Morcott is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the county of
Rutland
Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire.
Its greatest len ...
in the
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Li ...
of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The population at the 2001 census was 329 falling slightly to 321 at the 2011 census. It is located about south-east of the county town of
Oakham on the
A47 and
A6121 roads. A prominent reconstructed windmill can be seen from both East and West-bound approaches to Morcott along the A47.
Rutland County Council designated Morcott a Conservation Area in 1981,
one of 34 conservation areas in Rutland which are "of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance".
Location and setting
Rutland County Council documents describe Morcott as a moderately sized, compact and attractive Rutland village four miles to the east of the nearest town,
Uppingham
Uppingham is a market town in Rutland, England, off the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, 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 ep ...
located in undulating, open countryside, approximately 75 metres above sea level on the north facing slope of a tributary of the
River Chater
The River Chater is a river in the East Midlands of England. It is a tributary of the River Welland, and is about long.
Course
It rises near Whatborough Hill in Leicestershire, and then flows east, past Sauvey Castle and Launde Abbey, befor ...
.
Historical development
The village name is an Old English derivation of "a cottage on the moor". The village is recorded as Morcote in the Domesday survey of 1086 and formed part of the king's manor of Barrowden. The village served the manorial interests of several different ownerships but passed to the Fydell Rowley family in the early 19th century. The
Church of St Mary is the defining landmark in the village and is regarded as the most complete Norman church in Rutland.
The historic origins of the village is associated with agriculture and has resulted in a legacy of good, stone built farmhouses, cottages and outbuildings. Although none of the surviving houses are believed to date from earlier than the 17th century, the style of many of the buildings and the dated examples indicate that Morcott shared in a period of transformation in the 17th and 18th centuries that reflected wider economic prosperity, based on growing demand and improvements in agriculture, notably in crop rotation and the wealth generated by sheep farming, that occurred in large parts of rural middle England at that time.
The historic importance of a number of the buildings within the village is reflected in there being 30 entries on the National Heritage List for England. Outside of the village, but within the parish, the windmill on Barrowden Road is a prominent landmark in views from the conservation area and surrounding countryside.
The defunct
Morcott railway station on the branch line between
Seaton and
Luffenham closed in 1966. The road bridge which carries the High Street over the old railway cutting is a
skew arch
A skew arch (also known as an oblique arch) is a method of construction that enables an arch bridge to span an obstacle at some angle other than a right angle. This results in the faces of the arch not being perpendicular to its abutments and its ...
containing construction features rarely seen.
Buildings of local importance
St Mary the Virgin, the parish church, is a Grade I listed building. The Norman church features a '
pancake
A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a Starch, starch-based batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or fryi ...
' window on the west side, and a north arcade considered to be 'the best example of Norman work in the area'.
In 2014 Rutland County Council cited additional buildings to those statutorily listed, 'as contributing to the character of the village' in the Morcott Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposal.
These additions included a row of estate workers' houses on Fydell Row, a prominent pair of 19th-century farmhouses on the High Street, and the Village Hall - formerly a Baptist chapel rebuilt in 1903 in the Arts and Crafts style.
Morcott Hall was an independent girls' school for 25 years but is now again a private house.
Businesses
Until the early 2000s a Post Office and small shop was open in the village. Once this closed the village was mainly served by the two petrol stations locally, the social enterprise the Barrowden & Wakerley Community Shop,
and local towns Uppingham, Oakham, and Stamford. The nearest cities are
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
to the east, and
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
to the west, both accessible by train from Oakham.
The White Horse Inn (currently (2022) closed) on Stamford Road is an historic coaching inn at the junction of Stamford Road and High Street and forms an attractive entrance to the east end of the village. It housed a plaque to
1982 Grand National
The 1982 Grand National (officially known as '' The Sun'' Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 136th running of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 3 April 1982.
The race ...
winner
Grittar, whose owner Frank Gilman lived in the parish. In the 21st century, changes in licence owners has seen it closed by
Punch Taverns for long periods. A planning application for conversion of the former public house to residential use and the erection of four new dwellings was submitted in 2022.
A long-term closure in the mid 2010s paved the way for redevelopment of the village's
Little Chef, which was also closed even though it supported passing trade from the busy A47, two petrol stations, two garages, and a
Travelodge (British company) hotel; giving the village a new cafe restaurant, th
Country Lounge The former Travelodge now operates as
Redwings Lodge
References
External links
Morcott Village Website
{{authority control
Villages in Rutland
Civil parishes in Rutland