History of the house and family
Henry Hastings Clay and his family, originally brewers from Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, moved to live in Piercefield House, Chepstow in 1861. In WW1 Henry Clay's daughter Edith ran the women’s land army from Piercefield, however soon after the war the house was abandoned. Piercefield Park then became The Chepstow Racecourse Company founded in 1926.
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Charles Leigh Clay, Edith’s brother commissioned Eric Francis to design and build Wyndcliffe Court on bare sloping ground with magnificent views of the Severn Estuary in 1922. Eric Francis was a cousin of the Clays and built several other houses for family members. Wyndcliffe is a mixture of “Cotswold Jacobean” and the “Arts and Crafts” styles. The house’s name comes from the “Wyndcliff” a view point on the West side of the Wye which was the inspiration for the “Picturesque Ideal” by William Gilpin in 1770. The Wyndcliff is now known as “The Eagle's Nest” AONB.
Charles Clay was a shipper in Cardiff and married Margaret Press from Yorkshire. The “Rose of Yorkshire” and “Hops from the Brewery” are used as the decoration of the plasterwork ceiling by Keebles in the ball room. Charles and Margaret had four children, Johny, Peter, Bridget and Patrick. There are CLC initials in the lead surface-water troughs. The house was considered a great statement of hope and optimism after the horrors of the WW1 and is described by Pevsner as "relaxed and sophisticated”. Wyndcliffe was one of the earliest houses to have a “motor house” rather than stables. The house, motor house and gardens are listed by Cadw as Grade II* as an exceptional grouping of Edwardian Architecture.
After his parents, Henry Patrick Clay continued to live in the house with his wife Betty Clunies-Ross from Australia for 50 years. They met on a cruise in 1950 as Patrick was recovering from a WW2 injury and Betty after being recently widowed. They had no children but were generous hosts for both local people and many far-flung relations. They died within 6 months of each other in 2006 and are still greatly missed.
The house has now passed on to Anthony Clay, Patrick’s great nephew who is married to Sarah. They have two children Posy and Henry. There was a brief spell when the house was let but the family is now delighted to have returned.
Charles Clay was a shipper in Cardiff and married Margaret Press from Yorkshire. The “Rose of Yorkshire” and “Hops from the Brewery” are used as the decoration of the plasterwork ceiling by Keebles in the ball room. Charles and Margaret had four children, Johny, Peter, Bridget and Patrick. There are CLC initials in the lead surface-water troughs. The house was considered a great statement of hope and optimism after the horrors of the WW1 and is described by Pevsner as "relaxed and sophisticated”. Wyndcliffe was one of the earliest houses to have a “motor house” rather than stables. The house, motor house and gardens are listed by Cadw as Grade II* as an exceptional grouping of Edwardian Architecture.
After his parents, Henry Patrick Clay continued to live in the house with his wife Betty Clunies-Ross from Australia for 50 years. They met on a cruise in 1950 as Patrick was recovering from a WW2 injury and Betty after being recently widowed. They had no children but were generous hosts for both local people and many far-flung relations. They died within 6 months of each other in 2006 and are still greatly missed.
The house has now passed on to Anthony Clay, Patrick’s great nephew who is married to Sarah. They have two children Posy and Henry. There was a brief spell when the house was let but the family is now delighted to have returned.