Horton Tower, a gigantic 18th century folly, dominates the surrounding countryside of Dorset, for purely aesthetic purposes. England, United Kingdom.
Horton's Tower, near Chalbury Common in Dorset, is said to have once been the tallest non-religious building in Britain. It is a classic example of a folly, that is, a monument built by a rich eccentric with no obvious purpose. At 140 feet (43 metres) high, follies don't come much one was built in 1750 by architect and Lord of Horton Manor, Sir Humphrey Sturt, who was also an MP for Dorset from1745 until his death in 1786. Also known as Sturt's folly, the reasons for its original construction remain unclear, but one theory suggests its owner planned to use the tower as an observatory, stargazing in the night sky. Other reasons point to it as a place from where Sturt could observe the hunting, sitting high up in the tower with views for miles around. Follies were hugely popular in the 18th and 19th centuries and mainly they were built as eye-catching decorative features, by rich landowners, to enhance the view of the landscape from their property. Pevsner (the art historian and architecture scholar), described Sturt as a “megalomaniac”, which seems a bit harsh until one learns that it was the very same Sir Humphrey Sturt who was responsible for submerging the nearby village of Moor Crichel just so he could have a lake in his front garden to admire from his living room window. Possibly with the distant but aesthetically pleasing Horton Tower in the background. Sadly over the years this grand, gothic, five storey, red brick edifice has fallen into a state of disrepair and is now not much more than a however the tower has been given a new purpose, as a platform supporting mobile phone antennae, they can be seen, fixed discretely to its sides, near the top of the tower. As part of the deal the giant mobile phone company “Vodaphone” undertook restoration work on the tower, after having received planning permission to attach it's aerials.
Size: 4287px × 2848px
Location: Horton Tower, Chalbury Common, Dorset, England, United Kingdom, UK, Great Britain, GB.
Photo credit: © Andrew Wood / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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