King Alfred's Tower
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King Alfred's Tower or The Folly of King Alfred the Great (grid reference ST746351) in Stourhead, Wiltshire, England stands near the location of 'Egbert's stone' where it is believed that Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, rallied the Saxons in May 878 before the important Battle of Ethandun (now Edington, south-east of Trowbridge) where the Danish army, led by Earl Guthrum was defeated. The project to build the tower was conceived in 1762 by the banker Henry Hoare II (1705-1785). The tower was also 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. - Christopher Hussey, Country Life, 11th June 1938.
The tower was designed in 1765 by Henry Flitcroft, the notable 18th century Palladian architect, and despite the inspiration from St. Mark's Tower in Venice, this tower is rather different. Building began in 1769 or early 1770, and was completed in 1772 at an estimated cost of between £5,000 and £6,000. In April 1770, when the tower was just 15 feet 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 is 49m (160ft) high, and is triangular in plan, with round projections at each of the three corners. One of these, furthest from the entrance door, has a spiral staircase within it by which visitors can climb the 205 steps to the top, where there is a platform with a crenellated parapet. The staircase is not well illuminated, with only ten small openings to admit a little daylight. The centre of the tower is hollow and open to the elements; in recent years a mesh has been placed over the opening at the top to prevent birds from entering the tower. The total girth of the tower is approximately 51m (168ft), which means that the tower's circumference and height are about the same. From the top you may see as far as Hinckley Point power station (about 50 miles away) on a clear day.
The 'front' (south-east) face of the tower has the gothic-arched entrance door, a statue of King Alfred, and a stone panel bearing an inscription. This is the face that most visitors see first when walking from Stourhead garden or from the nearby car park.
The stone tablet above the door on the east face of the tower reads:
- "ALFRED THE GREAT
- AD 879 on this Summit
- Erected his Standard
- Against Danish Invaders
- To him We owe The Origin of Juries
- The Establishment of a Militia
- The Creation of a Naval Force
- ALFRED The Light of a Benighted Age
- Was a Philosopher and a Christian
- The Father of his People
- The Founder of the English
- MONARCHY and LIBERTY"
