Guys Cliffe House

With it’s history dating back to Roman times when they used to use the site for worship of ‘Mithras’ the Sun God, Guy’s Cliffe House is a place of mystery, history and hauntings.

One of its first historical mentions is in the 6th century when the Bishop of Warwick, Dubritius founded a small Oratory dedicated to St.Mary Magdalene facing East upon the place where the present chapel of Guys Cliffe now stands. Over the next thousand years the local gentry including the Earls of Warwick and indeed King Henry V recognised the regional and national importance of the chapel of St Mary Magdalene, the latter even wanted to rebuild the chapel after seeing it in disrepair.

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII when the monks were asked to leave the chapel, the site passed into private hands. In 1751 Samuel Greatheed, a West India merchant and Member of Parliament for Coventry purchased the site and built the mansion that we see today.

However by 1947 there was a lack of interest in the site and it was sold to private investors with the intention of converting it into a hotel, but these plans came to nothing and the house fell into disrepair. In 1955 the house was purchased by Aldwyn Porter and the chapel leased to the Freemasons, establishing a connection with the Masons that remains today. The roof had fallen in by 1966. In 1992 during the filming of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (The Last Vampyre) a fire scene got out of control and seriously damaged the building, leading to an insurance claim. English Heritage has given the building grade II listed status.

The location is rich with local folklore and ghost stories, after the nearby execution of the King’s lover Piers Gaveston, it was said that a phantom procession still walks near Guy’s Cliffe House. On moonlit and windless nights – will you hear the ring of bells.

In the 1900s the site was known for uncanny happenings and sightings of a woman who haunts the avenues and garden. After World War 2 when mansion became overgrown by ivy and regularly vandalised, there was many witnesses to paranormal activity ranging from feelings of oppression to immediate drops in temperature. Many times there have been sightings of a black figure that could be known as ‘evil’ and certainly affects women who visit the location.

Address: Coventry Rd, Warwick, Warwickshire CV34 5YN, UK

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