Bumper year ahead at Englands greatest Elizabethan house

Who says that historic houses are dull? Englands greatest Elizabethan house will be offering visitors a chance to again grab the popcorn for a stately movie date, enjoy one of the worlds greatest horse trails and join the Rat Race with one truly irty Wee!end" #n addition families heading to $urghley, on the outs!irts of the %eorgian stone town of &tamford, 'incolnshire, will also be able to discover more about the (%ruesomely %rubby %ardens as well as ($eastly $oring $urghley) *or more than +,, years $urghley - built for Elizabeth #s chief minister William .ecil has wowed visitors and today it offers a pac!ed family day out with a combined tic!et giving access to the /ouse and gardens, the 0udor-inspired %arden of &urprises and the &culpture %arden) While the sweeping par!land surrounding the house is open daily free of charge right through the year - and 0he 1rangery restaurant open Wednesday to &unday during winter - the /ouse and gardens re-open for the new season on &aturday 23 4arch

5,2+) $urghley is all set to offer visitors an event-pac!ed 5,2+, including building on the success of two events staged for the first time last year) $urghleys first outdoor Film Festival proved so successful in 5,26 that it returns with even more smash-hit screenings) *rom 6, 7uly 8 6 9ugust 5,2+ there will be five nights of movie magic beneath the stars - along with family movies during the day - when the pictures:ue &outh %ardens host a $ig &creen with the house as the spectacular bac!drop) While most associate the beautiful par!lands surrounding the Elizabethan house with the annual and hugely popular Burghley Horse Trials each &eptember, for the second year it will transform into the ;World;s $iggest 9ssault .ourse; 8 not for horses, but people) $ac! for one wee!end only the largest assault course on Earth will be assembled within the grounds of one of Englands finest country estates) Dirty Weekend <4ay 5,2+= will feature challenging off-road running, a River Rat Race on the ornamental la!e and a wal!way in the trees followed by an epic 9fter->arty complete with camping and live music stage) 'ast year over ?,,,, competitors too! part) 0his year theyre aiming for around 2,,,,,) *ollowing the launch of new childrens guide (Beastly Boring Burghley, a colourful and comical loo! revealing the grizzly, gruesome and horrible history of the house, this year there will be a new guide to the gardens, Gruesomely Grubby Gardens) &pecial family tours will also bring both the house and gardens to life li!e never before, including the return of popular pooky Tours, ta!ing visitors around some of the less visited areas of $urghley, including the cloisters, cellars and dairy which will all reveal their spoo!y histories) &ummer will bring the 2,th annual Battle !roms "on#ert <3 7uly=, one of the @As premier picnic proms, while autumn will once again feature the Flo$er Festival <+-25 1ctober= and the !umpkin Trail <2B 1ctober - 5nd Covember=) 4ar!ing the 2,,th anniversary of the outbrea! of the *irst World War, $urghley will be remembering this historic milestone by staging its own commemoration of life during the %reat War) (The House at War will feature the story of the /ouse and estate during the

WarD its role as a convalescent hospital for injured soldiers and a home for $elgian refugees) 0he centenary also features in a new adult course for 5,2+) $urghley offers a variety of adult education wor!shops, from watercolour painting to family history, and among the 5,2+ courses will be Elgar and the Great War <5E 4arch= eFploring Elgars music in the war years) *or full details of opening times, events and to boo! online tic!ets, visit www)burghley)co)u! or telephone ,2GB, G35+32)