Issue 42 summer 24 web - Flipbook - Page 33
The repair and
conservation of
Beckford’s Tower
Introduction
Beckford’s Tower is a Grade I listed Neoclassical folly,
designed by William Beckford and the architect Henry
Edmund Goodridge, and constructed 1826-27, together
with a mile-long landscape garden which connected the
Tower to Beckford’s home in Lansdown Crescent.
Following Beckford’s death in 1844, the tower had a
varied history including use as a funerary chapel (18481970) and a private house. There were also periods of
neglect, and a fire. Repairs and alterations were undertaken in the 1880’s, 1930’s, 50’s, 70’s and 90’s. The Tower
is now run by Bath Preservation Trust (BPT).
The architectural project brief required the repair and
conservation of Beckford’s Tower, including the resolution
of complex and long-standing issues with rain water
ingress and disposal, primarily to the lantern and
belvedere; the restoration of the East Vault to provide
a wheelchair accessible space; and the repair and
conservation of the Grotto Tunnel.
Following the addition of the Tower to Historic England’s
At-Risk Register in 2019, and the acquisition of land
adjacent to the former site of the Grotto Tunnel, BPT
embarked on the Our Tower Project supported by the
National Lottery Heritage Fund, with the objective of
restoring and re-interpreting the Tower, and of reconnecting it with its landscape. Thomas Ford & Partners were
appointed as conservation architects and design team
leaders for the project in 2021.
Lantern and Belvedere
Beckford’s Tower stands 47m high on top of Lansdown
Hill to the northeast of Bath. As a result, it is highly
exposed from all aspects (in particular the southwest
prevailing wind), and thus is subject to very different
climatic conditions and agents of decay than historic
buildings within the city in the Avon valley. Its site
and immediate environs are essentially a microclimate,
Below, Beckfords Tower Bath
photograph by Casper Farrell
A central part of the project was a holistic reassessment
and re-presentation of the significance of the site and
in particular the legacy of William Beckford and his
involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.
