Burghley House is one of the largest and grandest houses of the first Elizabethan Age. Built and mostly designed by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, the 1st Lord Burghley, between 1555 and 1587, the main part of the House has 35 major rooms on the ground and first floors. There are more than 80 lesser rooms and numerous halls, corridors, attics and service areas. The lead roof extends to three quarters of an acre.
Externally, Burghley House has altered very little from the 16th Century construction. Within however, Burghley has gone through great changes over the centuries under its different Cecil masters, with their differing requirements and tastes. These changes to its interior, to its furnishing and to its decoration demonstrate how a great house developed and was used by successive generations over 450 years.
During each century following the building of Burghley, the descendants of the Lord High Treasurer have all contributed to the collections that fill this magnificent house. Visitors today are able to see one of the finest assemblies of 17th century Italian masterpieces, an exceptional collection of Oriental and European ceramics, fine furniture, textiles and works of art grouped together in a magnificent setting that remains a family home.
It is in the House’s magnificent State rooms that the Artists will conceive and display their contemporary works to provide a thought-provoking visual dialogue, experimenting beyond the canvas and conventional boundaries of painting, sculpture and other mediums. This collaborative process presents a unique opportunity for local artists – both established and new artists – to become involved in an ambitious, innovative project, reinvigorating and recontextualising local heritage.
For more information about Burghley please visit the website www.burghley.co.uk