Ugbrooke House & Gardens

Our View

The Cliffords arrived in Britain with the Conquest, and eventually gained ownership of Ugbrooke Park late in the 16th century. Though at first the poor relations of the family, the Chudleigh Cliffords rose to fame in the reign of Charles II, when Thomas, the first Lord Clifford, a hero of the war with Holland, became treasurer of the royal household. Well-meaning but incompetent, his downfall came in opposing Parliament when his opponents passed the Test Act to exclude all Roman Catholics from office. Ugbrooke was remodelled in the 18th century by Robert Adam, who paid tribute to the Cliffords’ war-like heritage in the ‘castle’ style that he adopted. The park was transformed by ‘Capability’ Brown, with a long, narrow lake the central feature of a gently rolling landscape. After World War II, Ugbrooke was neglected, with many of its finest rooms used for storing grain, but the house has been restored. The library is a splendid Adam room, its plasterwork and colour scheme exactly as they were 200 years ago. The house contains some fine old silver, tapestries and paintings, with an unexpected bonus in the chapel. Designed by Adam in a dramatic style, with a vaulted apse and open balconies, its marble columns, painted panels and elaborate decoration have an almost Byzantine richness.