Clavell Tower, also known as Clavel Folly or Kimmeridge Tower, is a Grade II listed building on the Jurrasic Coast, in Dorset England.
THE HISTORY OF CLAVELL TOWER
Perched on top of Hen Cliff, east of Kimmeridge Bay, the tower was built in 1830 by Reverend John Richards Clavell of Smedmore House as an observatory. John Richards had inherited the estate in 1817, then changed his name to John Richards Clavell.
The tower sits about 35 feet tall, 330 feet above sea level, and made from stone and brick. In total the tower has four floors; a stone ground floor, a wooden first, a wooden second, and a wooden third floor. The tower is surmounted upon a shallow stone basement.
Evidence suggests there were fireplaces within the ground floor which indicated the tower was intended to be occupied throughout the year. However, access to the first and second floors would have been accessible solely via a ladder.
Thomas Hardy, the novelist, often took his first love Eliza Nicholls to Clavell Tower. He used an illustration of the tower in his Wessex Poems.
Up until the 1930s, the local coastguards would use the building as a lookout. That was until the property was gutted by fire and almost destroyed.
Clavell Tower as it looked after being gutted by fire, sat just a few feet from the cliff edge.
Clavell Tower – The Tower That Nearly Fell In The Sea
In 2006, the Landmark Trust, who now owns the property, invested £900,000 moving the tower 82 feet inland, away from the eroding cliff edge.
Each of the tower’s 16,272 stones was removed, numbered and photographed by engineers and specialist builders, before being reassembled slightly inland.
The location of the old tower, just a few feet away from the cliff edge. And the tower as it stands today in the background.
The final stone was replaced onto the tower on 25 February 2008 in a traditional topping-out ceremony. The tower used 298 new carved stones, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of pipes and cables, 10 tons of render on the walls, 1,344 bags of lime and about 100 tons of sand.
Rebuilding the Tower between 2006 and 2008.
THE HOUSE TODAY
Once the tower had been rebuilt in 2008, the interior was redesigned so that it could be used as a holiday home. Accommodating two people, the top floor of the property offers 360-degree views of the surrounding countryside and the English Channel.
A four-night break at the property starts from £496, however, there is an 18-month waiting list at present. When the latest rounds of bookings were made available, they all sold-out within five minutes.
The property is generally rented by couples looking to get away and take in the fresh air. Beautiful scenery and incredible walks along the Jurassic Coast make it perfect for a relaxing few days.
