Burghley House

Om museet

Burghley House was built between 1555 and 1587 by Sir William Cecil, later Lord Burghley, who served as chief minister to Elizabeth I. It is one of the grandest examples of an Elizabethan "prodigy house", an E-shaped mansion planned to show the status of its owner. Its outline is partly modelled on the royal palace at Richmond, and its skyline of towers, chimneys and cupolas is famous.

Most of the interiors date from remodelling before 1800. The state rooms are lavishly decorated with ornate ceilings and rich furnishings, and the baroque rooms include carvings by Grinling Gibbons. The Cecil family, who became Marquesses of Exeter in 1801, added to the collections over several centuries. They hold several hundred paintings, many bought in Italy in the seventeenth century, including works by Veronese and Luca Giordano, as well as furniture, tapestries and a major collection of Japanese export porcelain.

In the eighteenth century the 9th Earl of Exeter employed the landscape designer Capability Brown to reshape the park. Brown enlarged a small pond into a lake of about 26 acres and the Lion Bridge was added in 1778. The house is listed Grade I and the park is listed Grade II*. Since 1961 the house has been owned by the Burghley House Preservation Trust, a charitable trust set up by the Cecil family, which opens it to visitors from spring to autumn. The estate also holds a sculpture garden, a children's adventure play area and the annual Burghley Horse Trials.

Højdepunkter

• Elizabethan state rooms with ornate ceilings
• Baroque rooms with carvings by Grinling Gibbons
• Italian paintings, including works by Veronese and Luca Giordano
• Japanese export porcelain collection
• Gardens and sculpture garden
• Parkland landscaped by Capability Brown

Ejer

Burghley House Preservation Trust

Entrépriser & rabatter

Advance prices for online booking up to midnight the day before are shown as the standard price; tickets bought on the day cost more. Gift Aid admission adds a voluntary donation of 10 percent. Historic Houses members enter free on arrival with a membership card and ID. Annual passes are available.

Tilgængelighed

• Delvis kørestolsvenlig
• Elevator
• Handicaptoilet
• Handicapparkering
• Servicehunde tilladt
• Taktile tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Rundvisninger på tegnsprog: ingen oplysninger
• Letlæste tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Synstolkning: ingen oplysninger

The state rooms are on the first floor and are reached by a stairlift operated by staff; visitors must be able to transfer to and from it independently or with a companion. Manual wheelchairs can be borrowed for use in the house on a first-come basis. Most of the gardens are accessible, but some surfaces, such as the gravel paths of the sculpture garden, can be difficult. Adventure play has ramps and wheelchair-friendly paths. Accessible toilets are in the Chestnut Courtyard, the Garden Café and the adventure play area. Accessible parking is near the house and garden entrances. Visual stories and sensory bags are available. Mobility scooters cannot be taken upstairs.

Børn og familie

Velegnet til børn og familier

• Familieomvisninger & workshops
• Barnevognsvenlig: findes ikke
• Puslerum
• Legeplads / legehjørne

The Hide and Secrets Adventure Play area suits a range of ages; the main Hidden Towers structure is recommended for ages 4 to 12 and there is a separate area for under-5s. Seasonal trails and craft sessions run in school holidays. Baby changing is available in several toilet blocks. Pushchairs cannot go into the house.

Transport & parkering

Leave the A1 at the exit signposted to Burghley House (B1081) towards Stamford, follow the estate wall, and turn right onto Barnack Road (B1443); the visitor entrance is one mile along on the right. Sat nav postcode PE9 3JU; some sat nav routes lead through closed parkland roads, so use the written directions.

Service & spisesteder

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museumsbutik

The Orangery restaurant, the Garden Café, The Muddy Mole and The Potting Shed serve food and drink. The Courtyard Shop and the Garden Shop sell gifts, and there is a Christmas Shop in season.

Arrangementer & udlejning

• Lokaler til leje
• Private fester
• Firmaarrangementer
• Bryllupper / vielser

Weddings, meetings, corporate events, private dining and team-building days are offered; the events team can be contacted by email.

Planlæg dit besøg