Since the Washington Family’s stewardship in pre-Revolutionary War times, Clifton has always been a prestigious country estate with rolling hills and captivating views that give peace and serenity to those select few that have called it home. Located in the heart of Blue Ridge Hunt territory on the north end of the Shenandoah Valley, Clifton’s historic homes and 411± acres will be sold at auction to only the 4th family of ownership in its history.
Clifton Manor
- Palladian Classical Revival Style
- Four-over-four floor plan with 12½’ ceilings
- 4 to 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bath
- Library
- Fully renovated
- Central A/C & heat
- Dozens of original glass windows
- 7 fireplaces
- 1834 Winchester style mantels
- Heart pine floors
- Egg and dart crown molding
- Curved pool with waterfall edge & in-pool hot tub
- Marble and limestone porticos
- 11 dwelling unit rights in Clarke CO, VA
Little Clifton Manor
- Fully renovated
- Built in 1844
- Stone construction
- 3 bedrooms plus library
Farm Operation Facilities
- Large bank barn
- 4-stall barn with a run-in wing and drive-through corncrib
- Farm office
- Milking barn
- 15-bay machine shed
- 10-stall center aisle barn with feed and tack rooms
- Miles of new fencing, both board and woven wire
- New well and watering system
Tract 1: 35± Acres
Tract 2: 240± Acres
Tract 3: 80± Acres
Tract 4: 56± Acres
Clifton is located in Clarke County Virginia, 3 miles north of Berryville, just 60 miles west of Washington DC but worlds away from the traffic jams & high-rise buildings. Clarke County is privileged by its spectacular location. Nestled in the northern Shenandoah Valley, protected between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Allegheny Ridge, with the magnificent Shenandoah River running through it, it is known as an oasis to Washington DC and Northern Virginia residents. Clarke County also boasts a varied population of businesses, which bring a wealth of historical, cultural and social diversity, all within its borders. This planned open space community has only 14,500 residents but no shortage of activities, amenities or access to the big city.
Clifton has played a significant role in American history for over two hundred years, and its fame derives notably from its close association with George Washington, who walked its rolling fields as a youth in the 18th century. Clifton was a Washington family tract, and the current owners are only the third family to have ever owned this historic property. Warner Washington Jr. lived in a pre-Revolutionary house on the site, which he sold to Griffin Taylor, the second family of ownership, in 1795. In 1818, Taylor left Clifton to his daughter Sarah and her husband, David Hume Allen, who completed the Georgian stucco-over brick house in 1834. Historian Samuel Kercheval described Clifton as following in the mid 1830’s.
“In the county of Clarke, David Hume Allen, Esq., has lately erected a brick dwelling on a beautiful eminence, from which there is a most enchanting view of the Blue Ridge and adjacent country. It is sixty five feet by fifty, with a splendid portico, supported by a beautiful colonnade 25 feet high of solid pine pillars…
Mr. Allen is pretty extensively engaged in the stock way. A few years ago, he at one time owned one hundred and twenty head of horses, and a large stock of improved black cattle...”
Clifton figured prominently in the history of both our nation and the State of Virginia. Senators and governors, plantation owners, musicians and artists, and horsemen and cattlemen gathered at the mansion house to share Clifton’s warm hospitality. President Tyler visited and in his honor, a new set of Clifton china was fashioned. Clifton continued as a place of importance to both combatants during the Civil War with Confederate General Stonewall Jackson quartering his cavalry in the Barracks Barn and the mansion house serving as headquarters for General John Mosby’s main Confederate army in August 1864 and later as Union General Phil Sheridan directed maneuvers in the northern Shenandoah from the farm, where he positioned his main army, writing in his memoirs of the “Clifton-Berryville advance”
Across generations the name “Clifton” has been associated with a tradition of excellence in architecture, agriculture and stewardship of the land and the time has come for a new chapter of ownership in the rich Clifton history to begin.
Auction Date:
Tuesday, June 3rd: 6:30 PM EST
Auction shall be held on the property.
Information Dates:
Please join us at information dates to learn more about our unique auction process and to further explain this fine offering.
Information Days shall be held on the property.
Friday, May 9th: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Saturday, May 10th: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Friday, May 23rd: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Saturday, May 24th: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Showings and information will be available on the designated information dates. To schedule additional showings please contact Hall and Hall Auctions at 1-800-829-8747.
A commission will be paid according to the broker participation guidelines to any properly licensed broker who registers a successful Buyer, who closes on a tract/combination. Broker registration forms are available upon request. Forms must be completed and returned no later than Monday, June 2nd at 12 pm MDT.
This auction is being held in conjunction with Hall and Hall Auctions. For more information or any questions, please contact Scott Shuman at 970-716-2120 or go to www.hallhall.com.