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Cliveden House
Cliveden-2382.jpg
View looking north from the Ring in the Parterre showing Terrace Pavilion and Clock Tower to the left with Lower Terrace and Borghese Balustrade below
Hotel chain Iconic Luxury Hotels
General information
Coordinates 51°33′29″N 0°41′18″W / 51.558168°N 0.688258°W / 51.558168; -0.688258
Owner National Trust
Design and construction
Architect Charles Barry
Other information
Number of rooms 47 (including Spring Cottage)
Number of suites 15
Number of restaurants 2
Number of bars 1 (The Library Bar)
Facilities Spa, Tennis, Gym, 376 Acres of National Trust Managed Ground, Maze, Two Boats, Meeting Space

Cliveden is the name of a large house in Buckinghamshire near London, England. There have been three houses on this site. The first house was built in 1666 and burnt to the ground in a fire in 1795. A new house was built but this one also burnt down in a fire in 1849. The house which can be seen today was made in 1851 by Sir Charles Barry, an architect.

The house is now used as a hotel.

Cliveden House sits in a large garden and woodland, (375 acres). The garden contains many statues and fountains made from stone as well as areas of flowers. Cliveden is very close to the River Thames.

Cliveden means "valley among cliffs" and refers to the valley which cuts through part of the estate, east of the house.

Present house

Cliveden 02
The north front

The present house is a blend of the English Palladian style and the Roman Cinquecento. The Victorian three-storey mansion sits on a high brick terrace (visible only from the south side) which dates from the mid-17th century.

The exterior of the house is rendered in Roman cement, with terracotta additions. The roof of the mansion is meant for walking on, and there is a circular view, above the tree-line, of parts of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire including Windsor Castle to the south.

The nearby 100-foot (30m) clock tower was added in 1861. As a functioning water tower it still provides water for the house today. It is rendered in Roman cement like the rest of the house, and features four clock faces, and a half open staircase on its north side.

The original Cliveden maze, commissioned by Lord Astor in 1894, has undergone major restoration after having lain overgrown and inaccessible since the 1950s. It was replanted with 1,100 six-foot-tall yew trees covering an area of one-third of an acre (1.2 hectares) and opened to the public in 2011.

The Octagon Temple, situated 200 feet above the Thames, was originally designed as a gazebo and grotto but was later converted by the 1st Lord Astor to become the family chapel. The chapel was also adapted into the final resting place for the Astors. Its interior and dome are decorated with colorful mosaics representing religious scenes.

The pagoda in the water garden was made for the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867 and was purchased by the 1st Lord Astor.

Many famous and important people have lived at Cliveden. Some of these are:

In popular culture

Film and television

Cliveden is the location or inspiration for scenes in the following film and TV productions.

  • Mr Selfridge (Season 4, 2016) Bedrooms and French Dining Room.
  • Cinderella (2015) Cliveden's clock tower and shell fountain are the inspiration for the ones in the film.
  • A Little Chaos (2014) Gardens and grounds.
  • Sherlock Holmes (yet:2009) The French Dining Room stands in for a Parisian hotel bedroom.
  • Made of Honour (2008) The Library stands in for a New York study.
  • Cards on the Table (2005) Interior and exterior of Spring Cottage.
  • Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005) Gardens and grounds.
  • Thunderbirds (2004) Cliveden is used as the model for Lady Penelope's house, "Creighton-Ward Mansion".
  • Antiques Roadshow (2000) Valuation day held in the grounds.
  • Carrington (1995) The river Thames from the grounds.
  • Chaplin (1995) The river Thames from the grounds.
  • Scandal (1989) The story of the Profumo Affair. Although not filmed at Cliveden, it is inspired by events which took place there.
  • Dead Man's Folly (1986) Gardens and interior of Spring Cottage and river Thames.
  • Nancy Astor (1982) House and grounds appear as themselves in this BBC TV series.
  • Death on the Nile (1978) The main gates.
  • Operation Daybreak (1975) House appears as a WWII Czech HQ.
  • Don't Lose Your Head (1966) House and grounds.
  • The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1965) Grounds.
  • Help! (1965) House stands in for Buckingham Palace.
  • The Card (1952) Horse and carriage scenes in courtyard and stables.

Images for kids

  • Camino della sala grande nel Palazzo di Cliveden

    The Hall showing the fireplace and portrait of Nancy Astor

  • La sala da pranzo francese (Bloseries)

    The French Dining Room

  • CliveGardenFrontVitruviusBritannicus edited

    The 1666 house. Only the arcaded terrace remains today. From Colen Campbell's Vitruvius Britannicus, c.1717.

  • Frederick, Prince of Wales, and his sisters by Philip Mercier

    Frederick, Prince of Wales with his sisters, c. 1733, by Philippe Mercier

  • Clivedenmorris edited

    A 19th-century engraving of the 1851 house from the parterre

  • Nancy Viscountess Astor by John Singer Sargent

    Nancy, Lady Astor by John Singer Sargent. The painting hangs at Cliveden.

  • Cliveden War Cemetery, panorama

    Cliveden War Cemetery in the Cliveden grounds

  • Cliveden House Pavilion Spa-2735570282

    The Pavilion Spa. The outdoor pool was a key location in the Profumo affair.

  • Cliveden (7311006930)

    The parterre seen from the terrace, looking south, with the restored 19th-century style planting

  • Cliveden-2365

    Giacomo Leoni's 1735 "Octagon Temple"

  • The Fountain of Love (7958584598)

    Thomas Waldo Story's Fountain of Love inscribed 'Waldo Story Roma 1897'

  • Cliveden Estate from the River Thames - geograph.org.uk - 94809

    The west front of Spring Cottage across the River Thames with the Cliveden beechwoods behind.

  • Cliveden House Parterre

    The house from the Parterre showing the restored 19th-century planting scheme

  • Cliveden - Tortoise Fountain

    The Tortoise Fountain and view over the River Thames

  • Cliveden House, Maidenhead (7958658220)

    The North front with Clock Tower

  • Dukes Garden, Cliveden (7958654494)

    The dovecote behind the west-facing herbaceous border

  • Boathouse, Cliveden (7958632774)

    The 19th-century boathouse designed by George Devey

  • Cliveden-2375

    Sir Bertram MacKennal's figure representing Canada in the War Memorial Garden.

  • Long garden (9061139862)

    Topiary spiral in the Long Garden.

  • Boat Keepers House, Cliveden (7958635982)

    A 19th-century Thames-side cottage designed by George Devey

  • Secret Garden, Cliveden (7958662690)

    The circular Rose Garden with temporary herbaceous planting.

  • Water Garden Fountain (7958579702)

    The fountain in the Water garden

  • Wooden sculpture of a bear, Cliveden - geograph.org.uk - 60111

    Wooden bear sculpture in the woods

  • The Long Garden (7958599338)

    Topiary and summer planting in the Long Garden

  • Gilded clock, Cliveden - geograph.org.uk - 1209681

    Gilded surrounds of the clock faces on the tower

  • Yew Tree Walk (172 steps) (7958638240)

    Yew Tree Walk with its 172 cliff-side steps down to the Thames

  • Secret Garden, Cliveden (7958665142)

    Wounded Amazon statue purchased by W.W. Astor in the Rose Garden.

  • Cliveden House Driveway, Maidenhead (7958576650)

    The avenue leading up to the house

  • Pagoda (9058180373)

    The Pagoda in the Water Garden

  • Grotto, Cliveden - geograph.org.uk - 1209629

    The 19th-century flint folly in the woods

  • Part of the east parterre at Cliveden, taken from above

    Planting in the Parterre viewed from the terrace.

  • Temple at Cliveden - panoramio

    18th-century Blenheim Pavilion - one of the oldest garden buildings at Cliveden.

  • Fountain (9061302250)

    Jets of water around the Fountain of Love.

  • Cliveden-8461

    Concrete tree-trunk folly (an old chimney) near the estate offices.

  • Stone benches (9058834293)

    Seats in the Borghese Balustrade above the Parterre.

  • Baboon statues in Cliveden gardens-geograph-2579476

    Granite Baboon statues in the Long Garden.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Cliveden para niños

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