NORMANTON CHURCH

Normanton church is what you might class as Instagram fodder. Surrounded on three sides by Rutland Water, in the right light it hardly looks English at all. Sometimes, it almost seems to float. Once upon a time, there was a medieval parish church, dedicated to St Matthew, serving the village of Normanton. In the early 18th century, nasty local aristocrats, the Heathcotes, demolished part of the village to make their estate nicer and took over the church as their private chapel and mausoleum. In the 1760s, the church was given a classical-style makeover. When Rutland Water was planned, it seemed obvious that the church would meet a watery doom. However, thanks to local efforts, it was eventually decided to fill the lower level of the church with rubble and finished with a concrete floor about 2 feet (60cms) above the water level. A causeway was built out to connect the church with dry land defensive works built around it. As well as being an eye-catching watermark, Normanton Church is used as a wedding venue and at one time had a small museum in it, telling the story of Rutland Water from prehistoric times. Access free to view the exterior of the church.