Our adventures in England wouldn't be complete without seeing a proper Manor house. We headed toward Stamford in Lincolnshire to visit a 16th-century English country house.
The Burghley House is an example of an Elizabethan "prodigy" house. William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, designed and built Burghley House between 1555 and 1587. It is still lived in by the Cecil family. William Cecil and his heirs acquired an extensive collection of Fine Art, especially a collection of Italian Old Master paintings.
Here are just a few of many beautiful rooms we saw:
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| Old Kitchen |
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| Old Kitchen |
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| Black & Yellow Room |
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| Black & Yellow Room |
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| Queen Elizabeth I's Bedroom |
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| The Second George Room |
Fortunately we had a lovely weather day so that we could enjoy the beautiful gardens. The Garden of Surprises was especially fun as there are various water features hidden throughout the landscaped garden. There is also a sculpture garden, a lake and colorful flowers and trees!
Leicester:
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| King Richard III Statue |
We made a day trip to Leicester. Our first stop was the King Richard III Visitor Centre.
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| King Richard III Visitor Centre |
The Visitor Centre offers engaging displays and interactives to tell the story of King Richard III, a "story of medieval murder, mystery and mayhem"!
The Visitor Centre also tells a modern day story about how a parking lot in Leicester became an archaeological dig that led to the discovery of the long-lost remains of King Richard III.
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| Grave of King Richard III |
(See outline of skeleton on left side of the photo above)
The bones were found in the grave under the parking lot. After much research and DNA testing King Richard III's identity was confirmed. His bones have been moved to the nearby Leicester Cathedral.
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| Leicester Cathedral |
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| King Richard III Final Resting Place |
Our last stop in Leicester was the Leicester Guildhall, a 600+ year old timber-framed hall!
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| Leicester Guildhall |
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| The Great Hall |
Great Central Railway / Loughborough Central Station:
The present day Loughborough Central station is a heritage railway located in Loughborough. It opened in 1899 on the Great Central Railway's line to Marylebone station in London.
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| Loughborough Central Station |
The station has been restored to reflect the style of the 1950s. It has appeared in several films and Sir Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman are two actors who have visited.
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| Historic Luggage Scale |
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| Conductors |
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| Diesel Train: Bachmann 31-325A Class 105 Car DMU BR Blue |
Wish we could take a train back home! 🙁 Instead, we're flying back to Texas to plan our next adventures!
"Traveling, it leaves you speechless then turns you into a storyteller." ~ quote by Ibn Battuta