Clifton Hall

Clifton Hall, located in the village of Clifton, a few miles south of Penrith in Cumbria, is primarily known for its surviving 15th century Pele tower, which was once part of a much larger manor house complex that was demolished in the early 19th century to make way for a new farmhouse.

The land on which the manor house was built has been owned by two families throughout its history, the Engaines and Wyberghs. The Engaine family held the manor of Clifton from at least the 12th century and were feudal lords, meaning that they provided military service in exchange for the land. They may have held an earlier manor house on a different area of land nearby.

In 1412, the manor passed to the Wybergh family through the marriage of Eleanor Engaine to William Wybergh of St Bees. The Wyberghs spent several centuries at Clifton Hall and carried out much of the building work. The initial Clifton Hall was constructed around 1400, in an "H"-plan layout, which was a common style in Cumbria at the time. This design included a central hall with two wings: one for living quarters and the other for service rooms.

Sadly, all that survives of Clifton Hall today is the Pele tower, which is believed to have been added to the original layout around 1475. While known as a Pele tower it doesn't have the thick walls and narrow slit windows of many other Pele towers, which perhaps suggests that it was as much to demonstrate the wealth and power of the owners, as it was defensive.

The tower is three-storeys high and constructed from red sandstone and is much changed from the original layout with an internal staircase replacing an outside one and the ground floor being divided into a series of rooms, but original features such as the fireplaces and garderobe (toilet) are still visible.

The timber manor house was replaced by a stone building in the early 17th century but it was during this period that the Wybergh family's fortunes began to wane. During the English Civil War the family supported the Royalist Army, which led to financial difficulties and legal disputes, but they held onto their estate. During the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745, William Wybergh was kidnapped by Scottish soldiers and the hall was occupied and plundered by Jacobites just before the Battle of Clifton Moor (the last battle fought on English soil).

By the early 19th century, the manor house, excluding the Pele tower, was deemed impractical and was demolished. In 1819, it was recorded that only the solitary tower remained. The tower was then used as a farm building until 1973 when the site was taken over by the Department of the Environment and subsequently English Heritage, who look after it today.