Wing, Rutland


Wing is a small village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population at the 2001 census was 315, reducing marginally to 314 at the 2011 census.

Etymology

Its name first occurs as Wenge in the 12th century, and probably came from Old Norse vengi = "field".

Buildings and structures

The 17th-century houses in Wing were built from stone quarried at nearby Barnack and Clipsham. Many are roofed with Collyweston stone slate.
The church, dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, was much rebuilt in 1875, at which time the spire was removed. Some parts of the building date from Norman times, including the south arcade of about 1150, the slightly later north arcade and the north doorway.
The remaining public house is the King's Arms. The Cuckoo Inn closed in 2004. Its name alluded to a local legend that the people of Wing once tried to keep spring in the village forever by erecting a fence around a cuckoo to stop it from leaving. Naturally, it flew over the fence and away. As a result, people from the village were known as "Wing Fools". This is actually a widespread story, the best-known version probably being one of the adventures of the Wise Men of Gotham. There is a village hall.
has a camping and caravan site with a shop and café.
A treatment plant just outside the village treats water extracted from Rutland Water reservoir a few miles to the north. Proposals by Anglian Water to extend the works, and increase the volume of drinking water extracted from the lake, were strongly opposed by the RSPB on the grounds that fluctuating water levels could potentially damage wildfowl habitats around the lake.

Turf maze

Beside Glaston Road, cut in the turf by the roadside, is a circular "turf maze", is said to date back to medieval times, based on the fact that its design is similar to the pavement maze in Chartres cathedral and other medieval examples.

Notable people