Cliveden and the Profumo Affair

Here it was that Christine Keeler met John Profumo.

Location: Taplow, Maidenhead, SL6 0JA

Description: Here set high on cliffs overlooking the Thames, Cliveden was the home of Waldorf and Nancy Astor and a hub of political and literary society in the early part of the 20th century.

Later it was caught up in the Profumo affair as it was here in 1963 that Christine Keeler met John Profumo, Secretary of State for War and the following sequence of events ended Profumo's political career and gravely weakened the Macmillan government.

Among Nancy's distinguished acquaintances were President Roosevelt, George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin, all of whom stayed at the House.

Today the house is let as a private hotel, part of which is open to National Trust visitors on Thursday and Sunday afternoons.

There are stunning formal gardens including the water garden, the parterre, the secret garden, the long garden with its topiary and fascinating statuary.

The wider estate has extensive woodland and riverside walks.