Although it is not within the town of Stamford or indeed
in Lincolnshire, Burghley House is only a mile distant and is closely
linked with it historically. It is one of the largest and grandest
houses of the first Elizabethan age. It is built on the site of
a 12th century monastic house and was erected in the 16th century
by William Cecil, the first Lord Burghley and Lord High Treasurer
to Queen Elizabeth I. His descendants were created Earls of Exeter
in 1605 and Marquesses in 1801 - the present holder of the title
is the 8th Marquess.
This remarkable house, with 240 rooms, was extensively altered by
John, fifth Earl of Exeter, in the 17th century and he established
the immense art collection which is such a feature of Burghley today.
Eighteen state rooms can be visited and show one of the finest collections
of 17th century Italian paintings, a unique collection of Chinese
and Japanese porcelain, fine furniture, rare tapestries and textiles,
renowned silver fireplaces and intricate wood carvings by Grinling
Gibbons. In all there are over 700 works of art in Burghley.
Many rooms contain ceilings painted by Verrio and Laguerre culminating
in Verrio’s masterpiece, the Heaven Room, which is painted
from floor to ceiling. This huge room, considered to be the finest
painted room in England, gives the illusion of being in a mythological
Heaven with gods and goddesses, satyrs and nymphs tumbling from
the ceiling into the very room itself. The effect is quite stunning.
The oldest part of the house is the Great Hall with a splendid hammer-beam
roof and also housing one of the largest silver wine coolers in
the world.
The new Historical Garden of Surprises is a fantastic addition to
the gardens at Burghley. The amazing contents of the Garden of Surprises
are inspired by this Tudor garden and are hidden from the outside
waiting to reveal their surprises to those who enter. The Sculpture
Garden originated from an initiative by the Burghley House Trustees,
who were conscious that only limited garden space was regularly
accessible to visitors. In 1989, Capability Brown’s lost lower
garden was designated to be cleared and planted as a natural setting
in which to place contemporary sculpture.
Burghley is today owned by a private charitable trust set up by
the 6th Marquess and is still a Cecil family home. It is set in
a beautiful deer park that was landscaped by Capability Brown who
also designed and built the Orangery where, nowadays, visitors may
have meals. The house is open from 11 am to 5 pm every day except
Fridays from April until the end of October, except for early September
when the Burghley Three Day Horse Trials takes place. Further details
can be obtained from the Burghley House Manager on 01780 752451.
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