The Built Heritage

Cottesmore is the largest village in Rutland but this has not always been the case. It enlarged in the late 19^th century but gained its pre-eminence with the advent of the RAF in the late 1930s and subsequent development after the Second World War.  It has continued to expand and the RAF/army camp could be said to dominate the village in geographical and population terms. However the direct impact on the village would appear to be relatively modest with little intrusion on daily life. In terms of historical records of the 16^th and 19^th centuries many of the other villages such as Ashwell, Empingham and Exton were mentioned more frequently.

Of the village itself, like many villages, its physical bearing is dominated by the Church which can be seen from all corners of the village and has a reassuring presence, particularly at night when it is lit up. The Church, St Nicholas, is a grade II* listed building and dates from the 12^th century although much has been added since. Another notable building is the Sun Inn dating from  xxxx .

The village can be described in three major sectors; the core including the church and the pub, the area between Rogues lane and the Army camp, and the development just off the Ashwell Rd. Here we are concentrating on the village core as this is where the historic development has taken place.

Within the village there are 27 listed structures most of which are domestic buildings. Nearly all of them date from the 18^th and 19^th centuries, the major exception being St Nicholas, as mentioned above.  There are also a few notable buildings that are not listed but are thought to be of importance for the village. They are the old Rectory, just behind the Church and the Anchorage on Main Street.