Five great aspects of Stamford

Built by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer of Queen Elizabeth I between 1555 and 1587, Burghley is one of the grandest surviving houses of the time. The magnificent exterior (pictured) retains its Elizabethan appearance. It is now the home of Miranda Rock who is a director of the Burghley House Preservation Trust and a direct descendant of Cecil.

Founded in 1475 by a wool merchant of the town of the same name, this was established as a home and a house of prayer for ten poor men and two poor women, with a warden and a confrater. In 1870 separate cottages were built around the cloister and the central clock was moved to the elegant tower (pictured). The building famously featured in the film adaptation of George Eliot’s novel, Middlemarch, as Middlemarch Hospital.

One of the best-loved views in Stamford, Barn Hill, with its picturesque cobbles. The street appears to have had relatively distinguished occupants since the later Middle Ages. Number 9 was occupied in the 17th century by Richard Wolph, a wealthy grocer who is said to have befriended Charles I; it later passed to William Stukeley, the antiquary. The high social status of Barn Hill, which was longstanding, is revealed by the quality of the houses, especially Barn Hill House.

The Stamford Assembly Rooms were built on St George’s Square in 1727. Public assemblies became popular across the UK with dance the most important feature. Now the ballroom is the earliest surviving example in Britain. In 1768 the theatre opened but closed in 1871.The buildings fell into decline until 1966 when Mrs Gladys Teesdale suggested that local societies interested in the arts should meet together. In 1972 the buildings were transformed and opened as the new Arts Centre. The theatre reopened in 1978.In 1990, due to a need for extra funding, management of Stamford Arts Centre was taken over by SKDC which organises the staff and resources.

Referred to as ‘A very ancient hostelry, once belonging to the Abbots of Croyland’ historians conclude that The George was possibly standing in 947AD, and was included with much of Stamford Baron in a gift made by Turkotul, chancellor to King Edred, to the Abbey of Croyland. During the 17th and 18th centuries the roads of England became busier than they had ever been before and The George, a hostelry of great renown, was frequented by royalty and nobility. In the heyday of the coaching age the time allowed for the mail coach from London to Stamford was 9 hours and 20 minutes, including changes. Visitors to the hotel will see on their left as they enter a door marked ‘London’ and on their right a doorway marked ‘York’. These two old panelled rooms were the waiting rooms for passengers assembling for their coaches which changed horses in the hotel yard.

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