Essendine

Essendine is a village at the eastern end of the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It lies on the West Glen, close by the earthworks of a small castle.

Geology

Most of the village is on Blisworth Limestone or Upper Estuarine Series geology, though the church and castle are on river alluvium. In the parish generally, the soils are shallow and well drained with limestone brash. There is some clay which is naturally rather poorly drained and occasionally waterlogged. It produces the wheat, barley, sugar beet and some potatoes usual in eastern England

Buildings

The small church has a notable Norman tympanum over its south door.

The railway

The village once had a railway station on theEast Coast Main Line. The line and station opened in 1852 and the station closed in 1959. The line is still very busy. The station became the main line terminus of the Stamford to Essendine line, opened in 1856. The Bourne and Essendine Railway, begun at Essendine in 1858, opened on May 16 1860.

On 3 July 1938, Essendine saw the London and North Eastern Railway Class A4 locomotive number 4468 "Mallard" and its train flash past, seconds after it had broken the world speed record for steam traction.

External links

• A photograph of the church The castle earthworks are among the trees.
• Essendine Open directory listing for this village.

References

• Anon. ''British Geological Survey, 1:50 000, Sheet 157, Solid and Drift edn. (1976).
• Anon. Soils England and Wales Scale 1:250 000. Sheet 4. (1983).
• Rhodes, J. Bourne to Essendine (1986) ISBN 0-948017-03-1.