Guy’s Cliffe has been around since Saxon times and derives its name from the legendary Guy of Warwick. Guy is supposed to have retired to a hermitage on this site, this legend led to the founding of a chantry. The chantry was established in 1423 as the Chapel of St Mary Magdelene and the rock-carved stables and storehouses still remain. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII the site passed into private hands.
The current, ruined house dates from 1751 and was started by Samuel Greatheed, merchant and Member of Parliament for Coventry 1747-1761 and his son further improved the house and grounds in 1810, to heighten the picturesque qualities of the site.
The estate also comprised a mill, stables, kitchen garden and land as far as Blacklow Hill to the north-west of the house. It is the site of an ancient settlement and the location of Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall’s murder.
The house was used as a hospital during World War I and in World War II became a school for evacuated children.
Guy’s Cliffe estate was broken up and sold in 1947. In 1952 the mill became a pub and restaurant and was named The Saxon Mill, the stables became a riding school, the kitchen garden became a nursery, all of which still exist today.
The house having fallen in to disrepair was purchased in 1955, by Aldwyn Porter and the chapel leased to the Freemasons, establishing a connection with the Masons. The roof having fallen in by 1966. In 1982, during the filming of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (The Last Vampyre) a fire scene got out of control and seriously damaged the building, leading to an insurance claim. English Heritage has given the building grade II listed status. The cliff is protected as Guy’s Cliffe Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its geological interest due to it being a good exposure of Middle Triassic sandstone which is of particular interest for fossils of Mastodonsaurus.
Guy's Cliffe Lodge No. 8874 