CHRISTMAS GATHERING
AT GUNTHORPE HALL, NEAR OAKHAM, RUTLAND.
SUNDAY 1ST DECEMBER 2024
By kind permission of Tim and Annie Haywood
A wonderful setting for our 2024 Christmas Gathering.
Mr. Dixon, a hunting enthusiast, pulled down the original Georgian farmhouse in 1904 (no planning laws!) and over the next three years, built the present house, two cottages, three bungalows and two extensive stable yards. He sold it on to Mr. Sam Watt, also very keen on his hunting.
Corker Haywood’s grandfather J.B.A. Kessler bought it in 1939 for his wife, Mrs. Ann Kessler and their six children. Also, terrifically keen on their hunting. Obviously, the location was ideal for this. Mrs. Kessler moved to Preston, a village close by, and in 1954 the house was given to their eldest daughter Ann and her husband Tom Haywood. They lived there till their deaths in 2004 and 2002 respectively.
Since then, their grandson, Tim Haywood, has “modernised” this wonderful house to the highest standard. A truly amazing property! The house is approached by a long front drive and has fantastic views over the Gwash Valley, at the head of Rutland Water.
