Clifton Hill House
Encyclopedia
Clifton Hill House is a grade I listed Palladian villa in the Clifton
area of Bristol
, England
which is now used as a hall of residence by the University of Bristol
. The warden is Dr. Thomas Richardson, lecturer in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University.
The house was built between 1746 and 1750 for the wealthy merchant and philanthropist Paul Fisher
, by Isaac Ware
, a nationally renowned architect and translator of Palladio's works. Thomas Paty
, later a notable Bristol architect, worked as a mason during its construction. The house stands on a steep slope, so that while only three stories face the street, the five-bay garden front is four stories tall with low wings (both raised from one story to two during the nineteenth century) and a double flight of steps down to the garden. Original rococo
plasterwork, by Joseph Thomas, survives in a number of interior rooms.
The house was later home to the nineteenth century 'man-of-letters', John Addington Symonds
, whose father had bought the house in 1851. The university bought the house from the Symonds family in 1909 to create the first hall of residence for women in south-west England. The university has since bought adjacent property and added modern accommodation blocks to form four areas: Old Clifton, Callander, Fry and South Wings. It houses approximately 230 students.
The Hall has been used by the BBC
as a film location for the 'The House of Eliott
' and for episodes of 'Casualty
'.
Callandar House which dates from the late 18th century is itself grade II listed.
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
area of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which is now used as a hall of residence by the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
. The warden is Dr. Thomas Richardson, lecturer in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University.
History
Paul Fisher
Paul Fisher may refer to:* Paul A. Fisher, American author and journalist* Paul Fisher , English cricketer* Paul C. Fisher , American industrialist and inventor of the Fisher Space Pen...
, by Isaac Ware
Isaac Ware
Isaac Ware was an English architect and translator of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio.He was apprenticed to Thomas Ripley, 1 August 1721, and followed him in positions in the Office of Works, but his mentor in design was Lord Burlington.Ware was a member of the St...
, a nationally renowned architect and translator of Palladio's works. Thomas Paty
Thomas Paty
Thomas Paty was a British surveyor, architect and mason working mainly in Bristol. He worked with his sons John Paty and William Paty.-List of works:* Bristol Bridge , with James Bridges...
, later a notable Bristol architect, worked as a mason during its construction. The house stands on a steep slope, so that while only three stories face the street, the five-bay garden front is four stories tall with low wings (both raised from one story to two during the nineteenth century) and a double flight of steps down to the garden. Original rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
plasterwork, by Joseph Thomas, survives in a number of interior rooms.
The house was later home to the nineteenth century 'man-of-letters', John Addington Symonds
John Addington Symonds
John Addington Symonds was an English poet and literary critic. Although he married and had a family, he was an early advocate of male love , which he believed could include pederastic as well as egalitarian relationships. He referred to it as l'amour de l'impossible...
, whose father had bought the house in 1851. The university bought the house from the Symonds family in 1909 to create the first hall of residence for women in south-west England. The university has since bought adjacent property and added modern accommodation blocks to form four areas: Old Clifton, Callander, Fry and South Wings. It houses approximately 230 students.
The Hall has been used by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as a film location for the 'The House of Eliott
The House of Eliott
The House of Eliott is a British television series produced and broadcast by the BBC in three series between 1991 and 1994. The series starred Stella Gonet and Louise Lombard as two sisters in 1920s London who establish a dressmaking business and eventually their own haute couture fashion house...
' and for episodes of 'Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
'.
Callandar House which dates from the late 18th century is itself grade II listed.