Earlier Houses: The 12th century Wothorpe Priory was located on, or near, the site of the current house.
Built / Designed For: Thomas Cecil, 2nd Baron Burghley and 1st Earl of Exeter
House & Family History: Wothorpe Towers was built by Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, as a secondary house to his great seat of Burghley House. Wothorpe was mostly demolished in the late 18th century 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 poor water, which regularly gave people typhoid and cholera). Stone from the destroyed sections of Wothorpe Towers was used by Capability Brown for construction of 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: Grade I
Park Listed: Not Listed
Past Seat / Home of: Thomas Cecil, 2nd Baron Burghley and 1st Earl of Exeter, 1602-23. George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham (as tenant), 17th century.
Current Ownership Type: Preservation Organization
Primary Current Ownership Use: Ruinous
Ownership Details: Owned by the Wothorpe Towers Preservation Trust
House Open to Public: By Appointment - Limited Opening Times
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.wothorpetowers.co.uk
Historic Houses Member: No