Burley House

The scale of Finch's new house is vast, the main block, the corps de logis, is fifteen bays long by seven wide, and fronts an expansive cour d'honneur.

[1] Buckingham's house is said to have been the venue for a banquet for Charles I and Henrietta Maria, when Jeffrey Hudson, the Rutland Dwarf, was produced from a pie.

[c][6] Historic England describes Finch's design as "Baroque in composition"[7] and it consists of a large central block with adjoining wings that flank an entrance court.

[13] On 6 August 1908 a fire broke out at the house, resulting in the destruction of many of the interiors and much of the contents, including some books dating to the Elizabethan period.

At the time the house was let to Freddie Guest, a cousin of the future prime minister Winston Churchill, who was staying at Burley when the fire occurred.

[e][14] The Finches held on to the estate into the late 20th century, the house passing by descent to the Hanbury family, until it was sold in the 1980s to Asil Nadir.

After Nadir's flight to Northern Cyprus following charges of fraud, the estate was bought by Kit Martin, who converted the house into six[dubious – discuss] separate dwellings and undertook enabling development in the grounds.

To the north, the entrance front is partially enclosed as a cour d'honneur by two flanking wings and a colonnade with Tuscan columns that concludes with the western and eastern stables.