Uppingham is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

in Rutland, England, off the A47 between Leicester and

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 ...

, south 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 ...

. 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 ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' newspaper, who commented on the town by calling it "a discerning market town with art, heart and smarts — plus the magnificent Rutland Water".

Toponymy

The name of the town means 'Homestead/village of the Yppingas (upland people)'. It stands on a high ridge near Beaumont Chase, hence "upland".

History

A little over to the north-west at Castle Hill are the earthwork remains of a medieval motte and bailey castle. The town has two active churches; The Church of St Peter and St Paul, a largely 14th-century Church of England parish church and the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

Church on Orange street, built as a Wesleyan Chapel in 1819 and expanded in the 1870s and 1880s. Uppingham

Workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...

was first recorded in 1777 with space for 40 inmates. Until 1834 it was a parish workhouse, but in 1836 the Uppingham Poor Law Union began and a Union workhouse was built in Leicester Road to house 158, to a design by architect

William Donthorne William John Donthorn (1799 – 18 May 1859) was a notable early 19th-century English architect, and one of the founders of what became the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He was born in Swaffham, Norfolk and a pupil of Sir Jeffry ...

. In the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the building was used as an auxiliary hospital staffed by a

Voluntary Aid Detachment The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units we ...

. The workhouse closed in 1929 and the building was taken over by

Uppingham School Uppingham School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils 13-18) in Uppingham, Rutland, England, founded in 1584 by Robert Johnson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, who also established Oakham School. The headma ...

, which uses it as a girls' boarding house called Constables. The Eyebrook Reservoir near Uppingham was used by Avro Lancasters flying from RAF Scampton on the final practice run for

Guy Gibson Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson, (12 August 1918 – 19 September 1944) was a distinguished bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was the first Commanding Officer of No. 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam ...

617 Squadron Number 617 Squadron is a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron, originally based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire and currently based at RAF Marham in Norfolk. It is commonly known as "''The Dambusters''", for its actions during Operation Chastis ...

Dambusters before

Operation Chastise Operation Chastise or commonly known as the Dambusters Raid was an attack on Nazi Germany, German dams carried out on the night of 16/17 May 1943 by No. 617 Squadron RAF, 617 Squadron RAF Bomber Command, later called the Dam Busters, using sp ...

, the attack on the

Ruhr valley The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...

dams on the night of the 16–17 May 1943.

Market

The weekly market is held on Fridays. The Market Place is transformed once a year in November into the only fatstock show still held in temporary penning in a traditional market town. The first recorded show was in 1889. In 2011, 140 sheep, 24 pigs and 20 cattle were entered. The event attracts farmers from the area to exhibit their prize livestock and then toast their acquaintances in ''The Falcon Hotel''.

Governance

The main local authority is Rutland County Council, which is responsible for most local services. Uppingham ward, which includes the neighbouring parish of Beaumont Chase, has three councillors out of a total of 27 on the county council. Uppingham Town Council, based at Uppingham Town Hall, is responsible for services such as allotments, cemeteries and open spaces. Its 15 councillors include a Mayor, currently (2022) Councillor Liz Clarke.

Uppingham Rural District Uppingham was a rural district in Rutland, England from 1894 to 1974, covering the south-west of the county. The rural district was formed by the Local Government Act 1894 from the part of the Uppingham rural sanitary district in Rutland. At ...

was a local government area from 1894 to 1974.

Education

State schooling in Uppingham is covered by a state secondary school, Uppingham Community College, and two primary schools: Leighfield and Uppingham

C of E The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

. A proposal to replace the primaries with a newly built school was rejected in 2007.

is an independent school for boarders aged 13 to 18, founded in 1584, charging fees and mainly for boys. Girls have been admitted since 1975.

Art

Uppingham has several independent and internationally renowned art galleries. The Goldmark Gallery has been selling art from their Uppingham gallery for over 40 years and hold over 50,000 items in stock.

Transport

Rail

The nearest railway station is

– north – on the cross-country line between

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

, Leicester and

. Alternatively,

Corby Corby is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, the built-up ...

station south on the Oakham branch of the

Midland Main Line The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Nottingham and Sheffield in the Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield in the East Midlands ...

provides frequent services to London. Uppingham railway station, at the end of a branch line from Seaton, was opened in 1894 and was located at the end of Queen Street. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1960 and the line closed completely in 1964. The station area has now been redeveloped as an industrial estate. Although the operational railway line runs closest to Uppingham at Manton Junction, it has no station.

Roads

An east-west A47 bypass opened in June 1982, providing a link to

and Leicester. The A6003 runs through the town and links Uppingham with

and

Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...

Buses

Centrebus operates the majority of bus services. The main routes link the town with

, Leicester (via the 747 Uppingham–Leicester),

and Stamford.

Sport

Uppingham plays host to a number of different sports; in particular football, where Uppingham Town F.C play their games at Tod's Piece. Uppingham Town Cricket Club's new ground opened in 2011. Uppingham School's new sports centre was opened by Lord Coe in 2010.

Town Partnership

'Uppingham Town Partnership events' is a not-for-profit community group with the support of the Town Council and Rutland County Council, dedicated to ensuring the town is a great place to live, work and play. Its volunteers organise annual events including "Uppingham Feast Day" (a live music festival with street entertainment, food and drink) held in June and Christmas in Uppingham (a festive celebration with late night shopping in the local shops, visiting market-stalls and yuletide street entertainment). The group of volunteers also supports and raises funds for other events such "Uppingham Films" which screens movies in the Town Hall, and supports 'Uppingham in Bloom' which has become a multiple gold-medal winner with

Britain in Bloom Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. It is not to be confused with Uppingham First, which is an unelected business partnership.

References

External links

Uppingham SchoolUppingham Community CollegeLeighfield SchoolUppingham Church of England Primary SchoolUppingham Town CouncilUppingham Town PartnershipChristmas in UppinghamUppingham FilmsUppingham in BloomLove UppinghamUppingham Town Council
{{Authority control Market towns in Rutland Towns in Rutland Civil parishes in Rutland