A central hub for all visitors to Burghley, the Chestnut yard is a gateway to the shop, restaurant and house entrance. The reference to a chestnut tree is long-standing. In the late 17th century, the 5th Earl imported chestnut trees from France. Five were planted in this yard, one centrally. Whilst four were removed by Lancelot Brown in the 1750's—surely for reasons of practicality in such a restricted area — the central tree flourished, huge, sprawling and supported by props, until 1986 when it succumbed to Honey Fungus disease and had to be replaced. The replacement seemed well-established, until 2001 when a freak gust of wind brought it crashing down. The present tree, planted in that year, is thriving and, hopefully, is deep-rooted.