Burghley House - Stamford

One of the trips made this year with our students was to Burghley House - known as "England's Greatest Elizabethan House". Burghley House is located in Stamford which is approximately 15 miles from Peterborough. The easiest way to get to Burghley House is by car - there is a train station in Stamford however, unless you like walking, you will still need to get a taxi from the railway station to the House.

Burghley House was built between 1555 & 1587 by William Cecil - who was the Lord High Treasurer to Elizabeth I. You will hear all about the history of the House and the family in the old "Brewhouse" which has been transformed into a modern visitors centre. It is here that you can see "Ancestors in the Attic" - an audio / visual presentation which is a great introduction to the background history of the House and family.

The first room of the House entered is the kitchen and, wow, what a kitchen! The size of the pots and pans always amazed me as a child and still do and I think the students were stunned when they first saw the kitchen :D

In total there are eighteen State Rooms to view and in each room you will find very knowledgeable and friendly "room guides" who were more than happy to answer any questions asked of them.

Neptune's Grotto

After looking around the State Rooms there is more to see outside. Firstly there is The Garden of Surprises - this is an oasis of flowing water and fountains / ponds and curtains of water. When we went into the GoS the students seemed a little wary of what they should do - so being a little crazy - I handed my bag over and quickly walked through a "curtain of water". After the students finally stopped laughing we were all acting a little crazy and ended up quite wet by the time we left :D There are lots of interesting things to look at and even more interactive things to do and on a hot day this is a fantastic way of cooling down!! And children of all ages - young and those of us who are not so young love the garden!

Vertical Face - Rick Kirby

Burghley House also has a Sculpture Garden, which houses a permanent collection of over 20 sculptures, covering thirteen acres. This landscaped garden is an ideal place for a picnic or just take your time walking around and looking at the contemporary sculptures on show and should you get tired there are benches dotted around for you to rest awhile until you are ready to move on again.






Burghley House has a deer park and on my last visit 

we spotted a stag eating grass close to the House - it gave all of us the opportunity to get up quite close and take photo's. The students thought this was great and were suitably impressed that they could do this and yes lots of pictures were taken!



You will find places to eat - the Orangery Restaurant and the Garden Café  -there is also a gift shop and garden shop, so whether you are looking for a gift or plant for yourself or someone else, you will find it here.  

If you want further information ie: opening times / prices / etc the website is: http://www.burghley.co.uk/

Written by: Andria Owen