Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-02-15

" WENT to Clifden, that stupen-
dous natural rock, wood and
! n prospect, OF the duke Of Buck
inghams building-of eXtraor.
binary expanse. The grotts in
the chalky rock are pretty-it is a ro-
mantle object, and the place alto
gether answers the most poetical de-
scription that can be made of solitude,
precipice, prospect or whatever can
contribute to a thing so very like
their imaginations. The stand is
something like Frascati as to its front,
and on the platform is a circular view
to the utmost verge of the horizon,
which, with the serpenting of the
Thames, is admirable. The staircase
is for its materials singular, and the
cloisters, descents, gardens and ave
nue. through the wood august and
stately. but the land all about barren
and producing nothing but ferne. In
deed, as | told his majesty that eve
ming (asking me how liked Clifden)
without flattery, that it did not please
me so we'll as Windsor for the pros
pect and park, there being but only
one opening, and that narrow, which
led one to any variety"
John Evelyn made this entry in his
diary more than two centuries ago,
but the impression made on the mod
ern visitor is no less rich and strik-
ing. Nothing of the dukes house re-
mains except the great under-building
of the magnificent terrace, 400 feet
long and % feet wide, but even this
has been much altered, especially in
the disposition of the stairways. The
gardens have been changed and the
prospect of the neighboring country is
no longer bare, but cultivated and
smiling.
Checkered History.
Although Evelyn was right in claim
ing for the royal castle a great and
unconfined outlook, the view from the
terrace at Windsor overlooking Elton
college and the meadows scarcely sur
passes the splendid picture which
meets the eye from the terrace at
Cliveden, with the Thames winding
like silver thread through the gaps
in foreground of trees. The house
has had an unusually checkered his
tory. There does not seem to have
been any building on the site until it
was bought by George Villiers, second
duke of Buckingham. some time after
the restoration. The architect was
Captain Wynne, or Winde, a native of
Holland and a pupil of Sir Balthazar
Gerber. He was man of considera-
BILE ability, and is, perhaps, best re-
membered now for his design of New
castle house, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
which remains, though somewhat al
tered. Very little is known of
Wynne. He must have been a friend
of Samuel Pepys, for he received a
twenty-shilling mourning ring at his
funeral in 1903, but there is no men
ton of him in the diary. We have no
space here to attempt a sketch of so
vivid and contradictory character
as George Villiers. Like Charles H..
he dabbled in the arts and sciences,
and as Bryan Fairfax wrote Of him,
spent much on building lin that sore
OF architecture which Cicero calls in
sanae substructiones." Unfortunately,
Fairfax, the author of the only con-
temporary biography OF the duke,
gives no details of his architectural
employments. The work at Cliveden
was begun about 1866, and among the
state papers there is a significant
warrant dated June p, 1877. The
duke was then n prisoner in the tow
er and had permission to go to Give
den, attended by Sir John Robinson,
TO take order about carrying on some
buildings of his there, and to remain
till the 23d and then return to the
tower"
In 1875 more building was done at
Cliveden. Giacoda Leoni, the Italian.
who was architect of Clandon park. |
designed the small octagonal temple |
which stands southwest of the main |
building.
Stately Structure.
The year 1895 proved disastrous for |
Cliveden, for on May 20 it was almost |
wholly consumed by fire, with the ex-
ception, we may well suppose, of the |
insane substructiones." In 1924 |
The estate was bought by Sir George |
Warrender, who rebuilt the house. In
lS49 It again changed hands, and be-
came the property of the duke of Suth-
erland. Within six months IL was
again burnt down, but straightway
rebuilt In the form In which we see Il |