April Showers at Burghley House

Today I woke up and saw that it was pouring rain. While I had expected to see LOTS of rain during my semester in England, we haven't had much because Lincolnshire is experiencing a serious drought. Anyway, I was a bit sad to see the rain because today was our Honors field trip to Burghley House.
Burghley House is a country house (similar to Harlaxton Manor) that was built in 1555 for a nobleman's family. While the architectural style is similar to Harlaxton, the interior was much grander. I really enjoyed seeing the original furniture and beautiful painted ceilings. Burghley House once welcomed Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as guests, and it was also used during the filming of the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside so I'm going to have to find some...

This is the front of Burghley House. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens, but I didn't feel like traipsing through the rain to enjoy them.        
(http://www.bridgemanart.com/Media%20library/IMAGES/NEWS%20AND%20FEATURES/EN-US/ARTIST%20AND%20COLLECTION%20HIGHLIGHTS/CASTLE_123660_FULL%20STORY.JPG)

This is the famous "Hell Staircase." The ceiling and walls depict  many mythological characters and grotesque  images. 
(http://masudhaq.com/photographs/2009/2009_Visiting_UK/files/UK%20%20021.jpg)

In contrast to the hell staircase, I got to see the "Heaven Room." The paintings were continuous between the walls and the ceiling. If you look at the corner of the room in this picture, you can barely tell where the wall ends and the ceiling begins! It was absolutely beautiful.
(http://asset1.homesandproperty.co.uk/handp/media/Heaven-Room-350x300_959.jpg)

After touring the house, my friend and I stopped for afternoon tea in the Orangery. While I'm not a huge tea drinker, I enjoyed a cup of coffee, some tea cakes, and a delicious scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Yum!