Wills Reception Room Before	Wills Reception Room After

The Wills Reception Room was the first room to be renovated in 1988. Before refurbishment, it was a large, featureless room built in the 1920s on a space reclaimed from the courtyard and financed by Sir George Wills. After removing extensive glass partitioning, a fine cornice and plaster wall panels were added and painted in delicate but positive colours of pale peach and blue; with the parquet floor resurfaced and a pair of glass chandeliers the room now rivals the original 18th century rooms across the corridor.

The Wills Reception Room 2004/5 – The room had to be damp-proofed, which gave the opportunity to introduce a new colour scheme. A pale Wedgwood mauve was chosen, with the introduction of two large mirrors. The room is very popular for civil weddings and is frequently used by our students for various events, and for study at revision time.

Print Gallery Before	Print Gallery After

The Print Gallery links Callander House, which is a 1727 building, to the more important villa by Isaac Ware which was built around 1750. The Print Gallery was created out of an awkward corridor in 1990. Glass partition walls were boarded up and painted Etruscan red and prints were then pasted and arranged, as was the fashion in the 18th century with printed borders and decorative swags. All prints used relate to the house, the architect and other relevant 18th century subjects. This refurbishment was achieved on a very small budget as plasterboards cost very little and some of the prints are only A3 photocopies at 5p a sheet!

Main Staircase

The Main Staircase is the first interior cantilevered stone staircase in Bristol, all previous ones being of wooden construction. The removal of a large glazed cupboard used for storage of cleaning materials was the first part of the restoration in 1992. The beautiful cantilever can now be seen. The steps had to be stripped of many layers of white gloss paint and the walls painted a delicate pink that was inspired by a similar staircase at Sion House near Twickenham. The introduction of gold paint on the egg-and-dart border and on the Vitruvian scrolls was inspired by Lord Burlington’s House at Chiswick and go well with the intricate plasterwork of the rococo ceiling. The plasterwork of most ceilings in Clifton Hill House is worth noting. It is the work of Joseph Thomas who was a well-known 18th century Bristol plasterer who later worked at Royal Fort, another University historical building.

Fisher Drawing Room

Symonds Music Room

The Fisher Drawing Room and Symonds Music Room – Renovated in 1995, the Fisher Drawing Room is the only public room of genuine Palladian design as the Symonds Music Room was added in 1853 and has many Victorian features. The introduction of 18th century damask wallpaper harmonises the two rooms and, again, the egg-and-dart motif has been gilded. It is worth noting the ceiling plasterwork by Joseph Thomas in the Fisher Drawing Room. There are fine carvings of Ceres’s, Diana’s and Bacchante’s heads, delicate rocaille details in Palladian compartments. A modern copy of the portrait of Isaac Ware and his daughter by the 18th century Italian artist, Soldi, provides some additional historical interest. Soldi, settled in London where he painted society people.

Gothic Study

The Gothic Study – The restoration of the Gothic Study took place in 1997. Glass partitioning was pulled down, ugly cupboards of the 1950s were removed to leave the archway free and show off the ribbed vaulting. The replacement of the missing finials and the repair of the fine acanthus leaves were the last stage of the restoration. This Gothic Study is a good and rare example of the style developed by Horace Walpole at Strawberry Hill. (The cost of the restoration was achieved mostly without University funding.)

Garden Level Restoration – The restoration in 2000 introduced more vibrant colours, a window surround with faux marble, and stone effect decoration to a previously very unsightly service corridor.

Foyer Area 2001 – Simulated wood effect has been introduced to capitalize on the attractive wooden ceiling in the Foyer and make more of the strong aspect of the original stable block.

The Senior Common Room 2006 – The room was given a historical theme with the introduction of photographs of previous Clifton Hill House students and Wardens. One of the group photographs in the collection was taken on D-Day at the end of the Second World War.

Scaffoldind During Work 2002	Palladian Stone Staircase

The exterior of the House and Gardens – The house that was built with local pennant grit faced with Bath stone for the main facades, is a simple astylar 1-3-1 villa design with a tall central block flanked by low service wings. The unpretentious design owes much to Palladio’s Villa Emo (1564) and to Campbell’s Marble Hill (1724) at Twickenham.

The east front of the house overlooks the sloping gardens. The basement is of heavy vermiculated masonry and there is smooth stonework for the upper floors. The most attractive and imposing feature of the house is undoubtedly the Italianate balustrated double flight of steps down to the gardens. Ware took inspiration for this from Lord Burlington’s house at Chiswick (1725).

The garden layout is still recognizably the original and some of the old trees remain, in particular, fine tulip trees. When the house was first built, the grounds stretched passed Bellevue to Jacobs Well Road giving an open perspective over Brandon Hill, the town and the river.

The Palladian Staircase – Thanks to the bequest of Miss Petherick, a former student of Clifton Hill House, it was possible to commence the much needed restoration work of this beautiful staircase in Spring 2002. A fundraising appeal was started in May 2002, as the repairs to the stonework were more extensive than first thought. The work was completed in the summer of the same year. It is hoped that the cleaning and the restoration of the 19th century wings will be achieved in the near future but funds are still needed.

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