This is one of a series of detailed reviews I have written about Burghley House.
The final room visited is the Tudor GREAT HALL on the ground floor,. This is one of the best examples of a Tudor hall with its massive stone fireplace and hammer beam ceiling. Across one end is a minstrel’s gallery. This was the great banqueting hall and was used again during the visit of Queen Victoria. It is now used for social events and as a wedding venue.
The bookcases were added in the C19th and contain books from the library of the 5th Earl which was dismantled during alterations carried out by Lancelot Brown.
Below the minstrel’s gallery are large cabinets displaying C17th and C18th china.
Alcoves in the walls have decorative plaster ceilings and blue and white Japanese style tiles forming a panel below them.
The large windows contain pieces of medieval stained glass.
The corridor leading from the Great Hall is referred to as the OLYMPIC CORRIDOR and celebrates the athletic career of the 6th Marquis including the Gold and Silver medals he won at the 1928 and 1932 Olympic Games. The tour passes the entrance to the Orangery Restaurant into the courtyard.
