Cliffe Castle Museum

About the museum

Cliffe Castle began as Cliffe Hall, a house built in the early nineteenth century. In the 1870s the textile manufacturer Henry Isaac Butterfield extended it into a showy Victorian mansion with towers, a ballroom and conservatories, and filled it with fine furnishings, paintings and French-style decoration. It was renamed Cliffe Castle in 1878.

Around 1950 the house and grounds were bought for the town with the help of the local benefactor Sir Bracewell Smith. The architect Sir Albert Richardson turned the grounds into a public park and adapted the building as a museum, which opened in 1959. It continues the work of the earlier Keighley Museum, which dated from the 1890s.

Today the museum combines restored Victorian rooms with galleries on local trades, the geology and archaeology of Airedale, natural history, minerals, an Egyptian mummy and early stained glass by Morris & Co. The restored Butterfield Window on the Grand Staircase is a highlight, and the surrounding park holds a Heritage Green Flag award.

Highlights

• Restored Victorian state rooms
• Butterfield Window on the Grand Staircase
• Stained glass by Morris & Co.
• Natural history and mineral galleries
• Egyptian mummy and local archaeology, including Roman finds from Silsden
• Park with Heritage Green Flag award

Permanent exhibitions

• Victorian rooms – The Butterfield family's restored state rooms, filled with paintings, furniture and decorative art, including the Grand Staircase with the restored Butterfield Window.
• Natural history, minerals and archaeology – Galleries on the geology and early life of Airedale, mounted animals and birds, a mineral collection and the district's archaeology, including the Silsden Roman treasure.
• Stained glass by Morris & Co. – A display of early stained glass made by William Morris and his firm in the conservatory.

Founded

1892

Operated by

Bradford Museums and Galleries (Bradford Council)

Visitors per year

approx. 65,000

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Two Blue Badge parking spaces are down the slope from the museum car park, available first come, first served; the gates close at 16:30. The museum is listed on AccessAble and offers a visual story.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Free drop-in sessions for children aged 0 to 5 run on the fourth Thursday of each month. The museum also holds family events during the year, such as Diwali celebrations and a Christmas weekend, and multi-sensory sessions for children and young people with special educational needs.

Getting there & parking

Parking is managed by Bradford Council Parking Services.

Amenities & dining

• Café

The museum has a café.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit