T  o  a  t    M  o  n  u  m  e  n  t

   Photo Submitted by, and Copyright of :- Carl Curtis.

This lovely specimen, sat on a field boundary, is the quintessential folly tower, a place to have retreated to, armed with either a telescope or a good book.

Carl Curtis who visited and photographed it commented that .... the tower is immaculate. No vandalism, no litter, a perfect example of a superb folly tower" - a rare find indeed it would seem.
Shamefully I admit to knowing very little about this tower however, and unfortunately it does not appear to be mentioned in very many sources either, so I can only relate what Gwyn Headley and Wim Meulenkamp tell us in their book, FOLLIES, GROTTOES AND GARDEN BUILDINGS.

It is a four storey embattled octagonal tower that was erected in 1827. The purpose was as a memorial to Samuel Drinkald who was killed on that spot after being thrown from his horse.

The tower would also originally have had an access but I am informed by Carl that this has now unfortunately been blocked up.

Local legend states that Mr Drinkald along with the guilty horse, hopefully also deceased at the time, were buried underneath the tower in an upside down position. Trying to mentally picture this does make me somewhat skeptical of the claim though.
Upside down burial it seems is not an uncommon belief in this part of the world, as John Oliver in the Miller's tomb on Highdown hill near Goring, and Major Labellière buried on Box Hill were both rumoured to have favoured this position for their inevitable meeting with St Peter.

Richard Hull was also always thought to have been buried under nearby Leith Tower   in an upside down orientation as well, and recently during restoration work a grave was indeed found under the tower ....... I am not aware though of how the remains were positioned when they were found.

     Photo Submitted by, and Copyright of :- Carl Curtis.

Visiting:-

It is situated on private farmland and is unfortunately not really accessible to the public unless permission is sought. However good views can be obtained from the nearby lanes and footpaths.

Update 2007:-

Richard Vobes went looking for the monument in the summer of 2007. He made a short video diary about his visit, and it can be viewed on his web site, by following this link..

Unfortunately as he discovered, some folly towers are not that easy to reach. They can easily be seen, but to get close to them is often quite another matter..

Co-Ords: 504500,121500 / TQ 049215  

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