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The Enchanted Tower

 

Jon Heath's Eclectic mix of things to cherish

Horton Tower

 

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Horton Tower (Sturt's Folly) is a seven story folly, built by Humphrey Sturt in 1726. At the time it was the tallest non-religious structure in Britain. It was built as a viewing platform from which to watch the local hunt, when Sturt was too old to ride.
The tower is made of red brick. It is 140 feet tall and has seven stories. Inside it is hexagonal all the way to the top, with rooms leading off to three sides. It originally had a round wooden dome as its roof.
The tower was left derelict for many years (interior picture above left), with all the interior floors collapsed and only fireplaces to show where the floors had once been. English Heritage (the owners) came to an arrangement with a mobile phone company in 1992, so that the tower now houses a radio mast. In exchange it has been restored with windows and a roof, but still very few escape routes for trapped birds.
The tower provides a powerful addition to the landscape. We have photographed it in a variety of moods.

Horton Tower also featured in the 1967 film "Far from the madding crowd" (adapted from Thomas Hardy) as the setting for a cock fight.

Pictures above are mostly taken by Jon and Linda Heath

 

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