Living on the edge!
The views are epic – but would you pay £2million for a home perched on a towering man-made cliff built 200 years ago?
WITH its spectacular views over the Avon Gorge – and with the magnificent Clifton Suspension Bridge as a backdrop – No1 Windsor Terrace has to be one of the most desirable addresses in the country.
The five-storey Grade II listed Georgian end-of-terrace property in Bristol, which has just gone on the market for £2million, will certainly appeal to buyers with a sense of drama – it is perched on top of a towering man-made cliff.
At the end of the 18th Century, the cliff sloping down towards the Avon was built out into the gorge to support nine of the 11 houses that would eventually become Windsor Terrace. The man-made structure, including a huge retaining wall and a warren of vaults, had to be broad and sturdy enough to take the houses, the pavement, the road and gardens from which to admire views of Bristol.
The man who had it built was William Watts, a Bristol plumber who became wealthy by creating a way to manufacture perfectly spherical lead shot instead of that which was irregular in shape. The lead shot even came to the attention of King George III, who summoned Watts to Windsor Castle to discuss his invention.
Watts later sold his business for £10,000 – a fortune at the time – and then turned his sights to building Windsor Terrace. The name is a nod to his visit to Windsor Castle to see the King.
However, like many property speculators of the time, he soon discovered that building grand houses could be ruinously expensive. Watts’s man-made cliff was so ambitious that just laying the foundations ate up all his money.
THE retaining walls were begun in 1782 but by 1794, when Watts was declared bankrupt, only two houses had been built, and even they were not completely finished. The terrace designs were later scaled back.
The Clifton area was developed in the 18th and 19th Centuries, much of it on the back of profits from the tobacco and slave trades, and eventually the village became a district of Bristol.
The suspension bridge was built over the Avon Gorge partly because the natural drop afforded by the cliffs meant that ships could pass under it easily on their way to and from the port of Bristol.
No1 Windsor Terrace, which is for sale through estate agents Roderick Thomas, is typical of the grand houses built in the area at the end of the 18th Century for the burgeoning merchant class.
The property boasts six bedrooms, three bathrooms and a separate onebedroom flat. There is a small private patio at the front of the house with views over Bristol, and a small, lawned garden at the back, bordered by shrubs and fruit trees.
Many rooms in the house benefit from views over the Avon, including the drawing room and the first-floor sitting room, which are both doubleaspect. Meanwhile, Bristol harbour can be seen from the master bedroom. Outside the kitchen there is a small balcony that is currently used for growing herbs.
One of the bedrooms on the third floor has access to the roof, from which panoramic views of the area can be appreciated.
The lower ground floor comprises a self-contained flat which has an en suite bedroom to the rear. A utility area could be converted into an additional bedroom if required, subject to planning approval.
Other features of the main house include a wine cellar and the large vaults, the latter being accessed from the bottom of the man-made cliff. The vaults are used by residents for storage but, again, there is potential for conversion given the correct consents.
Owner Claire Griffiths, a 68-yearold mother-of-three, says that ‘virtually no maintenance’ is required on the retaining wall underneath Windsor Terrace, and, as it was repointed a few years ago, there should not be any need for further work for the foreseeable future.
Claire has access to three vaults herself. ‘My younger son currently uses one of the vaults as an art studio and the others are used for general storage,’ she says.
The property has period details throughout, such as deep skirting boards, sash windows with the original shutters, and ornate fireplaces.
The house also has a plaque commemorating Edward St John Daniel, who was born at the property. At just 17, he became the youngest person to be awarded a Victoria Cross, for his part in the Crimean War.
He was commended for three acts of bravery, including tying a tourniquet round his captain’s arm while under heavy fire.
Claire has lived at Windsor Terrace since 1977 but she is now ready to downsize, and is planning a move to the countryside.
‘I will be sad to move from Clifton as the area has everything, including great shops and restaurants,’ she says. ‘The architecture in the area is beautiful and the views of the city, Clifton Suspension Bridge and Avon Gorge are stunning from virtually every part of my house.’