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 Cliveden, 1824-1868 - Second Fire and Rebirth
Sir George Warrender, bon viveur and property heir, commissioned the rebuilding of Cliveden following the first disastrous fire in 1795. With Sir George as host, Cliveden soon regained the splendour of its earlier days and he also established the tone of relaxed hospitality for which it is known today. Sir George is quoted as saying, “My rule is to say to my friends we breakfast at 10 and dine at 7 and all the rest of the time you do as you please”.
Following his death in 1849, Cliveden was inherited by Sir George’s brother John, who in the same year sold it to the Duke of Sutherland for £30,000. Bad luck was to strike very quickly, however, and Cliveden suffered its second catastrophic fire in November 1849.
The architect Charles Barry, responsible for designing Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, was chosen to draw up and rebuild Cliveden for the third time. The resulting Italianate villa – the majestic building we see today – is considered to be one of Barry’s masterpieces. He clearly took inspiration from much earlier designs for the House, together with Somerset House in London, built by John Webb in 1662.
Barry’s successor on the Cliveden project was Henry Clutton, responsible for the striking 100-foot tall Water Tower which stands to the west of the House (completed in 1861). The gardens also underwent a transformation at the hands of John Fleming, one of the leading garden designers of the day. The Parterre remains laid out in the same style that Fleming introduced in 1855. Nor was Fleming’s work confined to formal bedding schemes. In the 1860’s he planted massed spring flowers in the adjoining woods, including swards of bluebells for which Cliveden remains noted today.
It was also during this time that Cliveden began a long association with progressive, Liberal politics, as embodied by the Duchess of Sutherland’s close association with Prime Minister William Gladstone.
What is more, Queen Victoria visited Cliveden eight times during her reign, on one occasion with an entourage of no less than 90 people. The widowed Queen always brought two portraits of her beloved Prince Albert with her, one placed at the foot of her bed on an easel and the other, much smaller one by her pillow.
More History ...
The 2nd Duke of Buckingham
The First Earl of Orkney
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Three Countesses of Orkney
Cliveden's 'golden age'
Nancy, Lady Astor
Cliveden and the Profumo Affair
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Duke of Sutherland built the house in 1850
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Cliveden Clock Tower
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