Lyddington Bede House

About the museum

Lyddington Bede House is the surviving wing of a palace of the Bishops of Lincoln, whose estate here was a convenient stopping place on journeys through their vast diocese. It stands beside the village church in Rutland and keeps many medieval features, including a timbered roof and the first-floor great chamber with its carved Tudor cornice.

After the Reformation the estate passed to the Cecil family. By 1600 Sir Thomas Cecil, son of Lord Burghley, had converted the former palace range into an almshouse for twelve poor men, known as bedesmen, and two women. It was used for this purpose until the 1930s, and the small rooms with their tiny windows and fireplaces still show how the residents lived.

Today the property is cared for by English Heritage. Visitors can see new display panels, a Bible and prayer book used in the almshouse, and audio boxes with letters read aloud from the bedesmen. Two of the rooms are laid out as they might have looked in late Victorian times. The grounds include a small herb garden and a walled garden, and a separately listed garden tower known as the Bishop's Eye stands nearby.

Highlights

• Bedesmen's rooms with tiny windows and fireplaces
• Timbered roof and the bishops' great chamber with a carved Tudor cornice
• Audio boxes with letters read aloud from the former residents
• Recreated late Victorian rooms of a bedesman and a bedeswoman
• Small herb garden and walled garden

Permanent exhibition

• Lyddington Bede House rooms and displays – Almshouse rooms and a bishop's great chamber, with new display panels, a Bible and prayer book used in the almshouse, audio boxes and recreated late Victorian rooms.

Operated by

English Heritage

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free, but English Heritage asks for a donation towards the upkeep of the site.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: not available
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Access for visitors with disabilities is limited to the ground floor and the grounds; there are no ramps or lift, small steps lead into each ground-floor room, and the upper floors are reached by uneven stone and wooden steps. The grounds have compacted gravel paths and smooth grass, and the veranda is accessible but uneven. Visitors must be set down at the site via Blue Coat Lane and the car then taken back to the street, so call in advance. There is no disabled parking, and a bench is in the covered entrance. Assistance dogs are welcome and a water bowl is at the front door. Braille guides, torches and handrails are listed.

Kids & families

Pushchairs can be used on the ground floor only. There are no toilets or baby changing facilities on site.

Getting there & parking

The Bede House is next to the church in Lyddington, 6 miles north of Corby and 1 mile east of the A6003. Satnav postcode LE15 9LZ. Medieval fish ponds can be reached on a pleasant 5 to 10 minute walk through the village.

Amenities & dining

There are no toilets on site. Visitors may picnic on the lawn, but there are no tables or benches.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit