Burghley House from Lion Bridge. N estled in the rolling hills of Lincolnshire, Burghley House is a grand Tudor mansion—widely regarded as ‘England’s greatest Elizabethan house’ . Built between 1555 and 1587 by William Cecil , Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, it served as the backdrop for the cult-classic Pride & Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen—and more recently, as Windsor Castle in The Crown .
Drawing in over 150,000 visitors a year, with its regal State Rooms and ornate gardens, Burghley makes for the perfect day visit from London (just over 90 minutes on the train)—playing host to orchestral concerts, country fairs, gourmet food markets, car rallies, and the world-famous Defender Burghley Horse Trials . But stay at its cozy 10-bedroom cottage, The Dairy , and you can turn this into a weekend of Marquess-like hedonism—filled with champagne afternoon teas, private rose tours, and rounds of golf on its historic 18-hole course. The Dairy Nestled within sweeping 18th-century parklands—home to roaming deer and majestic chestnut trees— The Dairy is Burghley’s 10-bedroom countryside bolthole, chic and cozy, dressed by internationally acclaimed interior design guru Thomas Hamel .
Commissioned by Brownlow Cecil , the 2nd Marquess of Exeter, it was once a breeding site for native shorthorn cattle (like Telemachus , his champion bull), but today; provides a serene Lincolnshire escape, divided into two lavish wings. Waltzing along .
