- Notable guests: Mahatma Gandhi, John Profumo, Christine Keeler, Harold Macmillan.
- Royal connection: Meghan Markle stayed here before her wedding to Prince Harry.
- National Trust: Property open to the public seasonally with grounds accessible year-round.
- Historic scandal: Site of the 1960s Profumo affair, adding a touch of notorious glamour.
- Luxury hotel: 5-star manor house near London with top service and facilities.
- Enter your dates & check prices here.
Meghan Markle left Cliveden House, near Windsor, on the morning of Saturday 19th May for her wedding to Prince Harry, having spent her last night as a single woman there.
We can’t be sure how much time she spent considering her accommodation options in the area but whichever way the highly glamorous Cliveden House was an excellent choice.
From April to October on Thursdays and Sundays the doors of, at least part of, the magnificent property, are open to the admiring gaze of the public while all year round its beautifully manicured grounds are on display until evening.
It’s a National Trust property, and one which attracts visitors from all around England and indeed the world.
But, unlike most other National Trust properties, Cliveden House is of course also a top-of-the-range, 5-star luxury castle hotel, conveniently near London.
The hotel possesses the sort of dubious glamour that is irresistible to many visitors, for you cannot mention Clivedon House without making reference to one of the most famous ever scandals in British political history.
This was the so-called Profumo affair of the 1960s, an affair which ended the career of John Profumo and ultimately Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government.
It was by the swimming pool at Cliveden in 1961 that the two main protagonists of the story, Profumo and Christine Keeler, first met and the rest, as they say, is history.
Such was the notoriety of Cliveden for this story alone that it has tended to overshadow its enormous success as a luxury manor house hotel.
Since opening its doors to the public in 1985 it regularly appears in lists of the world’s best hotels and has a wealth of facilities to compliment its high levels of service and comfort.
The whole property oozes the kind of style and class that they just don’t make much of anymore.
The Rooms:
- Variety of rooms: 38 rooms and suites from classic doubles to deluxe honeymoon suites.
- Self-catering option: Three-bedroom cottage by the Thames, originally an 1813 tea room.
- Individually styled: Rooms echo medieval, Victorian, and mid-20th century styles.
- Luxurious comfort: All rooms feature seating areas, modern facilities, and some balconies or terraces.
- See each room in detail here
There is a choice of 38 rooms and suites that range from classic double rooms to deluxe honeymoon suites.
They also have a three-bedroom self-catering cottage by the river Thames which was originally built as a rather opulent tea room for the Countess of Orkney in 1813.
It is beautifully maintained and decorated in 20th-century retro style, lending itself more to the nineteen forties through sixties than the 1810s.
The rooms and suites in the main building are all individually themed and styled, and echo different elements of the history of the house, from almost medieval and Victorian styles to 50s and 60s.
All of them are lavish though and extremely comfortable with seating areas and all modern facilities. Some also come with a balcony or terrace with garden views.
You can of course expect all of the accommodation, and the service, to be of exceptionally high quality. There cannot be a building in the country that has seen so many important guests, even well before it became a paying hotel.
Prices:
Enter your dates & check prices here.
Facilities & Things to Do:
- Breakfast excellence: Exceptionally good breakfasts for all guests.
- Fine dining: André Garrett Restaurant with 3 AA Rosettes and seasonal tasting menus.
- Casual option: Astor Grill in the old stables offers British and American dishes.
- Afternoon tea: Served in the Great Hall with drinks in the Library Bar.
- Swimming & spa: Iconic indoor pool with adjoining spa facilities.
- Estate activities: 376 acres with gardens, woodland, tennis courts, maze, sculptures, and historic buildings.
- River trips: Arrange luxury champagne cruises or casual picnic boat outings on the Thames.
The breakfasts are incredibly good and later in the day you have two excellent restaurants to choose from.
The first is the 3 AA Rosette winning André Garrett Restaurant offering inventive fine dining in grand surroundings.
Its three-course à la carte and eight-course tasting menus showcase seasonal English ingredients.
Then there is the more American-style Astor Grill in the old stable houses, named after the Astors, its infamous former owners (see below in the history section).
It is a more laid-back venue with a hint of retro diner about it and it does a popular line of ‘classic British and American dishes’.
You can also enjoy some very opulent afternoon tea served in the great hall and a drink in the cosy surrounds of the Library Bar.
None of the food or drink at the hotel could be described as cheap, though this is probably not surprising to hear.
Britain’s once most famous swimming pool is still in use and a popular focus, with the adjoining, and very excellent, spa facilities and indoor pool also much in demand.
The estate itself, all 376 acres of it, is now looked after by the National Trust and is a joy to explore; there are beautifully landscaped gardens and old stretches of woodland all around.
There are tennis courts on site, a classic maze, various garden games, interesting sculpture and artworks.
Beautiful buildings too, including the Pavilion, the Octagonal Temple, and the Amphitheatre where, as it happens, the world’s first recital of ‘Rule Britannia’ took place.
The estate also runs down to the banks of the River Thames and there are various boat trips that you can arrange at Cliveden, from luxury champagne cruises to more informal picnic trips in vintage boats.
The Location:
- Easy access: Located between M4 and M40 with Heathrow just 15 miles away.
- Quick London trips: Less than 45 minutes to central London in light traffic.
- Scenic surroundings: Chiltern Hills and Ridgeway National Trail to the north.
- Nearby towns: Henley on Thames to the west and Windsor & Eton to the south.
In rural Berkshire, roughly between the M4 and M40 motorways, Cliveden House has easy access to London, and especially to Heathrow Airport, just 15 miles away.
If you get lucky with the traffic you can be there in less than 45 minutes from the very centre of London, with the quickest route being to take the A40/M40 towards Oxford before turning off to the west just before Beaconsfield and the A355.
The surroundings, and not just Cliveden House, have long been something of a playground for the upper classes.
The gorgeous Chiltern Hills with Britain’s oldest road, the Ridgeway National Trail, are to the north.
Henley on Thames with its famous boat race is to the west and of course the infamous Windsor and Eton, with their impeccable Royal connections, lie to the south.
Some History:
- Built in 1666: Original home for George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham.
- Early scandals: Buckingham involved in duel and mistress affair.
- Fires & rebuilds: Multiple destructions and reconstructions, including Italianate redesign by Charles Barry.
- Astor era: Bought by William Waldorf Astor in 1893; turned into private social hub.
- Famous guests: Winston Churchill, F.D. Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi, Rudyard Kipling, Charlie Chaplin.
- National Trust: Gifted in 1942, continued residence by Astors.
- Profumo affair: 1961 scandal at pool linked Cliveden to tabloid history.
The original Cleveden House was built in 1666 as a home for George Villiers, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham a roguish character, whose fortunes ebbed and flowed over the years but who had, within two years of moving into his new house, already embroiled himself in scandal.
During that time the married George found himself a mistress, Anna, Countess of Shrewsbury, something which led to a sword duel with her presumably irate husband, Lord Shrewsbury.
The venue for this was unclear, some accounts give it as being on the lawn at Cleveden House while others say it was in Barn Elms, London.
This duel resulted in the death of Shrewsbury and with that George would comfort the widow he had created by moving her into Cleveden to live alongside himself and his wife.
The whole affair, just under 300 years before the Profumo shenanigans, caused quite the scandal at the time, with the story finding its way into writings of the famous London socialite diarist Samuel Pepys.
Some Guest Reviews:
“Staff were charming, friendly and super-helpful. Made a great fuss of our dog, Pepe, who was treated like royalty! The grounds were spectacularly beautiful, and the accommodation was comfortably luxurious. An unforgettable experience all round….”
“We had 2 nights at Cliveden in a fabulous suite, first night was the tasting menu with wine pairing…3 hours later we were not only thoroughly full, we were stunned by the quality and service, its a must do!!! 2nd night we went a la-carte – the Beef Wellington was singularly the best piece of beef we have ever had, Chef Andre is a magician. we also had the pleasure of meeting the Maestro in person which was a great treat….”
