The History of Virginia Cliffe Inn

The Virginia Cliffe Inn is owned and operated by Margaret Clifton. Her husband James passed away December 16, 2007.
James & Joyce bought the 6 acre property in 1952 and lived in the 100 year old farm house as pictured below, for nine years. The property was then leased for 13 years until deciding to build the current house in 1974.

Virginia Cliffe sets 350 feet back from Mountain Road near its intersection with Old Washington Highway.

The Clifton house, with its tall white pillars and Georgia architecture, looks to be at least 100 to 150 years old. "Everybody thinks its old", Mrs. Clifton say's smiling. But the house is one of the new kids on the block.
Hoping to restore the old home to it's original splendor, construction problems with the foundation proved too dificult to proceed in a restoration. In the early 70's, Mr. Clifton dismantled the old home and salvaged most of the lumber and materials and stored them away. The new home was built in part with this lumber and materials.

James and Margaret spent months searching libraries and magaizines for a vision of their dream house they wanted to build. Finally they found it, a picture of the Morris Jumel Mansion, the house in New York City used by Gen. George Washington as New York Headquarters during the Revolutionary War. The front of the house is modeled after that Mansion. Mr. Clifton who owned a lumber mill, asked an employee who was a student at then-Richmond Professional Institute to draw up plans based on the pictures of the New York house the Cliftons had found.

Mr. Clifton, his son, some workers from his General Contracting business and some subcontractors built the home in 1973 and early 1974 and the family moved in on July 4, 1974.

As the four children grew up, the Clifton's thought about caring for the house in the future. The home has three large bedrooms and an upstairs bedroom suite, each with private baths. In addition, there's a living room, a formal dining room, a dinette room overlooking a pond, a family room, a sewing room, a downstairs master suite, an outbuilding and a garage. "We realized that we would have a white elephant on our hands when the kids started leaving and marrying." Mrs. Clifton said.

But a vacation trip to New England, during which they logged in a Bed and Breakfast, gave them the inkling that someday they might like to turn Virginia Cliffe into an Inn.

In anticipation of things to come, Mr. Clifton built an outbuilding with a large meeting room and had already built a gazebo for his oldest daughters' wedding. Things were shaping up.

After an unanticipated legal battle with the local government, the overwhelming support of the good people of Henrico County persevered and on New Years Day 1997, Henrico County saw its first Bed & Breakfast, "The Virginia Cliffe Inn" open for business. Mr. Clifton commented, "I have traded my hammer for a spatula!" James was a Building Contractor for over 45 years in this area. James really loved meeting new people and the Inn certainly kept him busy.

The Virginia Cliffe Inn is also an Outdoor Wedding venue. Since 1997, from spring till fall, the weekends bustle with excitement here at the Inn.

In March of 2009, Don & Dorothy Jackson came on board to assist in the operation of the Inn. Don Jackson was the former minister of Glen Allen Baptist Church down the road from the Inn. Don and Dorothy Ann were also neighbors of the Clifton's until 1968 and remained good friends thru out the years. Janice, Margaret's daughter also assists in the Inn's operations. Margaret Clifton is your hostess & Innkeeper. Don't pass up the opportunity to be served one of her southern breakfasts!

From all of the staff at the Inn,
We look forward to meeting new friends and welcoming back old ones for years to come!