Stapleford Park is now a hotel and an ideal place to stay for those, on the Country House trail in the area, wishing to get a feel for what it is like to live in such a property. This is one of the best.
Thomas Sherard, later Baron Leitrim built the oldest part of the house, a Gothic wing of about 1500. One of his descendants was created Earl of Harborough in 1719. Major additions were made by John Gretton, a brewer, between 1894 and 1898.
Stapleford Park is an extremely elegant country house hotel both inside and out. Queen Victoria's son, Edward, Prince of Wales, liked it so much that he wished to purchase it but was forbidden by his mother from doing so lest his morals might be corrupted by the Leicestershire hunting establishment. They bought Sandringham instead.
Family monuments may be seen in the church of St. Mary Magdalen in the grounds.
Next Stop: Oakham Castle
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