Cliveden, Maidenhead, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

Extensive and complex gardens, pleasure grounds and woodland; main phase early 18th century, utilising a late 17th century base. The 18th century work is largely extant, a base for 19th and 20th century additions and re-working of features. Early 18th century work by Charles Bridgeman; Alexander Pope influential. Rose garden design by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, 1950s.

NOTE This entry is a summary. Because of the complexity of this site, the standard Register entry format would convey neither an adequate description nor a satisfactory account of the development of the landscape. The user is advised to consult the references given below for more detailed accounts. Many Listed Buildings exist within the site, not all of which have been here referred to. Descriptions of these are to be found in the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest produced by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Cliveden lies 2 kilometres north of Taplow village, in the Chiltern Hills, on the east bank of the River Thames. The historic grounds cover about 85 hectares in total, most of which is woodland with designed rides surrounding a formal core of about 5 hectares. The land on the western boundary slopes precipitously down to the river. The house, sited towards the northern end of the grounds, overlooks the centre of the estate, together with a long stretch of the Thames to the south. A valley crosses the grounds from south-west to north-east, rising from south of the Great Parterre to the east of the house. The west boundary is defined by the River Thames, the east boundary by the Taplow Road, the north by the Cliveden to Bourne End lane, and the south by the Taplow Court estate. The Astors built a long brick wall along the north boundary and the northern half of the east boundary along the Taplow Road, which still survives. The setting is largely agricultural land, most importantly to the west, which is the setting for the magnificent views from the west of the site, both at the top of the scarp and on the riverside.

REFERENCES

Country Life, 32 (7 December 1912), pp 808-18; 70 (11 July 1931), pp 38-44; (18 July 1931), pp 68-74; (8 August 1931), p 165; 161 (24 February 1977), pp 438-41; (3 March 1977), pp 498-501

G Jackson-Stops, An English Arcadia, 1600-1900 (1992), pp 33-40, 124

Cliveden, guidebook, (National Trust 1994) [many maps reproduced]

N Pevsner and E Williamson, The Buildings of England: Buckinghamshire (1994), pp 253-8

National Trust Information File (11.2.97) [many maps reproduced]

Maps

Many historic maps of Cliveden exist. The user is advised to consult the Cliveden guidebook (National Trust 1994), the County Record Office and the National Trust for many of the most significant maps

Description written: 1997

Edited: June 1999