Earlscliffe Residents 1950 to 1969

"Kit" and Olive Stanley-Clarke

Earlscliffe was purchased on the 1st May 1950 by Brigadier Arthur Christopher Lancelot ("Kit") Stanley-Clarke for his wife Olive. He had served in the 2nd Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in the 1st World War where he was wounded. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and awarded the DSO and Bar, the French Legion d'Honneur and the Croix de Guerre. He also served in the 2nd World War where he commanded the 154th Infantry Brigade until their escape from Dunkirk.

Kit and Olive were engaged in February 1931  [1] and married in London in June that year. [2]

When Olive and Kit moved to Earlscliffe, Kit became involved in hospital work, becoming chairman of Mercers Hospital. [3]  Both Kit and Olive were enthusiastic gardeners.

In the book "In An Irish Garden" by Sybil Connolly and Helen Dillon [4], Olive Gladys Stanley-Clarke described Earlscliffe as a "large ugly house" with a neglected garden overrun with Aubrieta and "a hideous mauve Gladiolus". However, although the Stanley-Clarke's originally had two maids and a gardener, a scarcity of money led them to eventually sell Earlscliffe.

Even though she had a dislike for the Earlscliffe house, Olive still loved the Baily area. So they cut a one and half acre corner of the Earlscliffe land off to build themselves a cottage which they named Shiel. She used stones from Earlscliffe to build steps down from the cottage to the lawns of Shiel and planted flowering cherries (dug up from Earlscliffe before they had sold the place).  [4]

Kit died in 1983, aged 96. Olive continued to lived in Shiel until she sadly passed away on January 26 1996 at the age of 100. [5]

Dr Robert Rowan Woods

After the Stanley-Clarkes moved into Shiel, Earlscliffe was purchased by Dr Robert Rowan Woods.

Robert Rowan Woods was born in 1902 in Dublin. His father was Sir Robert Henry Woods, a Trinity graduate and former president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland who was head of the ear, nose and throat department of Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital, Lower Grand Canal Street, Dublin 2. Dr. Robert Henry Woods was also a Unionist MP for Dublin from 1918 to 1921 and had been knighted for his contribution to medicine. [6] [7] [8]

Robert Rowan Woods entered Trinity in 1921 to study medicine and had a brilliant academic career, passing his medical examinations in 1926.[9]  He later became a student at Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital and went on to study in Vienna. On his return to Ireland he succeeded his father as head of the ear, nose and throat department in Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital, a post he kept for 25 years.

In 1946 Dr Robert Rowan Woods. who had studied in New York, brought back to Ireland a controversial new technique for curing a particular form of deafness. The technique, known as fenestration was successfully used to cure hundreds of so called 'incurable' patients and Dr Woods became a leading expert in this area.  [7] 

Dr Woods moved into Earlscliffe on 31st January 1952. [10] During the time he lived there he made some radical changes to Earlscliffe House. He lowered the very high Victorian ceilings, replaced original ornate fireplaces for a more modern 1950s style, and exchanged the three main bay windows that looked over the sea with large plain square windows.[11]

Whilst he was at Earlscliffe he used to have a surgery in one of the main rooms and treated many patients there.

Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Knowles

Margaret Rosita Woods, first wife of Dr Woods subsequently sold Earlscliffe to Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Knowles in May 1961.

Colonel Knowles had served in both World Wars and had lost an eye on the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940. He gained some notoriety as an amateur jockey, riding in the Grand National and getting second place in the Foxhunters' Chase.

Before moving to Earlscliffe he had lived at Sneem, Co. Kerry. He was a keen gardener and had brought many plants from Sneem to his new home at Earlscliffe.  [12]

His wife, Mrs. Olga Knowles, became a widow on the 3rd March 1967. She continued to live at Earlscliffe with her mother, Mabel Frances Irene Ryan. Unfortunately Olga's mother died on March 27 1968.  [13]

Olga finally put Earlscliffe on the market in 1969.

• Earlscliffe residents 1969 to today - David and Muriel Robinson

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References

• [1] Irish Times, February 5, 1931, pg 6
• [2] Irish Times, June 24, 1931, pg 4
• [3] Irish Times obituary for A. C. Stanley Clarke, April 12, 1983, pg 9.
• [4] In An Irish Garden, Sybil Connolly and Helen Dillon, Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson (Sep 1986), ISBN: 0297789295
• [5] Irish Times, January 29, 1996, pg 21
• [6] Taken from the booklet "1711-2011 School of Medicine Trinity College Dublin" found here: http://www.medicine.tcd.ie/tercentenary/assets/pdf/Trinity%20Medicine.pdf
• [7] Irish Times obituary for Dr. Robert Rowan Woods, August 24, 1971, pg 9.
• [8] "British Society for the History of ENT - Abstracts from meeting 28th September 2001, City Hospital, Birmingham UK", The Journal of Laryngology & Otology, May 2002, Vol. 116, pp. 404–407
• [9] Irish Times, Examination results, March 25, 1926, pg 9
• [10] Title deeds and other legal documents that are currently in the possession of Karen Foley
• [11] From conversations with Jane Broxham, who lived in Earlscliffe in the 1940s with her parents, William and Norah Martin Murphy. Jane visited Earlscliffe with her husband Patrick on Wednesday 29th April 2009. The Martin Murphy's were good family friends with the Woods.
• [12] Irish Times obituary for Lt.-Col A. Knowles, March 7, 1967, pg 6.
• [13] Irish Times, March 29, 1968, pg 24

This page was last updated on 06-Jan-2012 .