Debby Angus is Lady of the Manor of Ridlington and she visited her territory for the first time this weekend.

The Australian artist gained the title after coming across an auction while researching English history and tried her luck with a minimum bid. To her surprise it was accepted and this weekend she visited her Rutland village for the first time.

Debby (54) said: "Ridlington is a beautiful village. When I've thought about rural English villages, Ridlington is the epitome of what I imagined.

"I have been very involved in family history research for the past few years which gradually extended to English history research in general and a couple of trips to England which is the home of my grandparents.

"When the opportunity came about to buy a little bit of English history and a little corner of that beautiful part of England I made an offer for it and very surprisingly found myself lady of the manor."

The Ridlington title was auctioned on behalf of Lord Gainsborough, of Exton Hall, along with those of Barrow, Langham, Brooke, Whitwell, Horn and Preston which were expected to sell for between £5,000 and £7,000. Uppingham was expected to make around £12,500.

Lord Gainsborough met Debby and her friend Margaret Stevenson on Saturday for a tour of the county.

Debby, who lives in the St Ives suburb of Sydney, said: "I put in a bid for the minimum amount and never really expected to win so I was amazed when I received an email telling me the offer had been accepted.

"I started to research Ridlington and it looked so pretty. I wanted to visit to find out more about the village, hopefully meet some of the people and find out if I have any responsibilities for it."

She had hoped her two children Stephanie (26), who is a television producer and stock broker Andrew (23) would be able to join her but they were unable to get time off work so life-long friend Margaret left her farm in New South Wales for a few weeks to join Debby.

They spent four days in London where they shopped, had high tea at Claridge's, visited the Victoria and Albert Museum and enjoyed a cruise on The Thames. They then moved on to Stratford before spending four days in Rutland. They fly home on Sunday.

Debby added: "My children are thrilled to have this connection in England and I would love to be a contact in Sydney for anyone from the village who wants to visit." Even the wet weather hasn't dampened Debby's spirits on her latest trip to England. She said: "It just adds to the English experience."

Debby had been close to visiting Rutland two years ago when staying with friends in Surrey. She visited Burghley Horse Trials and saw a sign to Rutland, making a mental note to come back and visit one day. Just a few months later she found herself taking on the role of Lady of the Manor.

She said: "I love England. We don't have the history in Australia that there is here which makes it so interesting."

Debby was hoping to find time to paint a few Rutland scenes or at least to take plenty of photos home with her to copy.