Z Online Class: A Zoom invitation link will be sent one day before class begins.
Located five miles upriver from Windsor Castle, this 17th century Italianate mansion, with its beautifully landscaped gardens, has been a home to a Prince of Wales, two Dukes, an Earl, and the Viscounts Astor. Through the biography of the house, we will uncover the stories and secrets which have peppered its history with scandal, intrigue, and controversy. Built for aristocratic hedonism during the Restoration, it later served as a counter-court for power struggles within the Hanoverian dynasty. The house has been a hub for political as well as social life, and was home to the first female Member of Parliament to take a seat in the House of Commons. It gained notoriety in the 1960s for a political scandal that rocked the nation, leading to the downfall of the Conservative Party in the 1964 General Election. Cliveden is currently a prestigious country hotel, set in 360 acres of grounds managed by the National Trust.
Pat Butler was the Elderwise Administrator until retiring to Warwick England in 2017. She has since qualified as a Tour Guide for the National Trust’s Living Back-to-Back History Museum in Birmingham, U.K., and enjoys taking groups of visitors around this popular venue. Pat also presents classes on social history to the U.K.’s University of the Third Age.
