Ashwell is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population of the civil parish was 290 at the 2001 census falling to 269 at the 2011 census. It is located about 3mi north of Oakham.St Mary’s church is mainly of 14th-century origin, but in 1851 it underwent a major restoration by William Butterfield. The Reverend J.W. Adams, who won a Victoria Cross in Afghanistan in 1879, is buried in the churchyard.Aviator Beryl Markham (née Clutterbuck) was born in Westfield House and lived here until her family moved to Kenya when she was four years old.Ashwell Prison, a former Category C prison, is located about 2mi south of the centre of the village but is actually in the parish of Burley. Previously the site was a Second World War US army base, home to part of the 82nd Airborne Division. The prison was closed in March 2011 and has been redeveloped as Oakham Enterprise Park, a business park for office and light industrial use.The previous kennels of the Cottesmore Hunt situated opposite the prison have now been converted to residential use and the hunt kennels are now based at a farm in the parish.
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