Lincolnshire’s Burghley house will be offering a first for 2017 – a chance to experience the magnificent Elizabethan home after dark.
New for 2017 will be tours of a floodlit ‘Burghley by Twilight’ when the House will open at night for the first time, offering a new perspective of the Tudor building during a special event from October 4-7.
Great houses like Burghley, on the edge of the Georgian stone town of Stamford, were designed for entertaining and the new four-night event will offer visitors a chance to walk through the State Rooms as darkness begins to fall. From drinks in the candlelit Old Kitchen to live music in the stunning State Rooms, visitors will be able to turn back time and become evening guests to explore a grand historic house at twilight.
Built by William Cecil, Queen Elizabeth I’s chief minister and most trusted adviser, Burghley has hosted countless evenings of entertainment from elegant balls to sumptuous supper parties.
But perhaps the highlight was a three-day visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1844 as guests of the 2nd Marquess – which was so important that it took four years of planning and was even exclusively covered by The Illustrated London News, the Hello magazine of its day.
In addition, a Victorian music box will serenade visitors beneath the striking painted ceiling of the Hell Staircase, while a harpist will be in the Great Hall, with its stunning Tudor fireplace, where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert dined more than 170 years ago.
‘Burghley at Twilight’ will be open 6-8pm each night, and tickets cost £20 per person, which includes a glass of sparkling wine on arrival in the Old Kitchen. During the event, the Orangery Restaurant will also be open serving a set menu, and the Burghley shop will also open especially for the event.
For full details and to book online tickets, visit www.burghley.co.uk or telephone 01780 752451.
The House and Gardens are open until Sunday, 29 October 2017, daily (House closed on Fridays) from 11am until 5pm, with the last admission to either at 4.30pm. The House and Gardens will be closed 31 August until 3 September 2017 for the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. Admission tickets available from £16 per adult and £8 per child, visit the website for more information. The Parkland remains open daily from 8am to 6pm or dusk, if earlier, and is free to enter (apart from special event days).
