Manton is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It lies south-west of Rutland Water. The population of the civil parish at the 2001 census was 364, and after including Gunthorpe decreased slightly to 359 at the 2011 census.
Seaton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population of the civil parish was 178 at the 2001 census, including Stoke Dry and Thorpe by Water, increasing to 250 at the 2011 census. Nearby is the large Seaton Viaduct, on the Oakham to Kettering railway line. It is three quarters of a mile long and took four years to build. It has 82 arches which are up to 72 feet (22 m) high. For many years the railway was only used for freight traffic, but a restricted passenger service from Oakham to London via Corby and Kettering was opened in 2010. Seaton railway station, on a different line, closed in 1966.
Martinsthorpe is a civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.
Hilton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Hilton lies approximately 11 miles (18 km) north-west of Cambridge. Hilton is situated within Huntingdonshire, which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county of England. The parish adjoins those of Elsworth, Fenstanton, Hemingford Abbots, Hemingford Grey, Papworth Everard and Papworth St Agnes. The Church of England parish church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene and is a Grade I listed building; it has a peal of six bells. Historically, the village was in Huntingdonshire for over 1,000 years until 1974.
Kettering railway station serves the town of Kettering in Northamptonshire, England. It lies south-west of the town centre, on the Midland Main Line, 71 miles (115 km) north of London St. Pancras.
Historically, a turf maze is a labyrinth made by cutting a convoluted path into a level area of short grass, turf or lawn. Some had names such as Mizmaze, Troy Town, The Walls of Troy, Julian's Bower, or Shepherd's Race. This is the type of maze referred to by William Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream when Titania says:
Great Easton is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. The parish had a population of 558 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 671 at the 2011 census.
Oakham railway station serves the county town of Oakham in Rutland, England. The station is situated almost halfway between Leicester – 27 miles (43 km) to the west – and Peterborough – 25 miles (40 km) eastward on the Syston and Peterborough Railway, the line is the Birmingham to Peterborough Line.
The A606 is an A road in England that starts in West Bridgford, on the outskirts of Nottingham, and heads southeastwards through Leicestershire and the towns of Melton Mowbray and Oakham, terminating at Stamford, Lincolnshire on the former Great North Road.
Swayfield is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 316. It is situated just over 3 miles (5 km) east from the A1 road, 9 miles (14 km) south-east from Grantham and 10 miles (16 km) north from Stamford. It has approximately 138 houses.
The A6003 links Kettering and Corby in Northamptonshire, with Oakham in Rutland, via Leicestershire. The road forms the principal link between Rutland and Northamptonshire.
Loddington is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire. It is on the county boundary with Rutland, and the nearest town is Oakham in Rutland, 6 miles (10 km) to the northeast.
Rutland, archaically Rutlandshire, is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town.
Cold Overton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Knossington and Cold Overton, in the Melton district of Leicestershire, England. It is close to the border with Rutland, and approximately 3 miles (5 km) west from the market and county town of Oakham, and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-west of the A606 road. In 1931 the parish had a population of 133.