Taplow, Buckinghamshire
Cliveden
(aka Cliveden House)
There have been three houses on the site.
The first house, built in 1666, burned down in 1795. The second house, built in 1824, burned down in 1849. The present house, built in 1851, by the architect Charles Barry for the 2nd Duke of Sutherland.
Cliveden has been the home to a Prince of Wales, two Dukes, an Earl, and finally the Viscounts Astor. As the home of Nancy Astor, wife of the 2nd Viscount Astor, Cliveden was the meeting place of the Cliveden Set of the 1920s and 1930s—a group of political intellectuals.
Later, during the early 1960s, when it was the home of the 3rd Viscount Astor, it became the setting for key events of the notorious Profumo affair.
The house was passed to The National Trust in 1942 with the condition that the family would continue to live there.
The Astor family stopped living at Cliveden in the 1970s.
The house is surrounded by 376 acres of gardens and woodland that are always open to National Trust visitors.
The house is currently on lease to a company that operates the estate as a luxurious, five-star, Relais & Châteaux hotel and is generally not open to National Trust Visitors.
Grade I Listed
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshir...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliveden
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profumo_affair
The Clock Tower
by Henry Clutton, London
1861
A prominent and historical landmark located in the grounds of Cliveden.
Described by the architectural critic Nikolaus Pevsner as "the epitome of Victorian flamboyance and assertiveness."
Commissioned by the 2nd Duke of Sutherland, who owned Cliveden at that time.
The tower was part of the Duke’s vision to enhance the grandeur of the estate and to illustrate his wealth and status.
Originally intended to serve as a water tower supplying water to the estate. Over time it became more of an ornamental feature but it is still a functional water tower that provides water to the house.
The structure is built in the Italianate style and is notable for its elaborate design and the use of gold leaf.
Topped with a gilded ball and a weathervane which adds to the decorative appeal.
The clock was made by the famous clockmaker James McCabe of the London firm McCabe & Sons.
The tower stands at 100 ft making it a prominent feature on the estate’s skyline.
Grade II* Listed
Taplow, Buckinghamshire
Cliveden
(aka Cliveden House)
There have been three houses on the site.
The first house, built in 1666, burned down in 1795. The second house, built in 1824, burned down in 1849. The present house, built in 1851, by the architect Charles Barry for the 2nd Duke of Sutherland.
Cliveden has been the home to a Prince of Wales, two Dukes, an Earl, and finally the Viscounts Astor. As the home of Nancy Astor, wife of the 2nd Viscount Astor, Cliveden was the meeting place of the Cliveden Set of the 1920s and 1930s—a group of political intellectuals.
Later, during the early 1960s, when it was the home of the 3rd Viscount Astor, it became the setting for key events of the notorious Profumo affair.
The house was passed to The National Trust in 1942 with the condition that the family would continue to live there.
The Astor family stopped living at Cliveden in the 1970s.
The house is surrounded by 376 acres of gardens and woodland that are always open to National Trust visitors.
The house is currently on lease to a company that operates the estate as a luxurious, five-star, Relais & Châteaux hotel and is generally not open to National Trust Visitors.
Grade I Listed
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshir...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliveden
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profumo_affair
The Clock Tower
by Henry Clutton, London
1861
A prominent and historical landmark located in the grounds of Cliveden.
Described by the architectural critic Nikolaus Pevsner as "the epitome of Victorian flamboyance and assertiveness."
Commissioned by the 2nd Duke of Sutherland, who owned Cliveden at that time.
The tower was part of the Duke’s vision to enhance the grandeur of the estate and to illustrate his wealth and status.
Originally intended to serve as a water tower supplying water to the estate. Over time it became more of an ornamental feature but it is still a functional water tower that provides water to the house.
The structure is built in the Italianate style and is notable for its elaborate design and the use of gold leaf.
Topped with a gilded ball and a weathervane which adds to the decorative appeal.
The clock was made by the famous clockmaker James McCabe of the London firm McCabe & Sons.
The tower stands at 100 ft making it a prominent feature on the estate’s skyline.
Grade II* Listed