Kristian Mercer

Kristian's Rarefied Regency Tour
Day Ten: Lincolnshire - Burghley House, Stamford

Did I mention that I did a lot of research for this trip? Well, it definitely paid off when planning for our visit to Lincolnshire, for I discovered that several sites had been featured in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice (you know, the one with Matthew Macfadyen). Check out www.visitprideandprejudice.com for more details!

Further research turned up an itinerary on the VisitBritain website, which I excitedly shared with my friends. You can only imagine my delight when we decided that we would spend the day exploring Burghley House, which stood in for Rosings Park, and Stamford, which substituted for the village of Meryton.

Burghley House was built in the 16th century for Sir William Cecil, who served as one of Queen Elizabeth I's most trusted advisors. It remained in the hands of his descendents, the Earls and Marquesses of Exeter, until the mid-20th century, when it passed to a charitable trust. Lady Victoria Leatham, a well-known personality on the British version of Antiques Roadshow, still lives in the house with her family. (For more information, please see the Wikipedia article here.)

The house was fully staffed by volunteers, all of whom were more than willing to share their knowledge with us - as long as we took the time to ask questions! I greatly appreciated their stories, especially those about the family members. Particularly fascinating was Sarah Higgins, the second wife of Henry Cecil, the 1st Marquess of Exeter (1754-1804). Sarah married Henry after he divorced his first wife (oh, the scandal!), but her less-than-elevated origins meant she was never fully accepted by the ton. She was born a farmer's daughter and known by the sobriquet the "Cottage Countess." Hmmm...seeds for a future novel?

With stories like this, in addition to the art, the porcelain, the ornate furniture - well, the house was a nearly overwhelming spectacle. As excerpted from my journal:

The tour started in the kitchen, a huge, open (almost cavernous) space with a vaulted ceiling that looked like it belonged in a church. [Mr. Mercer pointed out how useful that would be, given the amount of heat likely given off by the enormous fireplace.] The skulls for the turtles used to make turtle soup had been mounted on one wall - quite morbid.

From there we passed into the hall where the servants waited to be called. The number of bells, each clearly labeled for an individual room, was just amazing.

The state rooms were magnificent. Elaborate embroideries, porcelain from the East, incredibly detailed marquetry on the cabinets - and everywhere the beautiful paintings that successive lords brought back from their travels and Grand Tours, generally from Italy.

The showstoppers were the rooms painted by Verrio. In the painting entitled "The Wedding of the Gods," Verrio portrayed people he knew - including the cook, who rebuffed his amorous advances. He had his revenge by painting her with six breasts, as if she were a sow, and depicting her lover with the head of an ass. The "Heaven" room was stunning, all the gods and goddesses frolicking, while the "Hell" staircase was appropriately dark and menacing. My friends and I agreed that we'd have to brush up on our classical allusions in order for the either painting to have its full impact!

[Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take any photographs inside Burghley House, but you can view the Heaven Room and the Hell Staircase here.]


We finished our tour with just enough time for a drive through Stamford. Beautiful golden stone buildings, mostly 18th-century - very reminiscent of Bath. Definitely wish I had been able to walk around - would have been such an inspiration.

Oh well - something for my next visit!

Recommended reading: The English Country House, by Mark Girouard
Great Houses of England and Wales, by Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd and Christopher Simon Sykes