0:00:03 > 0:00:10'What do you have to do when a Queen decides to pop in to see you? And not just any old Queen - Victoria!
0:00:10 > 0:00:12'Like a pair of obsessed Victoria groupies,
0:00:12 > 0:00:17'we're pursuing her around the country to the posh pads she visited.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22'We'll be delving into her personal diaries to reveal what happened behind closed doors.'
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Welcome to Lincolnshire.
0:00:26 > 0:00:33Our journey today in the footsteps of Queen Victoria has brought us to the magnificent Burghley House.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38'And as someone who has spent a lifetime getting excited by antiques,
0:00:38 > 0:00:44'I'll be upstairs exploring what would have excited the Queen on her visit here.'
0:00:44 > 0:00:51On Victoria's bed is a pair of doves billing and cooing and we all know where that leads!
0:00:51 > 0:00:56'I'll be downstairs leafing through some extraordinary mementos of her stay.'
0:00:56 > 0:00:59- And there is Victoria's signature. - How magnificent!
0:00:59 > 0:01:03'As a chef passionate about food...' I love the smell.
0:01:03 > 0:01:09'..I'll be in the kitchen rediscovering a 19th century recipe made in honour of Victoria's stay.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11'And teasing Tim's sweet tooth!'
0:01:11 > 0:01:14- Can I have quite a big bit?- No. - You're such a meanie!
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Burghley House was built in 1555,
0:01:22 > 0:01:27not in Victoria's era, but during the reign of an earlier Queen.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31Queen Rosemary... Sorry, Queen Elizabeth I.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Ah, yes. But we're interested
0:01:33 > 0:01:37in what happened here in 1844 when Victoria came to stay.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Victoria and Albert stayed here for four days,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45travelling by train from London to Weedon near Northampton
0:01:45 > 0:01:48before a five-hour coach journey to Burghley.
0:01:48 > 0:01:54They were here by invitation of the host, the Marquess of Exeter, for a very special purpose.
0:01:54 > 0:02:00The purpose being the christening of the Marquess and Marchioness's daughter.
0:02:00 > 0:02:06- And in return, they called the daughter Victoria. Isn't that a lovely story?- How nice!
0:02:07 > 0:02:11Albert was to be the godfather of baby Victoria,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15so this was a very personal and private occasion for the families.
0:02:15 > 0:02:21But that didn't stop the Marquess bankrolling exuberant celebrations in the local town of Stamford
0:02:21 > 0:02:23and on approach to the gates of Burghley,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27he had even arranged for 700 horsemen, mainly his tenants,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30to ride behind the royal procession.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35He didn't do things by halves, did the old chap. No, no.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Did you know, Rozza,
0:02:38 > 0:02:44it was decided that the townsfolk of Stamford would be given a whole half day off,
0:02:44 > 0:02:51so that they'd be able to turn out in force to welcome their Majesty's arrival? How about that?
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Well, they might have got a day off,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58but the staff at Burghley, their work was only just beginning.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03- I'm heading off downstairs to see how they did it. - I'm heading off upstairs.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10Burghley was an outrageous display of design and architecture.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13With its turrets and towers, domes and steeples,
0:03:13 > 0:03:18it was described as more of a small city than a single building.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Even though Victoria had visited here when she was 18,
0:03:22 > 0:03:27her first sight of Burghley, nine years later, was no less impressive.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32She wrote in her diary, "I remembered its beautiful exterior
0:03:32 > 0:03:37"and splendid situation, but I was even more struck when I arrived this time."
0:03:38 > 0:03:42This is the entrance that Victoria used.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46We also know that she arrived at about 5pm
0:03:46 > 0:03:49and that the weather had been rough and miserable.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53I suspect Victoria might have been a bit rough herself
0:03:53 > 0:03:57because she'd just given birth to her fourth child
0:03:57 > 0:04:01and had a month in convalescence in the Highlands.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06So you can imagine the amount of correspondence that was happening
0:04:06 > 0:04:10between the 2nd Marquess's household and her household
0:04:10 > 0:04:16to make quite sure that the timing of this visit was convenient all round.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20So keen were the hosts on capturing this momentous occasion
0:04:20 > 0:04:26that they gave a VIP pass to The Illustrated London News,
0:04:26 > 0:04:30the world's first illustrated weekly publication,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33the Hello magazine of its day.
0:04:33 > 0:04:39They commissioned an artist by the name of Ziegler to produce sketches to accompany the story.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42This is the North Entrance Hall
0:04:42 > 0:04:45where Victoria would have entered
0:04:45 > 0:04:51and today it forms part of the private piece of Burghley occupied by the Cecil family,
0:04:51 > 0:04:57so I feel rather privileged to be allowed to walk literally in Victoria's footsteps.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02This is a marvellous piece of memorabilia relating to her visit.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06It's a poster produced by the Mayor of Stamford, look.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09"F Jelley, Mayor."
0:05:09 > 0:05:11What a lovely name that is!
0:05:11 > 0:05:15And amongst other things, it records the resolutions
0:05:15 > 0:05:20that "businesses be suspended and the shops closed at one o'clock
0:05:20 > 0:05:25"for the remainder of the day," the day the Queen visited,
0:05:25 > 0:05:30and also that "subscriptions would be raised for the purpose of erecting triumphal arches
0:05:30 > 0:05:36"and making any other demonstrations of loyalty they may think proper."
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Well, what could be more proper than that?
0:05:45 > 0:05:49'While Victoria was being ushered through the hallway,
0:05:49 > 0:05:54'her servants would have been making their way to the staff quarters
0:05:54 > 0:06:00'where one room in particular would have been full of hustle and bustle - this wonderful kitchen.
0:06:00 > 0:06:06'Today, I'm going to be recreating some Victorian treats cooked in honour of the Queen
0:06:06 > 0:06:10- 'with food historian Ivan Day.' - This was really aimed at children.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14'The treats were sold to local well-wishers in celebration.'
0:06:14 > 0:06:17- It's going to be very sticky. - Bung it all in.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21'On today's menu, Victorian gingerbread.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26'I can't wait to cook in this incredible, evocative kitchen
0:06:26 > 0:06:31'which, remarkably, is exactly the same as it was during Victoria's visit.'
0:06:31 > 0:06:36It's an Elizabethan kitchen. It goes right back to the reign of Elizabeth I.
0:06:36 > 0:06:42What you see there is the lantern which is a place where you can get an extra bit of light coming in,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46but it's mainly for venting all of the fumes and the smoke.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51It would have been very different in the 16th century. It's been much modified since.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57'We know the Queen was given a tour of this amazing kitchen
0:06:57 > 0:07:00'because it was featured in The Illustrated London News,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03'together with this sketch.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07'Here we can see the servants standing to attention
0:07:07 > 0:07:12'as Victoria and Albert marvel at a large painting at the far end of the room,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15'which is still here today.'
0:07:15 > 0:07:19- But what do you think of this fellow here?- Oh!
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Well, knowing they ate turtle soup, is it a turtle soup tureen?
0:07:23 > 0:07:26- It is, exactly.- Really? - Yes. Well done.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30There is some archaeological evidence in this kitchen
0:07:30 > 0:07:34that turtles were served up at Burghley
0:07:34 > 0:07:40because if you look up above the dresser, you can see this macabre display. They're turtle skulls.
0:07:45 > 0:07:52- What a bit of history in the kitchen!- Every one is a turtle dinner.- Every one is a turtle dinner.
0:07:52 > 0:07:58'Turtle soup would be frowned upon today, but back then, it was quite trendy.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02'Sophia Cecil, the sister-in-law of the Marquess, noted in her diary
0:08:02 > 0:08:06'that the Queen was served soup during her stay.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10'If it was turtle soup, I'm hoping it came without the bones.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15'While the kitchen was throwing together the most delectable royal delicacies,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18'on the evening Victoria arrived,
0:08:18 > 0:08:24'the Queen would have been about to witness another unique part of the house upstairs.'
0:08:24 > 0:08:28This is one of the most spectacular sights at Burghley
0:08:28 > 0:08:31or indeed in any British stately home.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36It's called quite simply The Hell Staircase.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45This is the route that Victoria and Albert would have taken
0:08:45 > 0:08:47to get to their apartments upstairs.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52But when you think of the religious significance of their visit,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56after all, Albert was here to become a godparent...
0:08:58 > 0:09:02..this ceiling is enough to put the fear of God in anyone.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Frankly, it gives me the willies.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12In matters of religion, Victoria was devout, yet broad-minded.
0:09:12 > 0:09:20And you'd need to be, confronted by these scary scenes of Hell by Italian painter Antonio Verrio.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24You've got this cat-like creature with its gob wide open,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27consuming naughty people.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Death itself is represented by the Grim Reaper
0:09:30 > 0:09:36with its scythe, the scythe that could cut you down at any time.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40This is something straight out of Harry Potter.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45'As Victoria was having the wits scared out of her on Hell Staircase,
0:09:45 > 0:09:52'downstairs, the kitchen staff would have been battling with their own fire and furnaces
0:09:52 > 0:09:55'as, nerves jangling, they prepared the royal dinner.
0:09:55 > 0:10:02'We know, at the same time, the local bakers made gingerbread to sell for a penny,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05'so that's what we'll do today...' Fantastic!
0:10:05 > 0:10:08'..using these original Victorian moulds,
0:10:08 > 0:10:14'except today, Tim will scoff the lot and I rather doubt I'll get a penny for it.'
0:10:14 > 0:10:18- What I've got here is a pound of plain white flour.- Fine.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22And I'm going to ask you if you can rub that butter into it.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27While you're doing that, I'm going to continue turning this candied orange and lemon peel
0:10:27 > 0:10:30into almost a puree.
0:10:30 > 0:10:37'To the flour and butter, add the brown sugar and ginger, followed by nutmeg, cinnamon and mace.'
0:10:37 > 0:10:41I love the smell! 'They liked their gingerbread spicy, the Victorians.'
0:10:41 > 0:10:45But I think that's really the smell of England in the past.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49- It's got such a wonderful, evocative smell.- It's fabulous.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53- It's time now to give it a kind of marmalade touch.- This is your peel.
0:10:53 > 0:10:59This is pureed peel. Taste it and tell me what you think. It's a mixture of Seville and lemon.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03- That's delicious. - Rub that in really thoroughly.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09The final touch which is going to turn that into a pliable paste is going to be very sticky for you.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Oh, no, no. Bung it all in.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21- Try and get it into a lump. It will be very short.- No, it'll be fine.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- That looks really good. Perfect. - Is that good?
0:11:25 > 0:11:28'Next, we halve the dough to make two penny gingerbreads
0:11:28 > 0:11:31'and then press it firmly on to our moulds.'
0:11:31 > 0:11:38The technique is this. We just let it drop off of its own weight on to the board and there it is.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Oh, fantastic!
0:11:40 > 0:11:45- There's just one other thing we have to do before it goes into the oven.- Mm-hm.
0:11:45 > 0:11:52- We need to dock it, which is prick it with a fork all over.- Dock it? That's a new word.- It's a very old word.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56- Biscuits often had these little holes in them.- Yes.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59They were made with a thing called a biscuit docker.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03That will ensure it doesn't puff up and spoil the design.
0:12:03 > 0:12:09I can just imagine the salesman saying, "Penny for a gingerbread! Come and get it!"
0:12:09 > 0:12:15'The gingerbreads go into the pastry oven where they'll bake at around 160 degrees Celsius
0:12:15 > 0:12:17'for 40 minutes.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21'In Victorian times, there were no temperature gauges,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25'so the instructions would have been to cook it in a cool oven.
0:12:25 > 0:12:31'Meanwhile, upstairs, Victoria and Albert were being shown to the lavish royal apartments.'
0:12:31 > 0:12:36Having survived the hellish ascent of the stairs,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40the royal party would have been ushered into this room,
0:12:40 > 0:12:45the first of the private apartments set aside for their use during the visit.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50It's called, appropriately enough, the Heaven Room. And look at that!
0:12:54 > 0:12:58The royal party might have been reassured by this.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02They have got some salvation after all.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07'The royal apartments at Burghley are amongst the finest
0:13:07 > 0:13:10'the Queen found on her travels, oozing opulence.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15'Victoria and Albert had the run of six bespoke rooms,
0:13:15 > 0:13:19'decked out with luxurious gilded furniture, exquisite ceramics
0:13:19 > 0:13:23'and original works of art by the old masters.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26'The Marquess really splashed the cash
0:13:26 > 0:13:30'to make sure there was no shortage of servants to look after Victoria.
0:13:30 > 0:13:36'Incredibly, curator Jon Culverhouse has the original accounts book from the visit
0:13:36 > 0:13:39'and it makes fascinating reading.'
0:13:39 > 0:13:41It was an incredibly expensive visit.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Lord Exeter, as host, was responsible for everything.
0:13:44 > 0:13:50He put up people all over Stamford. He entertained people royally. It was well-planned.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55- Yes.- He'd been planning for four or five years as he'd been carrying out improvements to the house
0:13:55 > 0:13:59to make it even more grand and comfortable for Her Majesty.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04- Surely, he didn't have to go to the extent that he went to? - I think he did.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08He was a courtier. He was known to the Royal Family very well
0:14:08 > 0:14:12and this was his big chance to show off at home quite how grand he was.
0:14:12 > 0:14:18It was really the quintessential point in his career, having Her Majesty and Prince Albert to stay.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21It was a very good marketing ploy for him.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24'But this isn't the only treasure.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27'There's also the original diary,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31'written by Sophia Cecil, the sister-in-law of Victoria's host.'
0:14:31 > 0:14:38- "The Queen and Prince... - 'In which she reveals the Queen's rather cheeky sense of humour.'
0:14:38 > 0:14:42"In passing through the Blue Dressing Room occupied by the Duke of Rutland,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46"Her Majesty appeared to be much amused at something
0:14:46 > 0:14:50'which turned out to be His Grace's wig and whiskers on a block."
0:14:52 > 0:14:57'But the piece de resistance is this wonderful guestbook from the visit.'
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- Isn't that pretty?- 1844.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03'The Marquess had planned this visit for four years.'
0:15:03 > 0:15:07- The crest of Lord Exeter.- 'No wonder he wanted the royal autographs!'
0:15:07 > 0:15:11That of the Queen and there is Victoria's signature.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16- How beautiful!- As is always when the Royal Family come, it's a signature to a page.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20- Yes.- And so Prince Albert's crest and Prince Albert...
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Oh, it's very special.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27- It is indeed. - Well, Jon, I can't believe this. It's beautiful to hold.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30It's a great treasure.
0:15:33 > 0:15:39Victoria had stayed here nine years earlier with her mother, the Duchess of Kent,
0:15:39 > 0:15:44but there was one room up here that she wouldn't have stayed in before.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49The ultimate destination in the suite of rooms is not unnaturally the bedroom.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52And what a delicious room it is,
0:15:52 > 0:15:58hung on three sides with tapestries, but the centre piece of the room has to be the bed.
0:15:58 > 0:16:04At the time of Victoria's visit, this bed was thought to have been a lot taller.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07And I guess that was because, at the time,
0:16:07 > 0:16:13it was quite commonplace to have not one mattress like today, but about six of them.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17The problem with these high beds is how to get into them.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21The answer, quite simple, a pair of bed steps.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26Victoria and Albert would have gone to bed by stepping up these steps,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30rather like going up a diving board, either side of the bed,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33then both jumped in.
0:16:33 > 0:16:34Lovely.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38But these steps have an additional function.
0:16:38 > 0:16:44I can remove that tread to reveal a pull-out commode, look.
0:16:45 > 0:16:51Now, history doesn't record whether Queen Victoria actually used this commode,
0:16:51 > 0:16:57so I think I'll just shut it up and let it be our little secret.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Victoria was a big fan of this bed.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07Her diary says how all morning she admired "its extreme splendours
0:17:07 > 0:17:10"with beautiful embroideries".
0:17:11 > 0:17:19It seems to me that Victoria and Albert spent an extraordinary length of time in this bedroom.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Now, Sophia Cecil records that on the third day,
0:17:24 > 0:17:30"At breakfast, we saw the Queen and the Prince walking out together in the garden."
0:17:30 > 0:17:35Indeed, the Queen records that she skipped breakfast one day.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40And I reckon that she and Albert were spending most of their time in this bed.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48Therefore, it's perhaps appropriate that the cresting on the bed
0:17:48 > 0:17:53is in the form of a pair of doves amorously billing and cooing.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56And we all know where that leads!
0:18:16 > 0:18:22In the 1820s, they went in for a bit of modernisation in these state rooms.
0:18:22 > 0:18:28They simply hatcheted a hole through the wall to give access behind to the...
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- Ah! Look at this! How are you? - Hello, darling.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37- I was just walking up the corridor. - What are you doing scurrying down the servants' passageways?
0:18:37 > 0:18:41I wanted to see where they led. And I'm in this room. Look at this.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46- How magnificent is this! - This is wonderful. I never get to see upstairs.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50You never come upstairs. I never go downstairs. It's lovely to see you.
0:18:50 > 0:18:57- It's great to be here, but I've got to get back downstairs. I can't stay with you.- Can't you?- No, I can't.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02- What are you and Ivan up to? - It's something that's going to take the biscuit.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06- Is that a hint?- I'm not going to tell you. Find out later.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10They're terribly coy, these servants. I've had trouble...
0:19:10 > 0:19:15- I've got a programme to make. You head off...- I'll see you later. We've got work to do.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17I've got a programme to make.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19What a treat!
0:19:19 > 0:19:23I love being able to sneak around upstairs like this.
0:19:24 > 0:19:30Whilst the servants' corridor was brand-new for Burghley at the time of the visit,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34one addition really was last-minute.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39This portrait of Prince Albert was hung just the day before the royals arrived.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41A touch of flattery perhaps?
0:19:41 > 0:19:47Or given that they were here for a christening, maybe it was just a fitting tribute to the man
0:19:47 > 0:19:51who was about to become godfather to a member of the Cecil family.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56What more prestigious or appropriate place to hang your portrait
0:19:56 > 0:20:00of an esteemed guest than this, the Great Hall?
0:20:00 > 0:20:02I mean, just look at this place!
0:20:02 > 0:20:08Victoria was certainly impressed, describing the Great Hall as "beautiful"
0:20:08 > 0:20:14and it was here where the royal banquet took place at 8pm on the first evening.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18The guest list read like a who's who of Victorian politics,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22not surprising, given the Marquess was a politician himself.
0:20:22 > 0:20:28The Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel was there, as was the Foreign Secretary, Lord Aberdeen.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33In total, 40 of the country's great and good attended the grand dinner.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37This is the scene immaculately recorded
0:20:37 > 0:20:40by the artist HB Ziegler.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43We've got the same light fittings, look.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48The gallery filled with musicians - what they call the fiddlers' gallery.
0:20:48 > 0:20:54There is Victoria herself with her back to the fireplace,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56wearing her sash.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00And, of course, we've got droves of these footmen,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03wearing the Cecil family blue livery.
0:21:05 > 0:21:11'The footmen were the reserve of only the grandest households and really looked the part.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14'I've banished Tim from the Great Hall,
0:21:14 > 0:21:20'so Ivan and I can find out more about the most sought after servants who waited on Victoria.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23'And some modern-day equivalents are waiting on us.'
0:21:23 > 0:21:27We've got some wonderful-looking footmen here.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31And they're wearing 19th century livery of Burghley House.
0:21:31 > 0:21:37The footmen aren't from that period, but the livery actually is, so these are absolutely authentic.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42How wonderful! And what did the footmen do? What was their actual job?
0:21:42 > 0:21:46They had a whole range of tasks to undertake during the day -
0:21:46 > 0:21:51polishing boots and brass or working in the lamp room cleaning the glass.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56When they really came into their own was, for instance, like Queen Victoria's visit.
0:21:56 > 0:22:02At the great meal when Victoria was entertained here, the drinks were superintended by the footmen.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06They could never talk to the guests, could they?
0:22:06 > 0:22:10They were like ghosts. When you needed one, one always appeared.
0:22:10 > 0:22:16Sometimes, just thinking about needing a drink, one would magically appear from behind you.
0:22:16 > 0:22:22A well-trained one knew exactly what the guests wanted. Gentlemen, would you show us what you wore outside?
0:22:22 > 0:22:24That's wonderful.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28So would people have recognised the various liveries?
0:22:28 > 0:22:33Instantaneously. When Victoria came here with her retinue from the London palaces,
0:22:33 > 0:22:38she had her own footmen in royal livery and everybody knew who they were.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Without question.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45The morning after Victoria arrived,
0:22:45 > 0:22:51she noted in her diary, "It was pouring wet and the rain continued all day."
0:22:51 > 0:22:54So that put paid to exploring the grounds.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57She had to wait until the following day to do that
0:22:57 > 0:23:00when she enjoyed a romantic walk with Albert
0:23:00 > 0:23:05and later that afternoon, she was invited by the Marquess to plant an oak tree.
0:23:06 > 0:23:12And here it is, the very one, planted more than 160 years ago
0:23:12 > 0:23:16by Victoria's dainty spadework and still standing proud.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21Of course, we can't leave without taking a glimpse
0:23:21 > 0:23:24at the place that is the reason for the visit
0:23:24 > 0:23:29and this is the Cecil family's private chapel on the first floor.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35When not doing a bit of horizontal PT upstairs with Albert,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39this is where Victoria attended morning prayers.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44Indeed, the local newspaper, The Stamford Mercury,
0:23:44 > 0:23:49even reports that "Victoria adopted the same spot
0:23:49 > 0:23:54"on the left side nearest the altar that had been used by Elizabeth I
0:23:54 > 0:23:58"when she visited Burghley three centuries earlier."
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Wow!
0:24:00 > 0:24:06The christening service took place on the second day and was taken by the Bishop of Peterborough.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09For once, Albert was the centre of attention.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14Now, if you believe the mother of the child Lady Sophia's account,
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Albert is said to have sat at a table in the centre of the chapel.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23If you believe Victoria's account, then her husband stood alongside her.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Who would dare argue with the Queen's version of events?
0:24:27 > 0:24:32Lady Sophia also noted that the holy ceremony wasn't without the odd blunder.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36"The Bishop of Peterborough seemed lost without his spectacles
0:24:36 > 0:24:40"and began the service before the baby was brought in,
0:24:40 > 0:24:45"so he had to stop short and begin it all over again.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49"The Bishop did not ask the name of the child."
0:24:49 > 0:24:53So even though "the Bish" wasn't on top form,
0:24:53 > 0:24:58our diarist, Sophia Cecil, did not miss a trick.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04Both the Victorias, Queen and baby, were dressed in white
0:25:04 > 0:25:09and it's said that Albert gave his godchild a gold cup.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13The Queen herself continues, "We then returned to our rooms
0:25:13 > 0:25:18"from the windows of which we saw some very pretty fireworks
0:25:18 > 0:25:22"and there we played on the piano till dinner."
0:25:25 > 0:25:29'After the ceremony, I expect there would have been some refreshments
0:25:29 > 0:25:35'and that's what I've been promised by Rosemary who is serving up some Victorian party food.' Ah, Rosemary!
0:25:35 > 0:25:38'She hinted earlier something about biscuits.'
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Stay in the ante-chapel. Servants aren't allowed in there.
0:25:42 > 0:25:48You mean there are two Gods? One for the toffs and one for the servants? I don't approve of that one.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52It's always been thus! What are these two brown jobs here?
0:25:52 > 0:25:55This is gingerbread, not gingerbread as you know it today.
0:25:55 > 0:26:01It is "penny a gingerbread". That would cost you one penny and it's street food.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- Would you like a piece? - I'd love a piece.
0:26:04 > 0:26:11My olfactory passage is telling me that there's quite an odour from this. Can I have quite a big bit?
0:26:11 > 0:26:15- No.- What do you mean, "no"?- Start off with that.- You're such a meanie.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20- No, seriously, it smells very, very intensely. - Lots of ginger in there.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23But also it's quite cakey.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25- Hmm!- Hmm!
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Orange comes through.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32- I think it's rather fun. - I'm surprised they don't make such things today.
0:26:32 > 0:26:38- I think you should go into business making these things. It's delicious. - Absolutely lovely.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43You've done terribly well with this. It's fantastic. Your biscuits won't last for ever.
0:26:43 > 0:26:49But you have a look at this thing that I found upstairs that has lasted from 1844.
0:26:49 > 0:26:55- So what do you make about that? - It's a child's spade for digging into sand.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59- Bucket and spade stuff. - Bucket and spade stuff, yes.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03- Queen Victoria planted those great oak trees in 1844.- Beautiful.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07She was given a solid silver spade to do it with.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12It was too heavy for her, so they gave her this little child's toy spade
0:27:12 > 0:27:14which is made of beech.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19At the top, there's some very indistinct pen-and-ink writing on to the wood
0:27:19 > 0:27:24that says this is the spade used by Victoria. The family have kept it and here it is.
0:27:24 > 0:27:32- Isn't that a treasure?- But it's really super that something as insignificant and valueless as this
0:27:32 > 0:27:36has been treasured and survived since 1844.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39We've had a wonderful day, haven't we?
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Do you know what? It couldn't have been better.
0:27:42 > 0:27:48'So Victoria and Albert came to Burghley for a christening, but there were many more to come.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53'You're not wrong there. In her lifetime, Victoria had 50 godchildren
0:27:53 > 0:27:58'and just to help her remember them, they were nearly all named Victor or Victoria.'
0:28:02 > 0:28:07'Next time on Royal Upstairs Downstairs, we're at Hatfield House
0:28:07 > 0:28:09'where Prince Albert gets handy with a gun.'
0:28:10 > 0:28:15Double the bag of anybody else, he was machine-gunning them down.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18'I encounter the most enormous record book.'
0:28:18 > 0:28:22This is the biggest account book I have ever seen.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2011
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk