Cliffe Castle (Museum)

Description

This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.

KEIGHLEY SKIPTON ROAD SE 04 SE (east side) 5/252 Keighley

Cliffe Castle (Museum)

GV II

Large house, now museum. 1875-8, top storey removed 1950s. By George Smith of Bradford for a local manufacturer. Ashlar. High Victorian style. 2 storeys.

Windows are mullioned and transomed or single-light and have sashes and quoined surrounds. Entrance front: 4-storey tower has in front of it a round-arched embattled porte cochere with off-set angle buttresses and corbelled parapet, the whole decorated with relief sculpture and tracery. Tower has decorated oriel windows to 2nd floor, and is flanked by 2-storey bay windows. To far left is conservatory with glass doors, bay window and parapet. Rear: to right tall, single-storey, gabled music room projects, with canted end containing 3-light Pointed-arch window with transoms and plate tracery under hoodmould with floreated terminals which continues as stringcourse. Above window is shaped pediment with traceried wheel-window under hoodmould. Coping. Dragon finial holding iron weather-vane. Returns of music room have embattled parapets and, to right return, lateral stacks. C20 gallery to left not of interest. Right return: 4 stepped bays with 2-storeyed bay windows. Formerly gabled, but top storey removed.

Interior: porch has tesselleted floor, stained-glass windows and coffered ceiling with painting and plasterwork. Entrance hall has moulded and panelled arches.

Ornamented staircase with iron and wood balusters, stained-glass window, painted wood ceiling with hammerbeams and Gothic ornament. Octagonal stairwell has upper gallery on octagonal piers, iron rail, and central lantern. Breakfast room and conservatory to left of porch, the latter with pointed-arch arcades and iron ties to glass roof. To right of porch is range of music-, drawing-, dining- and drawing-rooms which retain original decor with Adam -style motifs, painted ceilings, roundels, panelling and fireplaces. Music room to rear left has parapet floor, decorative frieze, corbelled beams and coffered ceiling. Drawings in the museum show that before the alterations of the 1950s there was a castellated tower to rear, a round, steepled tower, and a round tower with cupola (base remains).

Of the Dutch gables to the top storey only one now remains.

Listing NGR: SE0577442109

Content

This is part of the Series: IOE01/2181 IOE Records taken by Alan V Whetton; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England

Rights

© Mr Alan V Whetton. Source: Historic England Archive

This photograph was taken for the Images of England project