His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester visited Rutland
A royal visitor enjoyed a history lesson, visited a church and took a tour of a beer cellar.
His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester was in Rutland yesterday (Thursday, July 6), stopping off at Ryhall, South Luffenham and Ketton.
Having last visited Rutland in 2021, the day began at Ryhall Hall, a Grade II* listed building and private home. There, His Royal Highness was welcomed by chairman of Rutland County Council Andrew Brown, owners of Ryahll Hall Nick and Janine Gilchrist and Ryhall parish councillor Andrew Nebel.
After learning about Ryhall Hall’s medieval, Elizabethan and Jacobean history, His Royal Highness went to St John’s Church with The Rev Jo Saunders and was introduced to wardens Win Peck and Marion Taylor, before hearing about restoration work being led by Dr Sandra McCune.
After St John’s was placed on Historic England’s at-risk register, community fundraising took place and the congregation recently celebrated the completion of a new church roof.
From St John’s Church, His Royal Highness went to the Green Dragon pub in Ryhall, where he toured the vaulted cellar and was introduced to landlords Simon Lambert and Ania Lambert, parish council chairperson Debbie Rolfe, and Rutland county councillor for Ryhall and Casterton, David Wilby.
The visit then moved to CS Ellis, a family-owned and operated logistics and warehousing company in South Luffenham. CS Ellis is celebrating its 90th year in business and is one of Rutland’s largest employers, with about 280 staff and 60 large goods vehicles.
After being introduced to chief executive Charles Ellis, chairman Trevor Ellis and human resources director Hayley Ellis, His Royal Highness viewed a private collection of vehicles, including a 1899 Decauville French vintage car that was the first vehicle registered in Rutland.
The Duke was presented with Multum Gin Parvo, the Rutland gin and roses from Rutland Garden Nursery, both companies being part of the CS Ellis Group.
The visit then moved to Hanson Cement in Ketton, where His Royal Highness was greeted by plant manager Sinan Urhan for a tour that included the plant’s 20-hectare solar farm on previously quarried land. With 38,544 solar panels, it generates about 10 per cent of the cement work’s annual electricity consumption. The tour culminated in a presentation by director of sustainability, Marian Garfield, about Hanson Cement’s environmental work and measures to mitigate against carbon emissions.
His Royal Highness’ visit to Rutland ended at St Mary’s Church in Ketton, where he was invited by the group Ketton Talks to give an evening address on the work of The Red Cross and St John Trust.
Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland Dr Sarah Furness said: “It was an honour to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester back to Rutland.
“This was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the county’s rich heritage, while also highlighting the work of key local employers who make a tremendous contribution to our regional and national economy.
“Rutland is a county with close-knit communities that are steeped in history. Equally, we are fortunate to have some of the UK’s leading businesses, harnessing the very latest technology to support jobs and sustainable growth.
“I’m grateful that the duke was able to see all this first-hand and would like to thank him for his visit.”
