LONGLEAT House is being lit up to celebrate NHS and key workers.
Staff at the Wiltshire estate enlisted the help production company Zeal Live to illuminate the façade of the Grade 1 listed mansion in both blue and rainbow colours as a sign of gratitude.
Completed in 1580, Longleat House will mark its 440th anniversary next week. It is widely regarded as the best example of high Elizabethan architecture in Britain and one of the most beautiful stately homes open to the public.
“Lighting up the house to pay tribute to the incredible, ongoing efforts of staff within the NHS and key workers everywhere is our small way of saying ‘thank you’ and, we hope, will act as a beacon of gratitude,” said Longleat’s Event and Product Development Manager Daisy Mercedes.
A giant four-metre-tall sculpture of a lion, created by South African artist Bruce Little and standing in pride of place in front of the house, is also being illuminated as part of the celebrations.
Longleat has been home to the Marquesses of Bath for more than 450 years. The magnificence of the House itself is matched by the splendour of its surroundings; a spectacular mixture of landscaped parkland, lakes and formal gardens.
In 1949 Longleat became the first stately home in England to open its doors to the public and in 1966 it was the first place outside of Africa to unveil a drive through safari park.
