A GRAND ADVENTURE

Miranda Rock welcomes us into Burghley House, one of the most impressive estates in Britain

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Sculpted in honey-hued stone and spanning 115 historic rooms, the 16th-century Burghley House isn't just one of Britain's most breathtaking Elizabethan properties - it is also a home.

Growing up at the magnificent estate on the Lincolnshire-Cambridgeshire border was a huge adventure for Miranda Rock and her younger brother, Richard.

Now, Miranda is the custodian of one of the grandest houses in Britain, one suiting the status of William Cecil, who was Lord High Treasurer and chief adviser to Elizabeth I. It is a spectacular property, as seen here in these photos from a new book, Burghley House, published by Rizzoli.

She spent countless hours as a child exploring its state rooms filled with exotic treasures, part of an exceptional collection of European Baroque works of art, many of them brought back by her favourite ancestor, the 5th Earl of Exeter, from his "shopping trips" in Europe.

AS SEEN ON SCREEN

The Earl, who lived in the second half of the 17th century, probably did more than anyone to enrich the collections at the house. He also commissioned the Italian artist Antonio Verrio to produce the jaw-dropping wall paintings on the Hell Staircase and in the Heaven Room. If the scenes look familiar, it's because they served as a backdrop in the 2005 film Pride & Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley.