Built / Designed For: Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter
House & Family History: Wothorpe House was built by Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, as a secondary house to his great seat of Burghley House. Wothorpe was mostly demolished by the Cecils because they couldn't afford to maintain two large country houses (an additional encouragement to destroy the House may have been the problem that the poor water system regularly gave people typhoid and cholera). Stone from the destroyed Wothorpe was used by Capability Brown for the Stableblock at Burghley.
Title: Life at Burghley: Restoring One of England's Great Houses
Author: Leatham, Lady Victoria
Year Published: 1992
Reference: pg. 78
Publisher: Boston: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316518468
Book Type: Hardback
House Listed: Ruin
Park Listed: Destroyed
Past Seat / Home of: Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, 17th century.
Current Ownership Type: Unknown
Primary Current Ownership Use: Ruinous
House Open to Public: Ruin
Historic Houses Member: No