Whissendine 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 authorit ...
in
Rutland,
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 ...
, north-west of the county town,
Oakham
Oakham is the county town of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, east of Leicester, south-east of Nottingham and west of Peterborough. It had a population of 10,922 in the 2011 census, estimated at 11,191 in 2019. Oakham is to the west o ...
. The population at the 2001 census was 1,189, increasing to 1,253 at the 2011 census.
The village's name either means 'valley of Hwicce' or 'valley of the people of Hwicci'. Alternatively, perhaps 'valley of the
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
s'.
It has a
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
, The White Lion; a
Church of England parish church and a working
windmill
A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...
. The Methodist chapel closed in 2009, the last service being held on 30 August.
Whissendine Windmill was built in 1809 and returned to milling in September 2006. The windmill is a
Grade II* listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
and is said to be the tallest stone windmill in the country.
St Andrew's Church, Whissendine was built in the 13th century and has a 14th-century tower.
The screen to the
Lady Chapel
A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as ...
was brought here from the old chapel of
St John's College, Cambridge during the 1870 restoration by
George Gilbert Scott.
[ St Andrew's is a ]Grade I listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.[
Whissendine Church of England Primary School is in the middle of the village.
The ]Village Hall
A village hall is a public building in a village used for various things such as:
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building which contains at least one large room (plus kitchen and toilets), is owned by a local ...
hosts many events throughout the year including antiques
An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...
fairs and the village pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
. Each year in late June, the village hosts a "feast week", an ancient custom from the Middle Ages that has been reintroduced and entails a week of activities for the community. This includes a 6-mile run, a UK Athletics licensed race, the Feast week extravaganza, the knockout and the fete on the green.
The village also has a sports club that has a cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
team, football pitch, tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
club, archery club and a bowling green.
The pasture called The Banks is still let by ancient custom. This involves a candle in which a pin is stuck is lit and the last bidder before the pin falls is entitled to rent The Banks for the ensuing year.
The village had a scout troop up until 2010 and a cub pack until 2012.
The village is on the Rutland Round, the circular walk around Britain's smallest county.
In 2019, the parish was the location of an unlicensed rave reported to have been attended by 700 people.
Local figures
Edward Horne (1835 – 1908), clergyman and cricketer, died at Whissendine. He was vicar from 1864 until he retired in 1906; he remained in the village and died there two years later.
Richard Kettle (1813 - 1915), born in Whissendine, was an early farming pioneer in Helidon, Queensland
Helidon is a rural town and locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Helidon had a population of 1,059 people.
Helidon is known in Queensland for its high quality sandstone (also called freestone), u ...
, Australia, with his family. His family may have emigrated to Australia when, after the death of Lord Harborough, the estate, with the village, was split up in 1861 and the tenants had the opportunity to buy their farms and cottages.
Horace Snary (1897 – 1966) played first-class cricket for Leicestershire between 1921 and 1933. He was born and died at Whissendine.
British photo colouriser and artist Tom Marshall grew up in the village.
In popular culture
"Whissendine" is the title of a song by the band Crippled Black Phoenix
See also
* Whissendine Brook
References
Further reading
*
External links
Whissendine Village website
{{authority control
Villages in Rutland
Civil parishes in Rutland