Free Time

Events at Burghley for 2015

Rare Japanese ceramic ‘wrestling boys’ rescued from use as a door stop, a garden shed with a difference and the return of a blockbuster summer film festival... It looks like another eclectic and event-packed season at England’s greatest Elizabethan house

Add in new-look South Gardens, summer outdoor concerts by Status Quo plus a night of 80s music as well as the patriotic flag-waving Battle Proms and it’s not hard to see why Burghley House is such favourite with visitors…

Regarded by many as England’s greatest Elizabethan house, Burghley – on the outskirts of the Georgian stone town of Stamford – offers a mix of special events, gardens and free-flow tours of the house with its huge collection of treasures. For 2015, the star attraction for the annual exhibition will be Burghley’s worldfamous collection of Oriental Ceramics, many brought to the house during the 17th century. Among the exhibits will be a Japanese ceramic of two wrestlers from around 1670-85, which spent a while as a doorstop within the house – until its true provenance was re-discovered!

As well as displaying the earliest inventoried Japanese ceramics in the western world, Burghley will also be unveiling a new Garden Shed – not for tools or pots, but for drinks and ice creams! The quirky ‘snack spot’ will offer a quick service alternative to the Garden Café beside the Sculpture Garden and the Garden of Surprises. It is set to be unveiled when the house and gardens re-open on Saturday, 14 March.

In addition, Burghley’s South Gardens will be sporting a new look for 2015 when fountains add some extra interest to this normally private garden, which will open from 14 March to 12 April for seasonal displays of spring bulbs. These South Gardens again host a big screen with the house as a spectacular backdrop when movies return to Burghley for the Film Festival (29 July to 2 August) featuring classic movies, Hollywood blockbusters and children’s favourites. For younger visitors, Horrible Histories-style children’s guides bring history to life with Beastly Boring Burghley, a colourful and comical look at the history of the house, whilst Gruesomely Grubby Gardens will provide a similar view of the gardens for the younger visitor.

Summer will really be rocking in June when Status Quo perform live on stage in the parkland (6 June) followed the next night by a nostalgic line-up of 80s music featuring Bananarama, Midge Ure and Toyah Willcox among others. With something for every musical taste, the annual Battle Proms Concert (4 July) is one of the UK’s premier picnic proms.

Autumn sees the return of the Flower Festival (3-11 October) and the family favourite Pumpkin Trail (17 October – 1 November), whilst the hugely popular Spooky Tours will once again be taking visitors around some of the less visited areas of Burghley during the dark autumnal nights.

For full details of opening times, all events and to book online tickets, visit www.burghley.co.uk or telephone 01780 752451. 

Burghley House
The House and Gardens are open from Saturday, 14 March 2015 until Sunday, 1 November 2015, daily (House closed on Fridays) from 11am until 5pm, with the last admission to either at 4.30pm (House will remain open on Good Friday). The House and Gardens will be closed Thursday, 3 until Sunday, 6 September 2015 for the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. ■ Admission: House and The Gardens of Surprise – adults £13.50; children (3–15 years) £6.70; seniors/students £12; family (2 adults & 3 children) £38.

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