Burghley House, Cambridgeshire
The Black & Yellow bedroom
Burghley House is a grand 16th-century English country house near Stamford on the Cambrigeshire/Lincolnshire border, built by William Cecil. The estate features magnificent State Rooms, art collections and grounds designed by Capability Brown.
William Cecil (later the 1st Baron Burghley) began building the house as a demonstration of his wealth and power and to establish a dynastic family seat, contruction began in 1555 and the house mostly comple by 1587. He was heavily involved in its design, which was intended to impress the Queen (Elizabeth I) and her court.
While the exterior largely retains its original Elizabethan look, the interiors were extensively remodeled in the Baroque style by the 5th Earl of Exeter in the late 17th century. This included commissioning the famous "Heaven Room" and "Hell Staircase" ceiling paintings by the Italian artist Antonio Verrio.
In the 18th century, the renowned landscape architect Lancelot 'Capability' Brown was employed by the 9th Earl to redesign the gardens and parkland. Brown created the sweeping vistas, the lake, and the Lion Bridge, even altering the house's structure to enhance the views.
The 6th Marquess of Exeter, a gold-medal-winning Olympic athlete immortalized in the film Chariots of Fire, oversaw significant modernization of the house, including the introduction of electricity. In 1961, he established the Burghley House Preservation Trust, a charitable trust that now owns and maintains the house, its contents, and the surrounding estate for the public's enjoyment.
Burghley House, Cambridgeshire
The Black & Yellow bedroom
Burghley House is a grand 16th-century English country house near Stamford on the Cambrigeshire/Lincolnshire border, built by William Cecil. The estate features magnificent State Rooms, art collections and grounds designed by Capability Brown.
William Cecil (later the 1st Baron Burghley) began building the house as a demonstration of his wealth and power and to establish a dynastic family seat, contruction began in 1555 and the house mostly comple by 1587. He was heavily involved in its design, which was intended to impress the Queen (Elizabeth I) and her court.
While the exterior largely retains its original Elizabethan look, the interiors were extensively remodeled in the Baroque style by the 5th Earl of Exeter in the late 17th century. This included commissioning the famous "Heaven Room" and "Hell Staircase" ceiling paintings by the Italian artist Antonio Verrio.
In the 18th century, the renowned landscape architect Lancelot 'Capability' Brown was employed by the 9th Earl to redesign the gardens and parkland. Brown created the sweeping vistas, the lake, and the Lion Bridge, even altering the house's structure to enhance the views.
The 6th Marquess of Exeter, a gold-medal-winning Olympic athlete immortalized in the film Chariots of Fire, oversaw significant modernization of the house, including the introduction of electricity. In 1961, he established the Burghley House Preservation Trust, a charitable trust that now owns and maintains the house, its contents, and the surrounding estate for the public's enjoyment.