Cliffe Park Hall

The hall was commissioned by John Haworth, owner of the Cliffe Park estate, in the early 19th century and was completed in the period 1811–1830. Howarth died in 1831 and the estate passed to Fanny Bostock, his cousin and also his lover. The hall overlooks Rudyard Lake and in 1851 Fanny commenced proceedings against the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR), owners of the lake, preventing the railway company for using the lake for any leisure activities. The proceedings took four years to conclude but eventually was found in Fanny's favour and it would be almost 50 years before leisure activities were allowed on the lake by which time the railway company would be the owners of the hall. Fanny…

The hall is of stone construction and is to a Neo-Gothic design although Pevsner describes the hall (and others of a similar date) as "Gothic in intention rather than in the accuracy of features and their combination". The walls are topped with crenellations so the flat roof is not visible from the ground and the chimney stacks are disguised as turrets. The semi-circular bow in the centre of the west wall and the narrow upright windows give a castle-like effect to the whole building.