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| Radcliffe Manor | |
| Continuity: | Universal Monsters |
| Category: | Residence |
| Continent: | Europe |
| Country: | England |
| Residents: | Richard Cobb Geoffrey Radcliffe Helen Manson |
| 1st appearance: | Invisible Man Returns, The (1940) |
Radcliffe Manor is a fictional household residence featured in the Universal Monsters film series. It was the main setting of the 1940 film The Invisible Man Returns.
History[]
Radcliffe Manor was the family estate of the Radcliffe family. In the 1930s and 1940s, the estate was run by the brothers Geoffrey and Michael, as well as cousin Richard Cobb. The manor was located very close to the Radcliffe Colliery, which was a coal mining operation owned by the family.
Richard Cobb wanted control of the manor and the business, so he murdered Michael Radcliffe in a mine shaft and convinced a worker named Willie Spears to conspire with him to frame Geoffrey for the crime. Geoffrey went to prison, giving Richard control of the estate.
On the eve of his scheduled execution, Geoffrey escaped from prison with the aid of a man named Frank Griffin, who made used the processes developed by his late brother, Jack Griffin to render Geoffrey invisible.
Seeking to clear his name, Geoffrey terrorized Richard at Radcliffe Manor, forcing Cobb to summon Scotland Yard. Cobb feared being implicated in Michael's murder, so he really did not wish for a police presence, but he also wanted to get Geoffrey out of the way. Inspector Sampson of Scotland Yard arrived and placed Richard into protective custody. A squad of uniformed officers maintained a presence in the household at all times, guarding every door and exit, including the servants' quarters. Sampson knew that Geoffrey Radcliffe had escaped from jail and was now invisible, so he ordered his men to spray all of the halls of the manor with fog machines to route the invisible man out. Radcliffe managed to incapacitate one of the guards and donned his uniform and gas mask to effect his escape. Following a second confrontation with Richard, which resulted in Cobb's death, Geoffrey was later able to prove his innocence. Presumably he returned to his former position as lord of Radcliffe Manor. [1]
Residents of Radcliffe Manor[]
- Richard Cobb - Family member
- Geoffrey Radcliffe - Family member
- Michael Radcliffe - Family member
- Helen Manson - Guest and girlfriend of Geoffrey Radcliffe
- Mister Cotton - Butler
- Cookie - Cook
- Unnamed butler