Normanton is a village and civil parish on the eastern shore of

Rutland Water Rutland Water is a reservoir in Rutland, England, east of Rutland's county town, Oakham. It is filled by pumping from the River Nene and River Welland, and provides water to the East Midlands. By surface area it is the largest reservoir in E ...

in the county of

Rutland Rutland 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 and county town. Rutland has a ...

in the

East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (except for North Lincolnshire and North East ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The population remained less than 100 at the 2011 census and was included in the

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Edith Weston Edith Weston is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population of the civil parish was 1,042 at the 2001 census, including Normanton, Rutland, Normanton and increasing to 1,359 at the 2011 cen ...

. Normanton Hall was a seat of the Earls of Ancaster and an important centre of their estates. The stable block of their hall is now Normanton Park hotel. In the 18th century the village was cleared to make a park for the estate of the

Heathcote family Heathcote may refer to: Places in Australia * Heathcote, New South Wales Heathcote is a suburb of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The suburb is located 36 km south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherla ...

with the population mainly re-housed in Empingham. The village's name means 'farm/settlement of the Norwegian

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

'. In the 1970s much of the parish was flooded by the construction of the

reservoir. St Matthew's Church is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

building, built in classical style. The tower and the western portico were built by Thomas Cundy Jr between 1826 and 1829, based on the design of

St John's, Smith Square Smith Square Hall (formerly St John's Smith Square) is a concert hall in the centre of Smith Square, City of Westminster, Westminster, London. Its name was changed by its current operator, Sinfonia Smith Square, in 2024. Originally a church, ...

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, while the nave and apse were constructed in 1911, by J. B. Gridley of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The building was once the private chapel for the Normanton Estate, but it was de-consecrated in 1970, and was to have been demolished as part of the reservoir construction, as its floor was below the proposed water level. Following a public outcry, the lower half was filled with stone and rubble, and a concrete cap constructed just below the level of the windows. An embankment was built around the church leaving it a prominent feature on the water's edge. The structure formerly housed a museum recording the history of Rutland Water, which is now located in the visitor centre. The structure is now used as a venue for civil weddings and concerts. Normanton is the name of a ward of

Rutland County Council Rutland County Council, officially called Rutland County Council District Council, is the Local government in England, local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. Since 1997 the council has been a ...

, returning two councillors. The ward includes

, Empingham, North Luffenham and South Luffenham.

References

External links

'Normanton church opens for weddings' photo gallery
from BBC Radio Leicester Villages in Rutland Civil parishes in Rutland {{Rutland-geo-stub