Great Casterton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Great Casterton | |
  Great Casterton shown within Rutland |
|
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Unitary authority | Rutland |
| Ceremonial county | Rutland |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Stamford |
| Postcode district | PE9 |
| Dialling code | 01780 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| European Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Rutland and Melton |
| List of places: UK • England • Rutland | |
Great Casterton is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located at the crossing of the Roman Ermine Street and the River Gwash.
The village is approximately three miles to the north-west of Stamford and very close to the county border with Lincolnshire (South Kesteven). Just to the north is Tickencote and a Texaco petrol station.
The A1 road which follows the path of Ermine Street, ran through the centre of the village until the construction of the Stamford bypass in 1960 (now B1081).
The earliest recorded settlement was a Roman fort in the year 44 AD. A civilian settlement developed which was later a walled town and the defences are still apparent. Archaeological excavations have been conducted on the town, a villa near the Gwash and burials including early Anglo-Saxons.
The village has both a primary school (Great Casterton Church of England Primary School) and a secondary school (Casterton Business and Enterprise College).
The village church, dedicated to St Peter & St Paul is entered via an arched war memorial remembering both the First and Second world wars. The parish is shared with Tickencote and Little Casterton.
There are two pubs in the village, the Plough Inn and the Crown Inn.
There is a very small nature reserve, Great Casterton Road Banks, to the south of the village containing examples of rare plants such as Sulphur Clover and Greater Broomrape.
