''The Clifton House Mystery'' is a British children's cult television supernatural drama series written by

Daniel Farson Daniel James Negley Farson (8 January 1927 – 27 November 1997) was a British writer and broadcaster, strongly identified with the early days of commercial television in the UK, when his sharp, investigative style contrasted with the BBC's mor ...

and Harry Moore, produced by Patrick Dromgoole and directed by Hugh David, and shown in 1978 by HTV for ITV. The plot revolves around conductor Timothy Clare and his family – wife, daughter and two sons – moving into an old house in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

they had just bought from the elderly Mrs Betterton; the house having been in her family for generations. While exploring the garden, Timothy's two sons notice that the house has an extra window, and deduce that a hidden room may exist. After breaking through an upstairs wall and discovering an ancient dusty bedroom, a long-dead skeleton is found in the four-poster bed. A number of strange incidents then start to occur. The Clares' daughter Jenny is visited by the ghost of a kindly old woman who appears to be summoned by a music box left behind by Mrs Betterton's granddaughter. Plates and bowls jump out of people's hands and smash to the ground. A dragoon's helmet that the boys had bought at Mrs Betterton's contents auction starts to glow mysteriously; and a blood-like liquid drips through the ceiling onto some dinner party guests. After these unexplained incidents, the boys recruit a local ghost hunter called Milton Guest to investigate. After hearing what has happened, Guest becomes convinced that a ghost connected in some way with the Bristol Riots of 1831 is haunting the house. After checking local records, they realize that it may be the ghost of a dragoon commander called George Bretherton who was court-martialled for his lenient handling of the rioters, and who subsequently disappeared without trace. Although she confirms that the house would have been in her family's possession at the time of the riots, Mrs Betterton claims to have been unaware of the secret room, or any family connection to the riots in 1831. She does mention that there was a 'family scandal' sometime in that era, but she was never told the details. Guest suspects that she is a direct descendant of Bretherton, the family name having been changed as a consequence of the 'scandal'. Guest performs an exorcism that appears successful at first. The helmet stops glowing and the ghost of the old lady – apparently the dragoon's mother – is no longer seen; the music box which summoned her ceases to function and all returns to normal. However in the final episode, after authorities remove the skeleton and give it a Christian burial, the phenomena start to occur again...

Factual basis of subplot

The story of the Dragoon commander is based on the real-life case of

Thomas Brereton Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Brereton (1782–1832) was an officer of the British Army. Career He was descended from Sir William Brereton, Chief Justice and Lord High Marshal of Ireland, from the ancient and noble family of Brereton, Cheshire, En ...

, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Dragoons stationed in Bristol in the 1830s when riots broke out following the failure in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

of the

Reform Bill In the United Kingdom, Reform Act is most commonly used for legislation passed in the 19th century and early 20th century to enfranchise new groups of voters and to redistribute seats in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

. Ordered to suppress the rioters with whatever means necessary, Brereton was court-martialled for leniency when he refused to fire on the rioters, resorting only to a cavalry charge when negotiations failed. He committed suicide by shooting himself before the trial reached a verdict.

Main characters

*Timothy Clare (Sebastian Breaks) Conductor of the Bristol Chamber Orchestra who moves with his wife and three children into an old house in Bristol. *Sheila Clare (

Ingrid Hafner Ingrid Hafner (13 November 1936 – 20 May 1994) was a British actress, born in London. Her father was Raoul Hafner, an Austrian helicopter pioneer, and her mother Eileen Myra McAdam was a descendant of Scottish-born John Loudon McAdam, the roa ...

) Timothy's wife who becomes slowly convinced that the strange occurrences may be paranormal. *Milton Guest (

Peter Sallis Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

) A ghost hunter whom the Clares' sons' invite to explore the strange phenomena, and who performs an apparently successful exorcism.

Home media availability

''The Clifton House Mystery'' was released on Region 2

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

in 2010 by Network.Network DVD
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Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clifton House of Mystery ITV children's television shows British supernatural television shows 1978 British television series debuts 1978 British television series endings 1970s British children's television series Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Harlech Television English-language television shows Television shows set in Bristol Television series about ghosts