Stapleford Park

Landmarks

• Burghley House

  Burghley House is the largest and grandest house of the Elizabethan age which is still privately owned but also open to the public. Capability Brown landscaped the magnificent grounds, including the deer park, and the house contains one of the finest private collections of seventeenth century Italian paintings. Between 1924 and 1933 Lord Burghley earned an international reputation as a hurdler, His achievements were featured in the film 'Chariots of Fire' and the Olympic medals and countless other trophies are on display in the house.

• Chatsworth House

  The long driveway up to Chatsworth is breathtaking with ornate stone bridges and rolling fields. Chatsworth was built between 1687 and 1707 for the 1st Duke of Devonshire and is still lived in by the family today. The house contains a fine collection of paintings, drawings, books and furniture and the gardens are famous for their elaborate fountains and waterfalls.

• Clumber Park

  Clumber Park boasts 3,800 acres of forest, countryside and landscaped parkland. Once home to the Dukes of Newcastle it has the longest double lime tree avenue in Europe, a fine Gothic Revival Chapel and an 80 acre lake. There is also a walled garden, vinery, fig house, orchard and Victorian apiary.

• Deene Park

  Deene Park has limited opening times but is well worth a visit if possible. The house was the seat of the Earls of Cardigan, the most famous of whom was the hero of the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854. The house is lived in today by the Brudenell family where paintings and artifacts decorate the elegant rooms. The gardens are beautifully kept and there is a lake in the extensive parkland.

• The Donington Park Grand Prix Collection

  This collection of Grand Prix cars spanning the lifetime of the sport is widely regarded as one of the best available in Britain. Its owner, Tom Wheatcroft, has built the collection up over many years and it is housed in a purpose made building at the site of the Donington Race Circuit. Now much modernised, the Donington Circuit was originally one of the grand parkland Grand Prix circuits built in the 1920s, with its heyday in the pre war years. For the motoring enthusiast this visit is very worthwhile.

• Grimsthorpe Castle

  The house boasts an extensive collection of fine works of art and the interior designer John Fowler (Colefax & Fowler) worked on many of the rooms in the 1950s which are still visible today. This medieval castle is set on a 13,000 acre estate including a 40 acre lake, Tudor gardens and woodland.

• Hardwick Hall

  Hardwick Hall is a late 16th century 'prodigy house', now owned by the National Trust. The house is often referred to as "more of a window than a wall" because of its proportions and contains an outstanding collection of furniture and needlework. Magnificent walled courtyards enclose orchards and a herb garden and the historic parkland is home to rare sheep and cattle.

• Harlaxton Manor

  Harlaxton Manor, which is built in Ancaster Stone, is a mixture of Baroque style architecture and the impact is dramatic and unforgettable. The house is situated in the Vale of Belvoir, and has very impressive gardens. Although the gardens are open to the public, the house is not. The formal gardens encompass French, Italian and Dutch styles and the ornate 6.5 acre walled garden houses a large collection of rare plants. There is also a half-mile nature trail in the surrounding woods. These gardens are open to the public 11am - 5pm Tuesday through to Sunday, April to October.

• Kedleston Hall

  Home to the Curzon family, this Palladian mansion is now owned by the National Trust There is a large collection of Indian artifacts dating back to the Raj when Lord Curzon was Viceroy of India between 1899 and 1905.

• Melton Mowbray

  Dating back to 1077 and still held every Tuesday and Saturday, Melton Mowbray has one of the oldest street markets in the country. The town is famous for being the home of pork pies and the surrounding villages are renowned for their Stilton cheese dairies. The town has a colourful history which includes the origins of the phrase 'painting the town red' when in 1837 the Marquis of Waterford and his friends decorated the town with red paint. The Carnegie Museum in Melton has displays on both foxhunting and the history of Stilton and pork pies.

• Newstead Abbey

  Newstead Abbey is situated in beautiful parkland and was the home of the poet Lord Byron. It was originally built as a priory and was converted into a family house in the 16th century. The cloisters and medieval secret garden helped to inspire the ghostly legends with which Byron's works are associated.

• Oakham

  Oakham has managed to retain much of its original charm and the Market Square fills with little stalls every Wednesday and Saturday. There are a number of antique shops as well as a magnificent fine art shop selling highly collectable works of art. Oakham's most famous character was Jeffrey Hudson, a tiny dwarf measuring only 18" high, who was put in a pie which was presented to King Charles I in 1628. Oakham Castle - Famous for its collection of horse shoes gathered from visiting nobility including members of the Royal family, and also for the Court which has been held, since medieval times, every Monday.

• Rockingham Castle

  Rockingham Castle is situated near Corby and is steeped in over 900 years of history. It houses an educational and enlightening exhibition on the Normans, the Tudors, the Civil War and the Victorian Era. Special events at Rockingham include open-air performances and re-enactments of the Siege of Rockingham between the Cavaliers and the Roundheads. The castle's remarkable hill top location provides fine views over five counties.

• Rutland Water

  Set in 3,100 acres of beautiful countryside, Rutland Water is Europe's largest man made lake. Water sports such as wind surfing, sailing, canoeing and fly-fishing are available and cycling and walking are also popular. The circuit around the reservoir is 25 miles and there are a number of good pubs en route where you can relax. It is also possible to take a cruise on a paddle steamer called the Rutland Belle and enjoy the scenery. There is a Butterfly and Aquatic Centre at Rutland Water where butterflies fly freely in the tropical heat of the garden and a multitude of fish can be seen in the streams, rivers and reservoir displays. Since the creation of the reservoir twenty years ago the nature reserve has become an important wildlife sanctuary. Over 250 species of birds have been counted here and wildfowl numbers can exceed 20,000 in the winter - you may even be lucky enough to catch sight of an Osprey.

• Sudbury Hall

  This beautiful house was built to an outdated Jacobean plan and is full of idiosyncrasies There is a stunning carved staircase and intricate wood carvings by Grinling Gibbons. The house was featured in the BBC production of 'Pride and Prejudice' as the setting for Pemberley, Mr Darcy's home.

• Burrough on the Hill

  During the Iron Age the Coritani built a fort, the ramparts of which can still be seen today. Burrough House has five acres of beautifully manicured gardens and the thatched Bower House set in the grounds is where Edward and Mrs Simpson met in the 1930s.