Cliveden

Cliveden is a Grade I listed building, constructed around 1850-1851 by Sir Charles Barry. It is located on Cliveden Road in Taplow, on the site of a house built by William Winde between 1674 and 1677 for George Villiers, the Second Duke of Buckingham.

The entrance facade, facing north, is designed in a Cinquecento style and features three storeys with nine bays. The ground floor includes a central three-bay porte cochere, added in 1869 by H Clutton, which is supported by coupled Tuscan columns and flanked by arched windows with Gibbs surrounds. The upper floors are rusticated and adorned with Ionic pilasters. The first-floor windows are topped with pediments and blank balconies, while the second-floor windows are set in moulded surrounds. A frieze with an incised Latin inscription runs along the top, and a balustrade with urns completes the design. Low balustraded quadrants with attached Tuscan columns connect the main building to two-storeyed side wings that have seven bays, with the central three bays slightly advanced.

The interior was altered and redecorated by J Loughborough Pearson for Lord Astor in the 1890s. Notable features include a genuine Francois-Premier fireplace in the hall and authentic French Rococo panelling from the chateau of Asmores, dating to around 1755, in the dining room.

The garden facade, facing south, is similar to the entrance front but includes an additional single-storeyed bay on either side and is elevated above two terraces.