Manor of Clifton facts for kids
The Manor of Clifton was a historic estate located near the city of Nottingham, England. The main house, known as Clifton Hall, stands on the right bank of the River Trent in the village of Clifton, Nottinghamshire. It is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of Nottingham's city center. Today, parts of the area are used by Nottingham Trent University and a large housing estate.
Clifton Hall is a very important building, covering about 13,946 square feet (1,295.6 square meters). It is a Grade I listed building, which means it's considered to be of exceptional historical and architectural interest. The Hall is also part of the Clifton Village Conservation Area. Clifton Hall was updated in the late 1700s in the Georgian style. The Clifton family owned this estate for a very long time, from the late 1200s until the mid-1900s.
In 2008, Clifton Hall became famous across the country. News reports said that its owner, Anwar Rashid, and his family left the South Wing of the house. They stopped paying their mortgage because they believed the house was haunted. The bank then took back the property.
Contents
History of Clifton Hall
Early Beginnings: Domesday Book
The area of Clifton was first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086. This was a huge survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror. Clifton Hall is built on top of a cliff overlooking the River Trent. This spot was likely chosen because it was easy to defend. Clifton Hall was originally a strong, fortified building called a tower house. It was designed for both living in and for protection.
The Clifton Family's Long History
The Clifton family owned the manor for about 700 years. Here are some of the notable members:
- Gervase de Clifton (late 1200s): He bought the manor of Clifton and started using "de Clifton" as his family name.
- Sir Gervase de Clifton (died 1324): He was the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests four times. A High Sheriff was a very important official who helped keep law and order. He was also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Nottinghamshire in 1294. An MP is someone elected to represent an area in the country's government.
- Sir John de Clifton (died 1403): He was an MP and High Sheriff. King Henry IV made him a Knight Banneret before the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, where he was sadly killed. His marriage brought more land to the Clifton family.
- Sir Gervase Clifton (died 1471): He was beheaded after the Battle of Tewkesbury during the Wars of the Roses.
- Sir Gervase Clifton (1438-1491): He was on the losing side for King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.
- Sir Gervase Clifton (died 1588), known as Gervase the Gentle: He was a favorite of the Tudor kings and queens.
- Sir Gervase Clifton, 1st Baronet (1587-1666), known as Gervase the Great: He became a Baronet in 1611. A Baronet is a special title, like a knight, that can be passed down in the family. King Charles I even stayed at Clifton Hall as his guest in 1632! Sir Gervase built new stables for the King's visit.
What Clifton Hall Looks Like
Clifton Hall was originally three stories high. A beautiful feature of the estate was Clifton Grove. This was a 2-mile (3.2 km) long double row of elm trees. It ran alongside the River Trent towards Wilford. It was probably planted by Sir Gervase Clifton, 6th Baronet, in the late 1600s. In the 1800s, Clifton was well known for its lovely grassy terraces and the grove.
How the Hall Was Rebuilt
The house was mostly rebuilt between 1778 and 1797. This work was done by a later Sir Gervase Clifton. He hired a famous architect from the north of England, John Carr of York. It was likely during this time that the original tower of the house was taken down. The south wing of the Hall is Carr's design. The north wing was built later, probably for servants to live and work in.
In the 1940s, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Thomas Clifton started selling off parts of the Clifton family's land. A local story says that a painting in the Hall of the colonel on horseback was originally meant to be of his daughter. The story claims it was changed after she died in a riding accident. However, this story is not true. Both of the colonel's daughters lived longer than him and later got married.
In 1947, a large area of the family's land in Clifton was sold. Then, in 1953, an auction was held to sell the contents of Clifton Hall. Finally, in 1958, Peter Thomas Clifton sold Clifton Hall itself. This ended the Clifton family's 700 years of owning the estate.
After the Clifton Family Left
In 1958, Clifton Hall became the Clifton Hall Girls' Grammar School. This school closed in 1976. After that, Nottingham Trent University used the Hall until 2002. In the early 2000s, the Hall was sold to Chek Whyte. He built new houses on the grounds. He also changed Clifton Hall into two fancy apartments: the South Wing and the North Wing.
Anwar Rashid bought the South Wing in January 2007. He wanted to use it for weddings. However, in May 2007, the council said he couldn't hold weddings or other events there. Rashid moved out after only eight months. He claimed that Clifton Hall was haunted. The North Wing apartment was sold in March 2016 for £1,250,000.
Reports of Haunting
Clifton Hall has had a reputation for being haunted by ghosts for a long time. People talked about it even when it was a school between 1958 and 1976.
Anwar Rashid, a wealthy businessman, bought the South Wing of Clifton Hall in January 2007. The Hall originally had 52 rooms, including 17 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. It was divided into two apartments between 2001 and 2003. Rashid, his wife Nabila, and their four children moved into the house the same month they bought it.
From their very first day, they said they experienced strange things. They believed Clifton Hall was haunted. On their first evening, they reportedly heard knocking on the wall. A voice asked, "Is anyone there?" They looked but found no one. Rashid said, "The day we moved in we had our first experience. We sat down in the evening to relax and there was a knock on the wall. We heard this, 'Hello, is anyone there'? We ignored it the first time but two minutes later we heard the man's voice again. I got up to have a look but the doors were locked and the windows were closed."
Another time, Nabila, Anwar Rashid's wife, thought she saw her oldest daughter watching TV downstairs at 5 a.m. But when she checked her daughter's room, her daughter was still asleep in bed. Eventually, the family's friends stopped wanting to visit the house.
To try and get rid of the ghosts, the family invited a group called the Ashfield Paranormal Investigation Team (T.A.P.I.T.). The investigators could not stop the strange events. The leader of the group said, "Clifton Hall is the only place where I've ever really been scared, even in the light. It's just got a really eerie feeling about it."
The family decided to leave when they found drops of blood on their 18-month-old son's quilt. Rashid said, "When we found red blood spots on the baby's quilt, that was the day my wife said she'd had enough. We didn't even stay that night."
After living in Clifton Hall for eight months, the family moved out in August 2007. They stopped paying the mortgage in January 2008. On September 18, 2008, the Yorkshire Bank took back the property. Speaking about his time in Clifton Hall, Rashid said, "When people used to tell me about ghosts, I would never believe them and would say 'whatever'. But I would have to tell any new owner that it was haunted having experienced it."
