Conygar Tower
| Conygar Tower | |
|
Somerset | |
|---|---|
 Conygar Tower, Dunster | |
| Type: | Folly |
| Location | |
| Village: | Dunster |
| History | |
| Built 1775 | |
| For: | Henry Luttrell, 2nd Earl of Carhampton by Richard Phelps |
| Folly | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Crown Estate |
The Conygar Tower is a folly tower built in 1775 by Henry Luttrell, 2nd Earl of Carhampton on his estate in Dunster, Somerset.
The tower is a circular, 3-storey tower built of red sandstone, standing on a hill overlooking the village. It was commissioned by Henry Luttrell and designed by Richard Phelps to stand about 60 feet high so that it can be seen from Dunster Castle on the opposite hillside. There is no evidence that it ever had floors or a roof.[1]
The name 'Conygar' comes from two mediæval words Coney meaning rabbit and Garth meaning garden, indicating that it was once a warren where rabbits were bred for food.
The tower has been designated as a Grade II listed building.[2] In 1997 a survey carried out by The Crown Estate identified cracks in the walls which were repaired in 2000.[3]
See also
- Dunster Castle
- Dunster Yarn Market
- Dunster Butter Cross
- Dunster Dovecote
- Dunster Watermill
- Priory Barn
- Gallox Bridge
References
- ↑ Holt, Jonathan (2007). Somerset Follies. Bath: Akeman Press. pp. 78–79. ISBN 978-0-9546138-7-7.
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (264747) Conygar Tower
- ↑ "Conygar Tower - Dunster". Everything Exmoor. http://www.everythingexmoor.org.uk/exmoor-encyclopedia/contents-list/35-c/275-conygar-tower-dunster.html. Retrieved 6 April 2011.