UPPINGHAM GUIDE Independent ideas for your day out

A LITTLE PLANNING. A BETTER DAY.

Things to do in Uppingham for couples

Choose a gallery that sparks a conversation, leave time for lunch and use a short heritage stroll to join the day together. A date here need not be a busy itinerary.

A compact town for art and heritageLyddington requires a confirmed opening date
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Goldmark Gallery on Orange Street in Uppingham
Photo: Richard Kelly
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Plan your visit

Start with the kind of art you enjoy together. Goldmark’s mix of prints, paintings and studio pottery can give you plenty to compare, while The Rutland Gallery offers a smaller contemporary selection on High Street East. Call ahead if you are coming for a particular artist: commercial displays change and not all stock is in the public rooms. One gallery followed by lunch is a better starting point than scheduling every shop as an appointment. After a meal, choose a few heritage-trail stops around the Market Place and neighbouring streets. Look above the modern shopfronts and use the council map to pick out details you would otherwise pass. The parish church can add a quiet interior pause when open; check services and leave anyone worshipping in peace. If the weather turns, return to a confirmed open gallery rather than stretching the walk for its own sake. For a history-led date, make Lyddington Bede House the main visit on a verified opening date and fit Uppingham around it. Its monthly timetable is restrictive and the upper rooms involve stairs, so discuss the route before booking if access matters. The site has no toilet, and the village journey is a separate part of the day rather than another central stop. For a shorter alternative, stay in Uppingham with one gallery and a meal. Confirm your return transport and keep enough time to enjoy the last stop without watching the clock.

FIND YOUR KIND OF DAY

Worth making time for

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Goldmark Gallery on Orange Street in Uppingham
Photo: Richard Kelly
Art, printmaking and studio potteryFree entryIndoor

Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham

Explore a commercial gallery where paintings, prints, sculpture and pots sit at the heart of Uppingham’s art scene. Choose a medium you enjoy and ask what is currently on view. This is a browsing visit with work for sale, not a museum promising the same permanent display every day.

45–75 minutesSuggested visit timePlan a visit →
The Rutland Gallery in its historic Uppingham building
Photo: JOHJOL5
Contemporary painting on High Street EastFree entryIndoor

The Rutland Gallery, Uppingham

Browse contemporary paintings and sculpture in a small independent commercial gallery. Compare a handful of works rather than treating the rooms as a major museum collection. It makes a useful short stop during a town day, particularly for visitors interested in buying or learning about original art.

30–45 minutesSuggested visit timePlan a visit →
Uppingham Market Place and parish church
Photo: Kate Jewell
A market town read through its streetsFree entryOutdoor

Uppingham Heritage Trail

Use the town council’s trail to look beyond shopfronts at the old school, market buildings and changing street names. Twenty mapped points give you choices rather than a compulsory circuit. A short loop from the Market Place is enough to start noticing how the town grew.

45–90 minutesSuggested visit timePlan a visit →
The south porch of St Peter and St Paul Church in Uppingham
Photo: Jonathan Thacker
A quieter pause beside the Market PlaceFree entryIndoor

St Peter and St Paul Church, Uppingham

Step inside the parish church when open to look at its layered architecture and the modern figures of its two patron saints. It gives the main square a different perspective from the shops and galleries. Keep the visit quiet and respect anyone attending worship or using the church for reflection.

20–40 minutesSuggested visit timePlan a visit →
Lyddington Bede House near Uppingham
Photo: Julian Dowse
From a bishop’s palace to almshouse roomsPaid entryMixed

Lyddington Bede House, near Uppingham

Explore the surviving palace wing and the later rooms used by people living in the almshouse. The contrast between a grand upper room and modest domestic spaces gives a small building a substantial story. Make it a planned visit to Lyddington rather than an assumed daily opening on a town walk.

1–1½ hoursSuggested visit timePlan a visit →

PLAN YOUR DAY

Useful things to know

What works for a short date?

One gallery, lunch and a few Market Place trail points give enough variety for a relaxed visit.

Choose a gallery →
Can we add Lyddington spontaneously?

Only if its exact date is open. The current timetable is limited to the second weekend of the month through October.

Plan a separate history visit →
Do both galleries open on bank holidays?

Their regular policies differ: The Rutland Gallery closes, while Goldmark advertises shorter opening. Check directly.

Check opening arrangements →

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