Cliffe Castle Museum

There really is something for everyone at Cliffe Castle in Keighley. You can see sparkling Victorian rooms, overflowing with paintings, furniture and art of every style. But there are also rooms dedicated to nature, the district’s archaeology and a display of stained glass by Morris and Co.

It’s an absolute feast for the imagination.

Cliffe Castle was originally built in the 1880s as the home of Victorian millionaire and textile manufacturer, Henry Isaac Butterfield and was a showpiece of international art and French decoration. It was the scene of many glittering parties and society events.

In the 1950s the Castle was bought by Sir Bracewell Smith, who commissioned architect Sir Albert Richardson to turn Cliffe Castle’s gardens into a grand public park and remodelled the Castle to be a free museum for the people of the district.  That continues to this day, winning (and retaining) a coveted Heritage Green Flag award – the first in the district!

In recent years Cliffe Castle has had a glow-up, inside and out, with Victorian features in the park reinstated, and the breathtaking stained glass Butterfield Window on the Grand Staircase restored. The Castle also hosts changing exhibitions from our collections and the community, as well as a fantastic café.