Guy's Cliffe House Ruins and St Mary Magdalene Chapel
Warwick, Warwick
Guys Cliffe House is a stunning ruin of an 18th and 19th century house on the banks of the River Avon in Warwick. The ancient site has caves associated with the legendary Guy of Warwick and medieval chapel founded as an oratory by St Dubritius, and is now owned by The Freemasons.
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Although not open to the public, the ruins can clearly be seen from the nearby Saxon Mill (see http://www.saxonmill.co.uk/ for details)
A house and the mill are mentioned in Domesday Book, but the mill had reputedly been functioning for two hundred years before this census.
Thus inhabited since Saxon times, the most famous legend of the site is that of Guy of Warwick. This Saxon noble, the legendary founder of Warwick Castle in the 10th Century, and killer of the Dun Cow, returned from his travels and adventures and retired to live out the rest of his days in a cave by the river, which still survives by the Chapel.
His wife, the lady Felice of Warwick, remained ignorant of his unannounced presence so close. Just before Guy died, he revealed his true identity to the poor lady who, overcome by grief, threw herself from the cliff where her husband had lived for so many years. It is said that her ghost, distraught with grief, still haunts the site.
The house was in immaculate condition as late as the early 20th Century as photographs from this time show, but more recently the house has suffered a tragic decline.
Various plans to either convert the house into a hotel or into luxury flats failed and after a number of unsuccessful attempts to fix the roof all furniture was sold off in a grand auction, as well as the lead roof and fittings in 1952. By now, the building was in a serious state of decay, and soon fell into ruin.
The chapel was leased to the freemasons who kept this in good condition however the house has had a rougher time, and its future is uncertain. Left open to the elements, it is clearly in a gradual state of decay and decline.
An episode of Sherlock Holmes, "The Last Vampyre", was filmed within the ruins in 1992, during which the house was further damaged by a fire that got out of control.
As the site is closed to the public and its future is unknown, it is impossible to tell what will happen to the surviving structure. It is, in any case, a very sad end to a wonderful house.
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For 2008
As part of the National Heritage Open Days, Guys Cliffe House will be open for visitors during 2008. More information can be found on the Heritage Open Days website.
The event will be staffed by the Friends of Guys Cliffe House who will be on hand to show the accessible parts of the property. Admission is FREE but donations accepted which helps maintain the house and preserve the heritage. Limited parking in grounds, disabled parking available. For those of you have have not paid a visit to Guys Cliffe House before & would like some directions please visit http://maps.google.co.uk/maps and type "Guys Cliffe House" in the search bar at the top.
Opening times
Please contact the attraction direct for details of opening times.
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