Cliveden

Cliveden is a country house and estate on the River Thames at Taplow in Buckinghamshire, England, with origins dating to the 17th century and a principal house largely rebuilt in the 19th century. The estate is owned by the National Trust and includes formal gardens, woodland and a riverside landscape.

The site offers formal terraces and a parterre immediately adjacent to the house, extended woodland walks and riverbank paths for longer strolls, and ornamental features such as fountains and sculpture. The estate is a mix of managed garden areas and larger parkland that is popular for walks and photography.

The main house functions as a luxury hotel under lease arrangements while the wider grounds and certain garden areas are maintained by the National Trust and are open to visitors according to National Trust access rules.

Cliveden has successive phases of construction and rebuilding from the 17th century onward and has been associated with aristocratic owners and, in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Astor family. The estate’s long history includes multiple rebuilds after fires and changes in ownership; the present arrangement combines heritage stewardship with commercial operation of the house.

The estate sits on a wooded stretch of the River Thames near the village of Taplow in Buckinghamshire, to the west of London and within the Thames corridor between Maidenhead and Marlow.

• Access arrangements: Public access to the house grounds is managed by the National Trust; the house itself operates as a commercial hotel under a lease, so internal access can vary by booking and opening hours.
• Best viewpoint: The terrace provides the clearest uninterrupted views down to the River Thames and is the estate's principal viewing point for gardens and river scenery.

What to See #

• Cliveden House: The principal house on the estate, largely rebuilt in the 19th century, now operated as a hotel while the surrounding grounds are managed by the National Trust.
• Terrace and gardens: Formal terraced gardens and a riverside woodland estate that include long axis views over the River Thames and a historic parterre and fountain area.
• Woodland and riverbank walks: An estate of mixed parkland and wooded walks with riverside paths and specimen trees that form the wider grounds around the house.