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Manor of Clifton

April 11, 2024

The Manor of Clifton was a historic manor situated near the City of Nottingham, England. The manor house, known as Clifton Hall is situated on the right bank of the River Trent in the village of Clifton, Nottinghamshire,[1] (grid reference SK54043483).[2] about 3+1⁄2 miles south-west of the historic centre of the City of Nottingham, now partly the campus of Nottingham Trent University and partly a large council estate of modern housing.

Clifton Hall standing above the River Trent, viewed from north-west
Clifton Hall, east front
Clifton Hall in 2008, east front, viewed from graveyard of the Church of St Mary the Virgin

The Hall is a 13,946 square feet (1,295.6 m2) Grade I listed building,[3] and is situated within the Clifton Village Conservation Area.[4] Clifton Hall was remodelled in the late 18th century in Georgian style. The manor was held by the de Clifton (later Clifton) family from the late 13th century to the mid-20th century.

In 2008 Clifton Hall rose to national prominence when it was reported in tabloid newspapers that its millionaire owner, Anwar Rashid, and his family had left the South Wing of the house and stopped paying the mortgage because they believed it was haunted.[5] It was repossessed by the bank and is currently for sale at £2.7m.[6]

History edit

Domesday Book edit

The manor of Clifton was noted in the Domesday Book of 1086. Clifton Hall is on top of a cliff on the edge of the village of Clifton, overlooking the River Trent,[7] probably because the site was easily defensible.[8] Clifton Hall was originally a fortified tower house, designed for defence as well as habitation.[7]

de Clifton edit

 
Arms of Clifton of Clifton, Nottingham: Sable semée of cinquefoils and a lion rampant argent

Description of Hall edit

 
Cliftons Elm grove can be seen in the distance to the left in this 1695 landscape painting by Jan Siberechts

The Hall was three stories high.[7] Clifton Grove, a 2 miles (3.2 km) long double avenue of elm trees running alongside the River Trent to Wilford, was probably planted by Sir Gervase Clifton, 6th Baronet in the late 17th century. Clifton was well known in the 19th century for its grassy terraces and the grove.[7]

Rebuild edit

The house was largely rebuilt between 1778 and 1797 by a later Sir Gervase Clifton, who employed the premier architect in the north of England John Carr of York. It was probably during this remodelling that the tower of the original house was demolished. The octagonal domed hall built by Sir Robert Clifton, which incorporated many of the old rooms of the house,[7] c. 1750 was retained during the rebuilding.[14] The south wing of the Hall is Carr's work, but the north wing is of a later date, probably used by servants as quarters and a working area.[4][citation needed][15]

 
Clifton Hall, east front entrance

In 1896 Sir Hervey Juckes Lloyd Bruce, 4th Baronet (1843–1919) succeeded his cousin Henry Robert Clifton, to part of the Clifton estates. The early Bruce years at Clifton are recalled in Henry James Bruce's book Silken Dalliance (1946).[16]

Lieutenant Colonel Peter Thomas Clifton began in the 1940s to sell off the remainder of the Clifton family estates. A local legend states erroneously that a portrait in the Hall of the colonel on horseback was originally intended to be one of his daughter, but was changed when she died while it was being painted, in a riding accident in Clifton Grove.[17] The story is however untrue as both of the colonel's daughters outlived the colonel and later married.[18] Further alterations were made in the 19th century and a conversion in 1953,[19] when the south front was most likely altered as seen in the photos from c. 1900.

In 1947, 944 acres (382 ha) (3,820,000 sqm) of the family's land in Clifton was sold and an auction of the contents of Clifton Hall was held in 1953. In 1958 Peter Thomas Clifton sold Clifton Hall and the remains of the estate, thus ending a period of 700 years of ownership by his family.[7]

After the Clifton family edit

In 1958 the Hall became Clifton Hall Girls' Grammar School, which closed in 1976. Nottingham Trent University, then Trent Polytechnic,[7] then used the Hall until 2002.[4] In the early 2000s it was sold to Chek Whyte, who built houses on the grounds and converted Clifton Hall into two luxury apartments, the South Wing and the North Wing.[7] Fourteen houses were built to the south east of the Hall.[4] Anwar Rashid bought the South Wing in January 2007[20] and applied to Nottingham City Council for a licence to hold weddings.[20] In May 2007 the council refused planning permission to hold civil ceremonies and partnerships, conferences, training courses or media events.[21] Rashid moved out after eight months, claiming Clifton Hall was haunted.[20] The North Wing 5 bedroom apartment was sold in March 2016 for £1,250,000.[22]

Haunting edit

A reputation of Clifton Hall as haunted by ghosts stretches back to at least the time when it was used as a school between 1958 and 1976.[17]

Anwar Rashid, a businessman with a £25 million fortune and a portfolio of 26 properties, bought the South Wing of the Clifton Hall in January 2007.[20] The 52-room Hall originally included 17 bedrooms,[23] 10 reception rooms and 10 bathrooms,[21] divided in 2001-2003 into two apartments: the 9 bedroom South Wing and the 5 bedroom North Wing. Rashid made his fortune from a chain of nursing homes and a hotel in Dubai.[20] Thirty-two-year-old Rashid and his family, consisting of his 25-year-old wife Nabila, three daughters, and an infant son, moved into the hall the same month they bought it.

From the first day in the house they allegedly experienced paranormal activity, leading them to believe that Clifton Hall was haunted. On the first evening they spent in the house, there was reportedly a knocking on the wall and a voice saying "is anyone there?", however they did not find anyone making the noises.[23] Rashid said "The day we moved in we had our first experience. We sat down in the evening to relax and there was a knock on the wall. We heard this, 'Hello, is anyone there'? We ignored it the first time but two minutes later we heard the man's voice again. I got up to have a look but the doors were locked and the windows were closed."[21]

On another occasion Nabila, Anwar Rashid's wife, thought she saw her eldest daughter watching television downstairs at 5 a.m., however when she checked in her daughter's room, Nabila discovered her daughter was still in bed. Eventually, the family's friends refused to go round to the house.[23]

Eager to get rid of the ghosts the family believed were haunting them, they invited Ashfield Paranormal Investigation Team (T.A.P.I.T.) to investigate the hall. The investigators were unable to stop the haunting and the leader of the group said "Clifton Hall is the only place where I've ever really been scared, even in the light. It's just got a really eerie feeling about it".[23] When drops of blood were found on the baby's quilt of their 18-month-old son, the family decided to leave. Rashid said "When we found red blood spots on the baby's quilt, that was the day my wife said she'd had enough. We didn't even stay that night".

After spending eight months in Clifton Hall, the family moved out of the house in August 2007. They stopped paying the mortgage in January 2008 and, on 18 September 2008, the Yorkshire Bank reclaimed the property. Speaking of his experience in Clifton Hall, Rashid said "When people used to tell me about ghosts, I would never believe them and would say 'whatever'. But I would have to tell any new owner that it was haunted having experienced it".[20]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ latitude=52.907906; longitude=-1.196309
  2. ^ Historic England. "Clifton Hall (317834)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 23 September 2008.
  3. ^ Listed building text
  4. ^ a b c d "Clifton ward south: Report of services director planning, transport and highways". NottinghamCity.gov.uk. 23 May 2007. Retrieved on 25 September 2008.
  5. ^ "Millionaire spooked from mansion". BBC News. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  6. ^ "The Most Expensive Repossessed Properties".
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "Clifton Family of Clifton: A Brief History". Nottingham University. Retrieved on 23 September 2008.
  8. ^ "Clifton Hall — The Epiphany Of Elegance — History". CliftonHall.co.uk. 2006. Retrieved on 23 September 2008.
  9. ^ Clifton Family of Clifton: a Brief History[1], introduction to Clifton of Clifton Collection, Manuscripts and Special Collections, University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections
  10. ^ Betham, William, The Baronetage of England: or The History of the English Baronets, Volume 1, Ipswich, 1801, p.49 et seq.[2]
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Clifton Family of Clifton: a Brief History (University of Nottingham)
  12. ^ "Royal link to historic listed building". ThisisNottingham.co.uk. 19 September 2008. Retrieved on 23 September 2008.
  13. ^ Mark Girouard, Robert Smythson, pp 269f.
  14. ^ Howard Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840, 3rd ed. (Yale University Press), 1995, s.v. "Carr, John", "Smythson, John".
  15. ^ 'Townships: Clifton', A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4 (1911), pp. 404–406. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41445. Date accessed: 23 September 2008.
  16. ^ Biography of Sir Hervey Juckes Lloyd Bruce (1843-1919) at nottingham.ac.uk, accessed 17 January 2011
  17. ^ a b "Clifton Hall: So Creepy". ThisisNottingham.co.uk. 23 September 2008. Retrieved on 23 September 2008.
  18. ^ "Person Page — 18618". thePeerage.com. Retrieved on 25 September 2008.
  19. ^ Stuff, Good. "Clifton Hall, Clifton South, Nottingham". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  20. ^ a b c d e f "Millionaire spooked from mansion". BBC Online. 21 September 2008. Retrieved on 23 September 2008.
  21. ^ a b c Alastair JamiesoJohn (21 September 2008). "Spooked businessman flees 'haunted' mansion". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 23 September 2008.
  22. ^ "Property valuation for Clifton Hall, North Wing, Holgate, Nottingham, City Of Nottingham, NG11 8NH | The Move Market". themovemarket.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  23. ^ a b c d Jonathan Brown (22 September 2008). "Family abandon their 'haunted' dream home". The Independent. Retrieved on 23 September 2008.

Further reading edit

  • Bloomfield, Anne (2005). The Clifton Dynasty: A Chronicle of the Cliftons of Clifton Hall, Nottinghamshire. AuthorHouse UK DS. ISBN 1-4208-2883-5.
  • Bruce, Rev. Rosslyn, Rector of Clifton, The Clifton Book (Nottingham), 1906, esp. Chapter III. The Cliftons of Clifton[3]

External links edit

  • Clifton Hall website

52°54′28″N 1°11′47″W / 52.9079°N 1.1963°W / 52.9079; -1.1963

April 11, 2024
manor, clifton, historic, manor, situated, near, city, nottingham, england, manor, house, known, clifton, hall, situated, right, bank, river, trent, village, clifton, nottinghamshire, grid, reference, sk54043483, about, miles, south, west, historic, centre, ci. The Manor of Clifton was a historic manor situated near the City of Nottingham England The manor house known as Clifton Hall is situated on the right bank of the River Trent in the village of Clifton Nottinghamshire 1 grid reference SK54043483 2 about 3 1 2 miles south west of the historic centre of the City of Nottingham now partly the campus of Nottingham Trent University and partly a large council estate of modern housing Clifton Hall standing above the River Trent viewed from north westClifton Hall east frontClifton Hall in 2008 east front viewed from graveyard of the Church of St Mary the VirginThe Hall is a 13 946 square feet 1 295 6 m2 Grade I listed building 3 and is situated within the Clifton Village Conservation Area 4 Clifton Hall was remodelled in the late 18th century in Georgian style The manor was held by the de Clifton later Clifton family from the late 13th century to the mid 20th century In 2008 Clifton Hall rose to national prominence when it was reported in tabloid newspapers that its millionaire owner Anwar Rashid and his family had left the South Wing of the house and stopped paying the mortgage because they believed it was haunted 5 It was repossessed by the bank and is currently for sale at 2 7m 6 Contents 1 History 1 1 Domesday Book 1 2 de Clifton 2 Description of Hall 2 1 Rebuild 2 2 After the Clifton family 3 Haunting 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksHistory editDomesday Book edit The manor of Clifton was noted in the Domesday Book of 1086 Clifton Hall is on top of a cliff on the edge of the village of Clifton overlooking the River Trent 7 probably because the site was easily defensible 8 Clifton Hall was originally a fortified tower house designed for defence as well as habitation 7 de Clifton edit nbsp Arms of Clifton of Clifton Nottingham Sable semee of cinquefoils and a lion rampant argentGervase de Clifton fl late 13th c In the late 13th century Gervase de Clifton purchased the manor of Clifton together with nearby Wilford from the de Rodes family 9 and adopted the surname de Clifton from his new seat His family had long been settled in the area and his earliest known English ancestor was the 11th century Alvaredus warden of Nottingham Castle 10 Sir Gervase de Clifton d 1324 four times High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire Derbyshire and the Royal Forests firstly in 1279 also four times Sheriff of Yorkshire He was MP for Nottinghamshire in 1294 11 Sir Gervase de Clifton 1313 1391 High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire Derbyshire and the Royal Forests 1345 Escheator in 1345 and MP in 1347 48 In 1367 he was a Commissioner of Array for Nottinghamshire 11 Sir John de Clifton d 1403 grandson MP for Nottinghamshire in 1402 High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire Derbyshire and the Royal Forests Created a Knight Banneret by King Henry IV before the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403 in which battle he was killed In 1382 he married Cathering Cressy daughter and heiress of Sir John Cressy of Hodsock Her inheritance of Hodsock and other estates in north Nottinghamshire and in Yorkshire came to the Clifton family 11 Sir Gervase Clifton d 1453 only son MP for Nottinghamshire in 1425 26 and several times appointed a JP for Nottinghamshire 11 He married Isabel Fraunceys d 13 June 1457 the daughter of Sir Robert Fraunceys of Foremark Derbyshire Sir Gervase Clifton d 1471 beheaded after the Battle of Tewkesbury He was son of Sir Gervase Clifton d 15 November 1453 only son of Sir John Clifton d 1403 by his wife Katherine Cressy Sir Gervase Clifton 1438 1491 grandson of Sir Gervase Clifton d 1453 was a Yorkists during the Wars of the Roses He was appointed Treasurer of Calais in 1482 He fought on the losing side for King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 11 Sir Gervase Clifton d 1588 Gervase the Gentle His father died during his infancy He was a favourite of successive Tudor monarchs 11 Sir Gervase Clifton 1st Baronet 1587 1666 Gervase the Great grandson as an infant succeeded his grandfather MP and in 1611 was created a Baronet He married seven times 11 King Charles I stayed at Clifton Hall in 1632 as his guest 12 He prepared for the royal visit by extending his stables to the design of John Smythson son of the renowned Jacobean architect Robert Smythson other works may have been undertaken at the same time but none survive 13 In 1608 a junior branch of the family was created Baron Clifton of Leighton Bromswold in Huntingdonshire Description of Hall edit nbsp Cliftons Elm grove can be seen in the distance to the left in this 1695 landscape painting by Jan SiberechtsThe Hall was three stories high 7 Clifton Grove a 2 miles 3 2 km long double avenue of elm trees running alongside the River Trent to Wilford was probably planted by Sir Gervase Clifton 6th Baronet in the late 17th century Clifton was well known in the 19th century for its grassy terraces and the grove 7 Rebuild edit The house was largely rebuilt between 1778 and 1797 by a later Sir Gervase Clifton who employed the premier architect in the north of England John Carr of York It was probably during this remodelling that the tower of the original house was demolished The octagonal domed hall built by Sir Robert Clifton which incorporated many of the old rooms of the house 7 c 1750 was retained during the rebuilding 14 The south wing of the Hall is Carr s work but the north wing is of a later date probably used by servants as quarters and a working area 4 citation needed 15 nbsp Clifton Hall east front entranceIn 1896 Sir Hervey Juckes Lloyd Bruce 4th Baronet 1843 1919 succeeded his cousin Henry Robert Clifton to part of the Clifton estates The early Bruce years at Clifton are recalled in Henry James Bruce s book Silken Dalliance 1946 16 Lieutenant Colonel Peter Thomas Clifton began in the 1940s to sell off the remainder of the Clifton family estates A local legend states erroneously that a portrait in the Hall of the colonel on horseback was originally intended to be one of his daughter but was changed when she died while it was being painted in a riding accident in Clifton Grove 17 The story is however untrue as both of the colonel s daughters outlived the colonel and later married 18 Further alterations were made in the 19th century and a conversion in 1953 19 when the south front was most likely altered as seen in the photos from c 1900 In 1947 944 acres 382 ha 3 820 000 sqm of the family s land in Clifton was sold and an auction of the contents of Clifton Hall was held in 1953 In 1958 Peter Thomas Clifton sold Clifton Hall and the remains of the estate thus ending a period of 700 years of ownership by his family 7 After the Clifton family edit In 1958 the Hall became Clifton Hall Girls Grammar School which closed in 1976 Nottingham Trent University then Trent Polytechnic 7 then used the Hall until 2002 4 In the early 2000s it was sold to Chek Whyte who built houses on the grounds and converted Clifton Hall into two luxury apartments the South Wing and the North Wing 7 Fourteen houses were built to the south east of the Hall 4 Anwar Rashid bought the South Wing in January 2007 20 and applied to Nottingham City Council for a licence to hold weddings 20 In May 2007 the council refused planning permission to hold civil ceremonies and partnerships conferences training courses or media events 21 Rashid moved out after eight months claiming Clifton Hall was haunted 20 The North Wing 5 bedroom apartment was sold in March 2016 for 1 250 000 22 Haunting editA reputation of Clifton Hall as haunted by ghosts stretches back to at least the time when it was used as a school between 1958 and 1976 17 Anwar Rashid a businessman with a 25 million fortune and a portfolio of 26 properties bought the South Wing of the Clifton Hall in January 2007 20 The 52 room Hall originally included 17 bedrooms 23 10 reception rooms and 10 bathrooms 21 divided in 2001 2003 into two apartments the 9 bedroom South Wing and the 5 bedroom North Wing Rashid made his fortune from a chain of nursing homes and a hotel in Dubai 20 Thirty two year old Rashid and his family consisting of his 25 year old wife Nabila three daughters and an infant son moved into the hall the same month they bought it From the first day in the house they allegedly experienced paranormal activity leading them to believe that Clifton Hall was haunted On the first evening they spent in the house there was reportedly a knocking on the wall and a voice saying is anyone there however they did not find anyone making the noises 23 Rashid said The day we moved in we had our first experience We sat down in the evening to relax and there was a knock on the wall We heard this Hello is anyone there We ignored it the first time but two minutes later we heard the man s voice again I got up to have a look but the doors were locked and the windows were closed 21 On another occasion Nabila Anwar Rashid s wife thought she saw her eldest daughter watching television downstairs at 5 a m however when she checked in her daughter s room Nabila discovered her daughter was still in bed Eventually the family s friends refused to go round to the house 23 Eager to get rid of the ghosts the family believed were haunting them they invited Ashfield Paranormal Investigation Team T A P I T to investigate the hall The investigators were unable to stop the haunting and the leader of the group said Clifton Hall is the only place where I ve ever really been scared even in the light It s just got a really eerie feeling about it 23 When drops of blood were found on the baby s quilt of their 18 month old son the family decided to leave Rashid said When we found red blood spots on the baby s quilt that was the day my wife said she d had enough We didn t even stay that night After spending eight months in Clifton Hall the family moved out of the house in August 2007 They stopped paying the mortgage in January 2008 and on 18 September 2008 the Yorkshire Bank reclaimed the property Speaking of his experience in Clifton Hall Rashid said When people used to tell me about ghosts I would never believe them and would say whatever But I would have to tell any new owner that it was haunted having experienced it 20 See also editGrade I listed buildings in Nottinghamshire Listed buildings in Nottingham Clifton South ward References edit latitude 52 907906 longitude 1 196309 Historic England Clifton Hall 317834 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 23 September 2008 Listed building text a b c d Clifton ward south Report of services director planning transport and highways NottinghamCity gov uk 23 May 2007 Retrieved on 25 September 2008 Millionaire spooked from mansion BBC News Retrieved 21 November 2012 The Most Expensive Repossessed Properties a b c d e f g h Clifton Family of Clifton A Brief History Nottingham University Retrieved on 23 September 2008 Clifton Hall The Epiphany Of Elegance History CliftonHall co uk 2006 Retrieved on 23 September 2008 Clifton Family of Clifton a Brief History 1 introduction toClifton of Clifton Collection Manuscripts and Special Collections University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections Betham William The Baronetage of England or The History of the English Baronets Volume 1 Ipswich 1801 p 49 et seq 2 a b c d e f g Clifton Family of Clifton a Brief History University of Nottingham Royal link to historic listed building ThisisNottingham co uk 19 September 2008 Retrieved on 23 September 2008 Mark Girouard Robert Smythson pp 269f Howard Colvin A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600 1840 3rd ed Yale University Press 1995 s v Carr John Smythson John Townships Clifton A History of the County of Lancaster Volume 4 1911 pp 404 406 URL http www british history ac uk report aspx compid 41445 Date accessed 23 September 2008 Biography of Sir Hervey Juckes Lloyd Bruce 1843 1919 at nottingham ac uk accessed 17 January 2011 a b Clifton Hall So Creepy ThisisNottingham co uk 23 September 2008 Retrieved on 23 September 2008 Person Page 18618 thePeerage com Retrieved on 25 September 2008 Stuff Good Clifton Hall Clifton South Nottingham britishlistedbuildings co uk Retrieved 26 August 2021 a b c d e f Millionaire spooked from mansion BBC Online 21 September 2008 Retrieved on 23 September 2008 a b c Alastair JamiesoJohn 21 September 2008 Spooked businessman flees haunted mansion The Daily Telegraph Retrieved on 23 September 2008 Property valuation for Clifton Hall North Wing Holgate Nottingham City Of Nottingham NG11 8NH The Move Market themovemarket com Retrieved 26 August 2021 a b c d Jonathan Brown 22 September 2008 Family abandon their haunted dream home The Independent Retrieved on 23 September 2008 Further reading editBloomfield Anne 2005 The Clifton Dynasty A Chronicle of the Cliftons of Clifton Hall Nottinghamshire AuthorHouse UK DS ISBN 1 4208 2883 5 Bruce Rev Rosslyn Rector of Clifton The Clifton Book Nottingham 1906 esp Chapter III The Cliftons of Clifton 3 External links editClifton Hall website52 54 28 N 1 11 47 W 52 9079 N 1 1963 W 52 9079 1 1963 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Manor of Clifton amp oldid 1187774676, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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