The Great Stair and Library, the major part of an 18
th century, Grade I listed mansion house in Burley on the Hill, Rutland, is presented for sale by Jackson-Stops and Staff,
Northampton. The four-storey house, offering 12,000 sq ft of beautifully presented accommodation, has a rich history to rival that of any of the countrys great stately homes.
Construction on the present day house began in 1694 when it was bought by Daniel Finch, 2
nd Earl of Nottingham. The Earl, keen to add his own mark on the historic site, commissioned Gerrard Lanscroon, the great Flemish master who decorated Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace, to decorate the two-storey staircase. The result was an electrifying portrayal of the history of Perseus and Andromeda on the walls and ceiling of The Great Stair. While much of the interior of the mansion house was destroyed by a disastrous fire during a party attended by Sir Winston Churchill in 1908, The Great Stair and Library remained intact and without damage.
In addition to the only surviving State Rooms of the mansion, The Great Stair and Library is today home to a number of iconic rooms including the Green Drawing Room and Red Dining Room. The property has a total of seven bedrooms and six bathrooms of varying sizes. The site, mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, has both Royalist and Republican connections. King James VI of Scotland stayed at Burley on his progression to London to be crowned King James I of England in 1603, while forty years later the estate was taken by Cromwells Roundheads who used it as a garrison for their troops.
Today the site possesses a distinctly more tranquil feel, offering an unrivalled parkland setting looking due south over Rutland Water. In addition to the 67 acres of parkland, gardens and deer park, the owners of the property have access to, and use of, communal areas in the mansion house, including The Tapestry Hall and The Ball Room. The pretty market town of Oakham, with its shops, railway station, restaurants and leisure facilities, lies just two miles away from The Great Stair and Library.
Cities within easy reach include Leicester, and Peterborough, from which regular trains on the East Coast Main Line run to London Kings Cross in under an hour. Guide price
: 2,250,000 For more information on
The Great Stair and Library, please contact Quentin Jackson-Stops at
Jackson-Stops & Staff, Northampton, on +44 (0)1604 632991
