Butler 'crushed to death by lift' at Burghley House

Police are investigating the death of a butler who was injured while working at a Tudor mansion on the Lincolnshire-Cambridgeshire border.

Arthur Mellar, 47, was seriously injured at Burghley House near Stamford on 12 July, and later died in hospital.

His partner, Gerwin Castillo, told journalists that the "kind and generous" butler was crushed by a lift.

The circumstances are being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive and Cambridgeshire Police.

A spokesman for the force said: "We were called to reports that a man in his 40s had suffered serious injuries at Burghley House on Saturday 12 July.

"He was taken to hospital but later died. A joint investigation is being carried out by police and the Health and Safety Executive."

David Pennell, Burghley estate director, said the house would cooperate fully with the investigation.

"It is with the deepest sadness that we confirm the tragic death of Arthur Mellar, a highly-valued member of the household team at Burghley, following an accident on Saturday 12 July," he said.

The mansion has been used for locations in the films Pride and Prejudice and The Da Vinci Code.

A BBC television adaptation of Middlemarch was also filmed there.