Sway Tower
| Sway Tower | |
|
Hampshire | |
|---|---|
 Sway Tower | |
| Type: | Folly |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SZ27999674 |
| Location: | 50°46’10"N, 1°36’16"W |
| Village: | Sway |
| History | |
| Built 1879-1885 | |
| For: | Andrew Thomas Turton Peterson |
| Folly | |
| Information | |
Sway Tower is a folly which stands 218 feet tall at the southern entrance to Sway village. The building is Grade II listed since 1975 and also known as "Peterson's Folly" and "Peterson's Tower".[1]
The tower is a Grade II* listed building.[2]
History
The tower was built by Andrew Thomas Turton Peterson on his private estate from 1879–1885: its design and the use of concrete as a building material were influenced by the follies Peterson had seen during his time in India.[3] Peterson, a proponent of spiritualism in his later life, also claimed to be guided by the spirit of Sir Christopher Wren in the building of the tower.
The Tower is constructed entirely out of concrete made with Portland cement, with only the windows having iron supports. At the time, it was the first major building in Britain to be built entirely from concrete,[4] and it remains the tallest non-reinforced concrete structure in the world.
The tower was originally designed as a mausoleum, with a perpetual light at the top. However, this light was not allowed by Trinity House, as it was thought the light would confuse shipping.[5] It also served to publicise the superiority of Portland cement, even then not fully accepted.[6]
The tower is visible from much of the New Forest, and most of the western Solent. A smaller fifty-foot folly, built as a 'prototype', stands in a group of trees to the north of the taller tower. There are many small concrete features (mainly walls) to be found in Milford, Sway and Hordle.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Sway Tower) |
References
- ↑ National Heritage List 1296880: Peterson's Tower (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1296880: Peterson's Tower (Grade II* listing)
- ↑ "Sway Tower, The 14-Story Folly And The World Tallest Unreinforced Concrete Structure" (in en). https://www.amusingplanet.com/2020/08/sway-tower-14-story-folly-and-world.html.
- ↑ "A look inside Sway Tower" (in en). https://www.hampshire-life.co.uk/homes-gardens/property-market/a-look-inside-sway-tower-1-4789490.
- ↑ James, J. All about Sway Tower. Lymington, Lymington Museum Trust, 1997
- ↑ Trout, Edwin. Sway Tower: An early example of high-rise concrete construction Concrete, October 2002 64-5
