Opis
Cliveden House has a 350‑year history shaped by royalty, politics, scandal, and reinvention. First developed in the 1660s when George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, purchased the estate, he built the original grand house as a lavish retreat overlooking the Thames. It became a centre for political entertaining and intrigue, famously linked to his affair with Anna Brudnell, Countess of Shrewsbury. National Trust In 1696, the estate passed to the Earl of Orkney, beginning more than a century of Orkney family stewardship. Later, Frederick, Prince of Wales, leased Cliveden in the 1730s, cementing its status as a royal residence. Cliveden House
Cliveden suffered two devastating fires—in 1795 and again in 1849—each destroying the main house. The second blaze was so vast that Queen Victoria reportedly saw the smoke from Windsor and sent fire engines to assist. Cliveden House
The present Italianate mansion was rebuilt in the mid‑19th century and later purchased in 1893 by the wealthy Astor family, transforming Cliveden into a hub of high society, political gatherings, and the famed “Cliveden Set.” Cliveden House
Today, Cliveden stands as a luxurious hotel and National Trust treasure, celebrated for its architecture, gardens, and storied past.
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