Catmose House is a municipal facility in Catmose Street in

Oakham Oakham is a market town and civil parish in Rutland (of which it is the county town) in the East Midlands of England. The town is located east of Leicester, southeast of Nottingham and northwest of Peterborough. It had a population of 12,14 ...

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 ...

, England. The house, which is the headquarters 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 ...

, is a Grade II

listed building 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, Hi ...

History

The house was designed as a hunting lodge known as Catmose Lodge and was completed in 1781. It became the home of Sir Gerard Noel Edwards, MP for

in the early 19th century. It passed to Edwards' son Charles Noel, 1st Earl of Gainsborough in 1838 and then to Edwards' grandson, the Rt Hon Gerard James Noel, also MP for Rutland, in 1866. Gerard Noel substantially rebuilt the house laid out the gardens as well, in the 1870s. Catmose House from east

The original main elevation faced north-east and comprised a symmetrical frontage of nine bays; there were round-headed windows on the ground floor and square windows on the first floor with a

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

containing a clock above. As part of the 1870s remodelling, a new main frontage facing south-east was added, including the main door through a stone porch with an arched entrance; there was a

balustrade A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

above the porch and a window on the first floor. In 1936, following a debate,

chose by 18 votes to 6 votes to leave their previous facilities at

Oakham Castle Oakham Castle is a historic building in Oakham, Rutland. The castle is known for its collection of massive horseshoes and is also recognised as one of the best examples of domestic Norman architecture in England. It is a Grade I listed buildin ...

and to acquire Catmose House for use as their new headquarters. Changes were made to the property including the installation of a council chamber in a room with a marble fireplace and the conversion of part of the garden into a car park. After implementation of the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, when Rutland was reconstituted as a district of Leicestershire, it became the local district headquarters. Then, following the re-incarnation of Rutland County Council in April 1997, it became the headquarters of the new

unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

. A large extension was built to the north of the house. When the police station in Station Road was closed, a local police enquiry desk opened in January 2015 in the reception area but this closed in 2020 during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The old police station was sold in 2016. Works of art in the building include a painting by Dorothy Snowdon (1921–2014) depicting an

osprey The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It ...

Notes

References

{{reflist Grade II listed buildings in Rutland County halls in England Government buildings completed in 1781 Oakham