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King Alfred's Tower

Alfred's Tower is a folly in Somerset, England, on the edge of the border with Wiltshire, on the Stourhead estate. The tower stands on Kingsettle Hill and belongs to the National Trust. It is designated as a Grade I listed building.

Henry Hoare II planned the tower in the 1760s to commemorate the end of the Seven Years' War against France and the accession of King George III, and it was erected near the site of Egbert's Stone, where it is believed that Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, rallied the Anglo-Saxons in 878 before the Battle of Edington. The tower was damaged by an aeroplane in 1944 and restored in the 1980s.

The 49-metre-high (161 ft) triangular tower has a hollow centre and is climbed by means of a spiral staircase in one of the corner projections. It has a statue of King Alfred and a dedication inscription.

Location

The tower stands near the site of 'Egbert's Stone', where it was said that Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, rallied the Saxons in May 878 before the important Battle of Edington (historically known as the battle of Ethandun), where the Danish army, led by Guthrum the Old, was defeated. It is the start of the Leland Trail, a 28-mile (45 km) footpath which runs south-west to Ham Hill Country Park.

History

The project to build the tower was conceived in 1762 by the banker Henry Hoare II (1705–1785). The tower was intended to commemorate the end of the Seven Years' War against France and the accession of King George III.

Alfred's Tower is a monument to the genius of English landscape, many of whose loveliest haunts it commands, and to a man who certainly deserves to be remembered as among the great benefactors of the English scene.

In 1765, Henry Flitcroft, a Palladian architect, designed the tower. Building began in 1769 or early 1770, and was completed in 1772 at a cost estimated to be between £5,000 and £6,000. There may have been some delay due to difficulty in obtaining the bricks. In addition to the commemorative function, the tower was also intended to serve as an eye-catcher for those touring the parkland of the Stourhead Estate. In April 1770, when the tower was just 15 feet (4.7 m) high, Hoare is quoted as saying: "I hope it will be finished in as happy Times to this Isle as Alfred finished his Life of Glory in then I shall depart in peace."

The tower was damaged in 1944 when a Noorduyn Norseman aeroplane crashed into it in fog, damaging the uppermost 10 metres (33 ft); one source states that all five on board were killed. It was designated as a Grade I listed building in 1961. Restoration work in 1986 included the use of a Wessex helicopter to lower a 300-kilogram (660 lb) piece of masonry onto the top. The statue of King Alfred was also restored at this time, including the replacement of his missing right forearm.

Architecture

The triangular tower is over 40 metres (131 ft) high with a girth of 51 metres (167 ft). Each of the three corners of the triangular structure has a round projection. The centre of the tower is hollow, and to stop birds from entering the space a mesh has been added at roof level. The viewing platform, which has a crenellated parapet and offers a view over the surrounding countryside, is reached by a 205-step spiral staircase at the corner furthest from the entrance. The brick tower has Chilmark stone dressings and is surmounted by an embattled parapet.

The south-east face of the tower has a Gothic-arched entrance door, a statue of King Alfred, and a stone panel bearing an inscription (see below). This is the face that most visitors see first when walking from Stourhead garden or from the nearby car park.

Inscription

Around the Stourhead estate are several inscriptions. The plaque of the inscription is in poor condition and needs restoration. It was drafted in 1762 and installed in 1772. The stone tablet above the door on the east face of the tower reads: