"CLIVEDEN" rhymes with "GIVE DEN"
The Cliveden Estate is now owned by the
National Trust
Orangery Cafe - National Trust Restaurant
There is a National Trust Restaurant in the Orangery near (north east of) the main house.
Cliveden Hotel
Cliveden House
is a Hotel leased from the National Trust, and is not generally open to the public.
They do offer Afternoon Tea (2017: £37pp) and also fine Dining (Andre Garrett), to non residents. Booking essential
1910: Cliveden in Thames Villages by Charles Harper.
1859: The Thames, Mr & Mrs Hall
Nature here [in the Cliveden Reach] has been liberally aided by successive lords, from that Duke of Buckingham by whom "Cliefden's proud alcove" was made
The bower of wanton Shrewsbury and love,
to that other duke — the Duke of Sutherland — who now happily owns
it, and under whose superintending care, or rather that of his accomplished duchess,
the mansion and grounds are among the loveliest, most
graceful, and the most richly cultivated of the kingdom. *
* "Cliefden House" was built by Charles Villiers, Duke of Buckingham,— that Villiers so familiar
to all who read the records of pernicious follies and degenerating vices during the reign of Charles II. —
In squandering wealth was his peculiar art.
The house has been twice destroyed by fire: that which now surmounts the hill was built a few years
ago (1851), for the Duke of Sutherland, by the architect Barry.
If, however,
those who row past these charming woods, — and note what has been
done by taste, in association with wealth, to render every part delightful, —
ascend any of the many heights and examine the "prospect",'
near or distant, their enjoyment will be largely enhanced. It is impossible,
indeed, to exaggerate the beauty and harmony of the foliage which
everywhere surrounds us, —
Beautiful in various dyes,
The gloomy pine, the poplar blue,
The yellow beech, the sable yew,
The slender fir that taper grows,
The sturdy oak with broad-spread boughs;
And beyond the purple grove,
Haunt of Phyllis, Queen of Love!
But there are here hundreds of other trees - which the poet could not
commemorate, for they were unknown to England in his time. All
climes and countries have contributed to the wealth of foliage at
Cliefden, — woods, lawns, and gardens are enriched by tributes from
every land to which enterprise has conducted British science, to gather
treasures converted from exotics into subjects naturalised and "at home". *
* It is worth noting that Thomson's masque of "Alfred" was first acted at Cliefden, and that,
consequently, within those walls was first sung the national song of "Rule Britannia", composed by him
and set to music by Dr. Arne, on the occasion of its performance.
1860: A Handbook for Travellers in Berks, Bucks and Oxfordshire -
Evelyn speaks of Cliefden as "the stupendous natural rock, wood, and prospect, of the Duke of Buckingham." This was George Villiers, the favourite of Charles II., who built the original house. When he had killed the Earl of Shrewsbury in a duel, the Countess holding his horse disguised as a page, he fled hither with her to -
Cliefdon's proud alcove,
The bower of wanton Shrewsbury and love."
Horace Walpole says of him, "When this extraordinary man, with the figure and genius of Alcibiades, could equally charm the Presbyterian Fairfax and the dissolute Charles;
when he alike ridiculed that witty king and his solemn chancellor ; when he plotted the ruin of
his country with a cabal of bad
ministers, or, equally unprincipled,
supported its cause with bad patriots,
one laments that such a man should
have been devoid of every virtue."
The portrait of the Duke has been
drawn by four masterly hands;
Burnet has hewn it with a rough
chisel; Count Hamilton touched it
with a delicacy that finishes while
it seems to sketch; Dryden caught
the living likeness; Pope completed
the historical resemblance.
His house, designed by Archer
(Walpole's 'Groomporter of Architecture'),
was much improved and
adorned by the Earl of Orkney. It
was of red brick, with stone dressings,
and had sweeping colonnades
and square wings, with a noble
terrace 433 ft. long. It was burnt,
May 20, 1705, through the carelessness
of a maid reading a novel and
letting her candle catch the curtains,
and then falling down in a fit till
the fire had gained head.
In 1830
it was rebuilt by Sir G. Warrender
of Lochend, after which it was purchased
by the Duke of Sutherland,
and again rebuilt by him, after a
second conflagration, from a design
by Barry.
The present magnificent house
rises from a wide lawn on the
heights, raised on a broad terrace.
Though very simple, it is exceedingly
imposing. The centre is a
revival of Inigo Jones's design for
old Somerset House. A huge inscription
commemorates its second
resurrection from the flames, in
1849, under the auspices of its
present owners.
Frederick Prince of Wales, father
of George III., resided here for a
short time, during which the first performance
of Thomson's masque of 'Alfred' took place in his presence ;
and the famous national air of 'Rule Britannia', composed by Dr.
Arne, was played for the first time
on August 1st, 1710.
Visitors may gain admittance to the grounds and gardens of Cliefden, when the family are away, on application to Mr. Fleming, the head gardener;
the house may be seen by a written order from Mr. Jackson, the Duke's agent.
1880: William Morris did not approve on socio/political grounds! Putney to Kelmscott -
Cliveden reach was the ugliest part of the whole river!
"a mountain before a plain; a plain before a suburb, a suburb
before a dust heap, a dust heap before a sewer, but a sewer before
a gentleman's house" - (note by our communist).
Towed on in most beautiful sunset past Cookham.
Country very delightful from Cookham Lock onward: hills (low
chalk banks call them) fall back from the river which is very wide:
the whole full of character.
This spectacular estate overlooking the
River Thames has a series of gardens, each
with its own character, featuring topiary, statuary, water gardens, a formal
parterre, informal vistas, woodland and riverside walks.
1678-80: The first Cliveden House by George Villiers, the second Duke of Buckingham
(E K W Ryan says "the wildest and wickedest roue of all the courtiers of his time").
1681: Dryden described George Villiers -
Some of their chiefs were Princes of the land;
In the first rank of these did Zimri stand;
A man so various that he seem'd to be
Not one, but all Mankind's Epitome.
Stiff in Opinions, always in the wrong;
Was Everything by starts, and Nothing long:
But, in the course of one revolving Moon,
Was Chymist, Fidler, States-man, and Buffoon;
Then all for Women, Painting, Rhiming, Drinking,
Besides ten thousand freaks that died in thinking.
1670, July 23rd: Evelyn says in his diary -
I went to Clifden,
that stupendous natural rock, wood, and prospect, of ye Duke of Buckingham's,
buildings of extraordinary expense.
The grotts in ye chalk are pretty, 'tis a romantic object,
and the place altogether answers the most poetical description
that can be made of solitude, precipice, prospect, or whatever can
contribute to a thing so very like their imaginations.
The stande, somewhat
like Frascati as to its front, and on ye platform is a circular view to ye
utmost verge of ye horizon, which, with the serpenting of the Thames, is admirable.
The staire case is for its materials singular;
the cloisters, descents, gardens, and avenue thro' the wood, august and stately,
but the land all about wretchedly barren, and producing nothing but ferne.
Indeede, as I told his Majesty that evening (asking how I lik'd Clifden)
without flattery, that it did not please me so well as Windsor, for the prospect and
park, which is without compare, there being but one only opening, and that narrow,
which led one to any variety, whereas that of Windsor is every where greate and unconfin'd.
Cliveden House as it appeared in the second half of the 18th Century
(Country Life, 1948)
1792: Picturesque Views on the Thames by Samuel Ireland -
... the river ... winds beautifully beneath the
range of Cliefden Hills, commanding a distant view of Lord Boston's and Cliefden
House, which are both so happily situated
on an eminence, as to comprise, though not
one of the most extensive, yet one of the most
richly diversified scenes in the kingdom.
THE terrace before Cliefden House is reported
to be higher than that of Windsor Castle. Cliefden House was began by
George Villiers the second Duke of Buckingham, in the reign of Charles II. and is evidently
copied from the plan of Burleigh on
the Hill, the residence of the first Duke, his
father, which plan Mr. Walpole tells us was
the design of John Thorpe, a folio volume
of whose works are in the possession of Lord
Warwick.
OF George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham,
the following lines of Pope, as they are applicable
to the present subject, and to the dissipated scene exhibited on this spot, justly
claim recital.
On once a flock bed, but repair'd with straw,
With tape-tied curtains, never meant to draw ;
The George and Garter dangling from that bed,
Where tawdry yellow strove with dirty red,
Great Villiers lies - alas ! how chang'd from him,
That life of pleasure, and that foul of whim !
Gallant and gay, in Cliefden's proud alcove,
The bow'r of wanton Shrewfbury and love.
THE last line alludes to an intrigue between
the Countess of Shrewsbury and the
Duke of Buckingham, which occasioned a
rencontre between the Duke and her husband,
in which the latter was slain. It is said, that the Countess,
disguised as a page, held the
Duke's horse during the combat, and afterwards slept
with him in the shirt stained with her husband's blood.
AFTER the death of the Duke, which
happened in 1688, in the 60th year of his
age, the Earl of Orkney made considerable
improvements in this house, as did Frederic,
the late Prince of Wales, who resided many
years on this charming spot.
It is now [1792] in
the possession of the Earl of Inchinquin, and
is occupied by his daughter the Countess of Orkney.
Cliefden. June 1, 1793 J. Farington R.A. delt. J.C. Stadler sculpt.
(Published) by J. & J. Boydell, Shakespeare Gally. Pall Mall & (No. 90) Cheapside
London.
1795: Two years after the above picture Mrs Lybbe Powys wrote in her diary -
20th May 1795:
We dined at Mrs Freeman's at Henley Park, that night,
and about 9.30 the servants came in
and told us that Windsor Castle was on fire.
On returning to Fawley Rectory we saw the roof
fallen in - a tremendous sight;
but on reaching the rectory, from my dressing-room window
I could see it was not Windsor Castle.
It was Cliveden House. There is some doubt about the date
because Constable Gibbins' diary, at Cookham, recorded -
1795: May 5, Clifden House was burnd down it not in shurd [insured] was.
1795: Mrs Powys then arranged a trip to see the ruin -
29th July 1795: We had a water-party with the Freemans of Fawley Court, who have a delightful boat,
with awning, and every convenience of curtains &c. to keep one from bad weather.
We set off for Cliefden Spring.
Took up Mr & Mrs Law from Culham Court.
It was too cold
to dine on the usual turf, so got out, and I walked while everything in the boat was got
ready for dinner. We all had curiosity to see the once famous Clifden House,
so we set off and mounted a very steep hill.
The whole fabric, except one wing, a scene of ruin - the flight of stone steps all fallen in pieces;
but what seemed most unaccountable was that the hall, which had fell in,
and was a mass of stone pillars and bricks all in pieces, but two deal doors
not in the least hurt, looking as if just fresh painted! They were the entrance from the inner hall;
an archway over them had fallen in.
The fire was caused by the carelessness of a servant turning down a bed.
Very few articles of value were saved. The loss is estimated at £50,000.
1811: The Thames -
It were to be wished that we could give a similar character [as Hedsor]
of the abrupt and shaggy brow of Cliefden, as rich as foliage can make it;
but the splendid structure which it bore has not only ceased
to form a part of the landscape which we are attempting to describe,
but to be the proud ornament of the country round it.
Some years ago it was destroyed by fire,
and another phoenix has not yet arisen from what little the conflagration spared.
1824: The second Cliveden House was built by Sir George Warrender
1836: Tombleson -
Cliveden House 1836, Tombleson
1849: The second Cliveden House also burnt down. It is said that it was Queen Victoria herself who saw the fire from Windsor and sent her fire brigade.
The Story of the Thames, J E Vincent -
1851: The present house, a stately building and classical in style, was built for the Duke of Sutherland, from the designs of Sir Charles Barry, the architect of the Houses of Parliament.
The Royal River -
... From time to time as we pass down the stream [ Cliveden House ] comes into view. ... Its clock tower, indeed as it rises above the hills, occasionally forms a pleasant addition to the view; but the house is not particularly striking in itself, and the design is wholly unsuitable for its position. That requires a building of irregular outline and broken, but well-conceived sky-line. a group of buildings, whose outline should suggest a cluster of hills. Yet the design of Cliefden House could readily be imitated with three or four packing cases ...
1883: Cliveden House, Henry Taunt -
Cliveden House, Henry Taunt, 1883
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT03411
1830: Tombleson -
View from Cliveden Park,Tombleson 1830
In the grounds was Canning Oak, named after George Canning, Prime Minister in 1827. He was a regular visitor to Cliveden who spent many hours under the tree, looking at the spectacular view of the Thames -
Canning Oak before 5th May, 2004
Canning Oak after 5th May, 2004
On a still day the chimes of the clock at Cliveden sound throughout the reach. The chimes are the same as those of the Houses of Parliament. The massive tower is actually a water tower with a supply pumped from the other side of the river. The gilding has recently been refreshed - and will, no doubt, tone down in time ...
Cliveden Clocktower in 2006
Red Kite over Cliveden.
I know you can't really tell - but here's the detail from the next photo I took -
a bit blurred but -
Red Kite over Cliveden © John Eade 2006
Lantern Slide (1883-1908) - Cleveden House
Pictures by W.C.Hughes. Thanks to Pat Furley, research by Dr Wilson.
Cliveden 2017
Cliveden Amphitheatre
1740: Rule Britannia! -
A major work also undertaken in 1740 was the musical arrangement for the masque "Alfred" the finale of which included "Rule Britannia"; the librettist was J. Thomson and to his words Arne wrote the music. The first performance was given at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire, then the residence of Frederick, Prince of Wales, on the 1st August in commemoration of the accession of George I and in honour of the birth of Princess Augusta. On this occasion the famous patriotic song was sung by the tenor, Thomas Lowe.
The masque was staged at the amphitheatre in the Cliveden grounds -
Cliveden amphitheatre where "Rule Britannia" was first sung in 1740
And even the ticket for that event was engraved by Hogarth! from Anecdotes of William Hogarth (by William Hogarth) -
Hymen and Cupid: - Engraved as a ticket for the Masque of Alfred, performed at Cliveden House before the Prince and Princess of Wales, on the Princess Augusta's birth-day.
Hymen & Cupid, the ticket for the Masque engraved by Hogarth
[ The blank scroll under the stringed instrument is where the price went!]
Lulle Brook, mill stream outflow, Left bank
On that stream Formosa Place is on the Left bank and Formosa Court on the left
Formosa Island, Left bank
1875: My Lady Ferry, Henry Taunt -
My Lady Ferry, Henry Taunt, 1875
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT1831
1885: Cliveden Ferry, Heny Taunt -
Cliveden Ferry, Heny Taunt, 1885
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT2080