Beckford's Tower

Infobox Historic building


caption=
name=Beckford's Tower
location_town=Bath
location_country=England
architect=Henry Goodridge
client=William Beckford
engineer=
construction_start_date=
completion_date=1827
date_demolished=
cost=
structural_system=
style=neo-classical folly
size=120-feet high

Beckford's Tower is an architectural folly built in neo-classical style and situated on Lansdown Hill, just outside Bath, Somerset, England.

Standing convert|120|ft|m high, the tower was completed in 1827 for local resident William Beckford to a design by Henry Goodridge. Beckford used the tower as both a library and a retreat, located at the end of pleasure gardens called "Beckford's Ride" which ran from his house in Lansdown Crescent up to the Tower at the top of Lansdown Hill.

The most striking feature of the tower is the topmost gilded belvedere, reached by a spiral staircase and offering excellent views over the surrounding countryside.

Today, the tower is home to a museum collection displaying furniture originally made for the Tower, alongside paintings, prints and objects illustrating William Beckford’s life as a writer, collector and patron of the arts. Visitors can follow in Beckford’s footsteps and climb the spiral staircase to the beautifully restored Belvedere and experience the spectacular panoramic view of Bath.

The tower is owned by the Bath Preservation Trust and managed by the Beckford Tower Trust. The Tower is also available to rent as a holiday home through the Landmark Trust. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building. [cite web | title=Beckford's Tower & Mortuary Chapel, Lansdown Cemetery | work=Images of England | url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=442844 | accessdate=2007-10-02]

A Victorian cemetery (no longer used for interments) now occupies that part of what was once "Beckford's Ride" that is closest to the tower.

References

External links

* [http://www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk/?id=9 Beckford's Tower and Museum]
* [http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/ Landmark Trust]