Clipsham

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Clipsham is a small village in Rutland, England, in the East Midlands, near the border with Lincolnshire. It lies in the northeast of the county. The civil parish had a population of 120 in 2001 and 166 in 2011.

Key sights and facts:
- St Mary’s Church is a Grade II* listed building.
- Clipsham Hall, built around 1700, is also Grade II* listed and sits in a landscaped park.
- The Olive Branch pub is one of the few pubs to have a Michelin star and was named Michelin Pub of the Year in 2008.
- Clipsham is famous for its limestone, Clipsham stone, part of the Upper Lincolnshire Limestone Formation. This stone is used in many famous buildings, including King’s College Chapel (Cambridge), the Oxford Examinations Schools, York Minster, and in repairs to the Houses of Parliament. Clipsham stone was first used at Windsor Castle between 1363 and 1368, and the London Stone is made from it, dating back to about 1100.
- The Yew Tree Avenue is a 500-metre-long topiary drive with about 150 yew trees carved into shapes of birds and animals. It used to be cared for by the Forestry Commission, but after 2010 funding stopped and the trees became overgrown and diseased.
- The Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue Trust was set up in 2018 to manage the avenue under a 20-year agreement with the Forestry Commission. In 2024 the trust received a grant of £114,650 to help preserve the trees and restore lost topiary designs.