Burghley House in 2004
Burghley House is a grand 16th-century country house near the town of
Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. Its park was laid out by Capability
Brown.
The Lincolnshire county boundary crosses between the town and the house
which, in fact, is located in the ancient Soke of Peterborough, once
regarded as part of Northamptonshire but now ceremonially part of
Cambridgeshire, and is administered as part of the City of Peterborough.
Burghley was built for William Cecil, 1st Lord Burghley, who was Lord High
Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, between 1555 and 1587. It was
subsequently the residence of his descendants, the Earls and Marquesses
of Exeter, and is now owned by a charitable trust established by the
family. The trust is administered by Lady Victoria Leatham, a daughter
of the family and a well-known antiques expert and television
personality.
Burghley House from Jones' Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen
(1829).
The house is one of the principal examples of 16th-century English
architecture and also has a suite of rooms remodelled in the baroque
style. The main part of the House has 35 major rooms on the ground and
first floors. There are more than 80 lesser rooms and numerous halls,
corridors, bathrooms and service areas.
In the 17th century, the open loggias around the ground floor were
enclosed. Although the House was built in the letter E in honour of
Queen Elizabeth, it is now missing its north-west wing. During the
period of the 9th Earl's ownership, and under the guidance of
"Capability" Brown, the south front was raised to alter the roof line,
and the north-west wing was demolished to allow better views of the new
parkland.
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
The avenues in the park were all laid out by Capability Brown, paying due
respect to existing plantings, some of which were from the 16th century
or earlier. Brown also created the park's lake in 1775–80. He discovered
a seam of waterproof "blue" clay on the grounds, and was able to enlarge
the original 9 acre (36,000 m²) pond to the existing 26 acre (105,000
m²) lake. Its clever design gives the impression of looking at a
meandering river. Brown also designed the Lion Bridge at a cost of 1,000
guineas (£1050) in 1778. Originally, Coade-stone lions were used as
ornamentation but these perished, and the existing stone examples, made
by local mason Herbert Gilbert, have been in place since 1844.
Burghley hosts the annual Burghley Horse Trials.
|
