History

Red-brick Jacobean mansion in Hertfordshire, built by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, between 1608 and 1611. Its splendours include the black and white marble hall, the carved oak grand staircase, and the 180 feet Long Gallery.

The house stands close to the site of the Old Palace of Elizabeth I, one wing of which survives. The then Princess Elizabeth was sitting under a nearby oak when she heard of her succession to the throne.