Saltfleetby Prospect Tower, a folly at Saltfleetby House, Lincolnshire, England UK.
It is maybe a folly as no historical record really survives. Thomas Oldham Built it. Did this local man of substance build the tower for mere practical purposes? The village diarist William Paddison, writing some hundred years ago, argues that the gazebo was built in order that Oldham could watch over his workers in the surrounding fields, but if this was the only reason, why build such an elaborate structure? Perhaps to commemorate a happy family event: Thomas married in 1808, and had a son in 1809. Or maybe a less happy occasion: his wife died in 1809, and his son in 1817. Village folklore lends another, more sinister reason for the presence of the tower - smuggling. A tale is told of a secret passage from the New Inn at Saltfleet to Saltfleetby House. In view of the number of dykes and amount of water, this seems very unlikely, but another story of finding the horse tired out in the morning from pulling the cart loaded with contraband has more than a ring of truth. Was the tower used as a lookout for the dreaded Excisemen?
Size: 3264px × 4928px
Photo credit: © Peter Conner / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: architecture, blue, brickbuilt, folly, landmark, lincs, lookout, marsh, observatory, oldham, sky, smuggling, tall, thomas
