LONDON, ENGLAND.- Sotheby’s is delighted to offer works that once graced Cliveden, the former family home of the famous Astor family, in Berkshire. The pieces which have been passed down through the Anglo-American Astor dynasty, include porcelain and English and Continental furniture and are being sold by Viscount Astor. The works are to be offered in a series of sales this winter.  

The Astors association with Cliveden - one of the greatest country houses in England, began in the late 19th century when the American William Waldorf Astor (1848-1919) purchased the house, having moved to Britain from Rome, where he had been the U.S. Ambassador. His family had made their fortune firstly in the music trade and later in the fur and property industries and were widely known and respected in American society. It was in Rome with his wife, that William Waldorf Astor began a life-long passion for art and sculpture. When he purchased Cliveden it had already seen several distinctive occupants from the British aristocracy and Royalty. It had also twice been destroyed by fire since it’s original commission by the Duke of Buckingham (d.1687), in the 17th century.  

The first building was designed by William Winde to emulate an Italian villa, with an arcaded terrace - part of which still remains today. Following Buckingham’s death, the house was acquired by George Hamilton, the Earl of Orkney (d.1737). It remained with the same family throughout the 18th century, who at one stage rented it to Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales (d.1751) for use as an informal retreat close to London. After a disastrous fire in 1795, the house was in ruins until Sir George Warrender, 4th Bt commissioned Edinburgh architect William Burn to reconstruct the house in Georgian style. Following his death in 1849 the house was sold to the 2nd Duke of Sutherland but a second fire destroyed it again, instigating a new design which is the house as we know it today. In 1868 the house was bought by Hugh Lupus, later Duke of Westminster who embarked on small improvements that William Astor was to reverse on his acquisition of the property in 1893.  

Fresh from service as U.S. Minister in Rome, William Waldorf Astor had built up a superb collection of sculpture, works of art, Old Master paintings, armour and illuminated manuscripts which were soon to be housed at Cliveden. Quoted as having said: "America is not a place for a gentleman to live", he moved with his family to England and rented Lansdowne House in London. He entered his sons at Eton, purchased the Pall Mall Gazette and acquired Cliveden.  

Astor immediately began designing the interiors of the house using the services of renowned architect John Loughborough Pearson (1817-1897) and the help of his son Frank. It took on an opulent air combining American tastes with European traditions. Among exciting features added was a great early 16th century chimneypiece from the Château of Arnay-le-Duc and a French Renaissance style staircase ornamented with figures from Cliveden’s history. Cliveden passed to his son Waldorf Astor (1879-1952) on his marriage to Nancy Langhorne Shaw (1879-1964) in 1905.  

Nancy redecorated the house which also included the addition of electricity and with this, the ’golden period’ at Cliveden began. Following Waldorf Astor’s election to parliament for Plymouth in 1910, the house became a political and literary hubbub, with guests including Rudyard Kipling, Lord Curzon, Balfour and Sir Winston Churchill. As Lord Astor took a seat in the House of Lords, so Nancy, his wife, became the first woman to sit in parliament. During her long term (1919-1945) as a conservative member, Nancy was known for her quick wit and passionate debate regarding reforms for women and children.  

During the second World War, the 3rd Viscount decided to present Cliveden to the National Trust, however the Astors remained in residence there until 1966. The series of Sotheby’s sales offers the opportunity to buy into the outstanding and diverse taste of an enigmatic family, whose transatlantic roots and English public lives are firmly captured in the history books of both countries.  

Cliveden property will be offered in the following sales, which are estimated to fetch a total of more than half a million pounds:  

Important English Furniture, at Sotheby’s New Bond Street, Wednesday, November 26, 2003. 

Reflect the Astor’s taste in your own home with a range of beautiful furniture in excellent condition. A set of eight George II walnut dining chairs dating from circa 1740 are estimated at £40,000-60,000.  

A highly decorative pair of Regency ebonised and gilt-brass mounted cabinets on stands, incorporating lacquer panels date from the 17th century and are estimated to fetch £15,000-20,000.  

Also worthy of note is a George III mahogany long stool estimated at £4,000-5,000 and a George II walnut kneehole desk dating from 1730, estimated at £4,000-6,000. A George II glitwood side table is estimated at £20,000-30,000.