Freston Tower
| Freston Tower | |
|
Landmark Trust | |
|---|---|
 Freston Tower | |
| Grid reference: | TM17793967 |
| Location: | 52°-0’46"N, 1°10’20"E |
| Information | |
Freston Tower is a six-storey red brick folly south of Ipswich in Suffolk in the village of Freston. It stands on the banks of the River Orwell.
History
Arguably the oldest folly in Britain, the tower has various claims for construction dates, ranging from the 15th to 17th centuries.[1]
There is a legend that the tower was built by "Lord de Freston" in the 15th century for his daughter Ellen, so she could study a different subject on a different floor six days of the week: the 1st floor was dedicated to reception, the 2nd to tapestry working, the 3rd to music, the 4th to painting, the 5th to literature and the 6th to astronomy, complete with instruments for taking observations.[2] This was written about in a novel by Reverend Richard Cobbold entitled Freston Tower and so should not be taken as fact.[2] There is much evidence against this legend, in fact, (documents referring to the construction of the tower within the twelve years preceding 1569) and it is likely that the tower was constructed by Edmond Latymer as a lookout over Freston Reach of the River Orwell.[2] There are further descriptions suggesting a construction date of 1655.[3]
The Landmark Trust, the current owner, suggests the tower "was built in 1578 by a wealthy Ipswich merchant called Thomas Gooding.[4]
By 1730, the tower was available to let, complete with furniture.[3] Between 1772 and 1779, Freston Tower was used for small-pox patients under inoculation.[3]
In 1999, the then owner gave the tower to the Landmark Trust, a historical building preservation charity.[5]
Modern use
Most recently owned by Claire Hunt until 1999, Freston Tower was donated to the current owner Landmark Trust, a charity that rescues and restores historical buildings.[6] As of 2004, the tower became available to let as a holiday home.[7]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Freston Tower) |
- National Heritage List 1203980: Freston Tower
- National Monuments Record: No. 387951 – Freston Tower
References
- ↑ Curtis, Carl. "Follies and Monuments". Archived from the original on 2006-12-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20061217071424/http://www.follytowers.com/freston.html. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 S. Tymms: 'Freston Tower'; Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology, pages 270–271 (1856)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rev. C.R. Durrant: 'Freston Tower': Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology, pages 382–388 (1909)
- ↑ History of Freston Tower: The Landmark Trust
- ↑ Freston Tower: The Landmark Trust
- ↑ "Freston Tower". Evening Star. November 1999. http://www.freston.net/tower/trust-es1999-clip.html
- ↑ Broom, Ed. "Freston Tower". http://www.freston.net/tower/index.html. Retrieved 2007-03-01.