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Highcliffe Castle is a Grade I
listed building owned by
Christchurch Borough Council. It was
built between 1831 and 1835 by Lord
Stuart de Rothesay. It has been
described as "the most important
remaining example of the Romantic
and Picturesque style of
architecture."The Castle was built
on the site previously occupied by
High Cliff, a Georgian mansion
designed for the 3rd Earl of Bute (a
founder of Kew Gardens), with
grounds laid out by Capability
Brown. The Earl's fourth son,
General Sir Charles Stuart who sold
the estate apart from Bure Homage, a
small house on its outskirts,
inherited High Cliff. All that
remains of High Cliff today are the
two entrance lodges, presently being
used as a restaurant and some of the
garden walls.
The son of Sir Charles Stuart, resolved that one day he would repurchase
his grandfather's estate and build his own home there. A distinguished
diplomat, his long and accomplished career resulted firstly in being given
a knighthood, and culminated in his being raised to the peerage by George
IV. In 1828 Sir Charles Stuart became Lord Stuart de Rothesay. Early retirement
meant Lord Stuart could pursue his dream and by 1830 he had bought back
much of the eastern end of the estate.
He
employed architect William Donthorne,
a founder member of RIBA, to design
his new home, Highcliffe Castle. The
design incorporated large quantities
of carved medieval stonework which
Lord Stuart had acquired from the
Norman Benedictine Abbey of St Peter
at Jumieges and from the Grande
Maison des Andelys, both of which
had become derelict following the
French Revolution. The most famous
pieces are an entire oriel window
and also a complete window of
stained glass, both from the
sixteenth century. Examples of
stained glass from France and other
European countries, dating as far
back as the twelfth century, were
also introduced.
The
Castle was built almost "L" shaped
and positioned on a south-east axis
with the oriel window placed
centrally on the south-east
elevation. This was to incorporate a
vista through landscaped gardens
across Christchurch Bay to the
Needles and the Isle of Wight. The
end result was a remarkable and
unique building in the Romantic
Picturesque style, which remained in
the family until 1950 when much of
the estate was sold separately from
the castle. The land has since been
developed almost up to the castle
walls, with bungalows. Since then
the future of the Castle has not
been so assured. At the beginning of
the 50s the Castle was a children's
home, before being sold in 1953 to
the Claretian Missionary fathers as
firstly a noviciate, then for use as
a seminary. However, rising costs
and a restructuring of the
scholasticate (body of students
studying for priesthood) saw the
Claretians moving in 1966 to be
attached to Heythrop College. This
led to the Castle being put up for
sale once more. |
