Guy's Cliffe has been occupied since Saxon times and derives its name from the legendary Guy of Warwick. Guy is supposedly retired to a hermitage here, leading to the founding of a chantry in 1423 as the Chapel of St Mary Magdelene. The rock-carved stables and storehouses still remain. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII the site passed into private hands. The current, ruinous house dates from 1751 and was constructed by Samuel Greatheed, a West India merchant and Member of Parliament for Coventry between 1747-1761. The house was used as a hospital during World War I and became a school for evacuated children in World War II.

 

It is reputedly haunted by the ghost of Guy of Warwick, who wanders the cliffs and the grounds of this forelorn house. A disembodied hand has been reported in the Butchery Room, audible phenomena include footsteps and a distressed female voice crying for help and an "unnatural chill" pervades the roofless ruins.