Restorers rise to challenge
Work to restore a 159-year-old Bath landmark to its former glory has started.
Urgent repairs to the viewing platform at the top of Beckford Tower is under way following an inspection of the wooden lantern and belvedere.
The two-year project will address urgent repairs and conservation works on the Grade I-listed 47-metre high tower.
Beckford Tower, originally known as Lansdown Tower, was built by William Thomas Beckford, who inherited several sugar plantations in Jamaica worked by slaves from his father Thomas Beckford.
The project will see new parts of the tower brought into use and a museum created inside the building.
Historic England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund have given funding towards the £3.3m project.
This week, architect Clive England inspected the wooden viewing platform at the top of the tower and abseiled off the top to inspect its exterior.
He said: “We are delighted to be involved with BPT’S Our Tower project.
“Beckford Tower is a unique building, in a spectacular setting, with a fascinating history - exactly the type of project that every conservation architect dreams about.”
The Bath Preservation Trust has said it will use the National Lottery Heritage Fund to “re-examine” the way in which they share the story of William Beckford’s links to the transatlantic slave trade.
The project is scheduled to be completed by the winter of 2023.
Earlier this year, Bath Preservation Trust bought the paddocks and grotto of the tower on Lansdown Hill and also plans on restoring them.
The 1.4-acre site forms a significant part of what was known as ‘Beckford’s Ride’ and features a grotto tunnel and avenue of lime trees, planted by Beckford.