Luttrell's Tower | |
---|---|
Type | Folly |
Location | Fawley |
Coordinates | 50°48′22″N1°19′29″W / 50.8060°N 1.3246°W |
OS grid reference | SU 47690 00930 |
Area | Hampshire |
Built | 1780 |
Architect | Thomas Sandby |
Owner | Landmark Trust |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | Luttrell's Tower |
Designated | 8 October 1959 |
Reference no. | 1094367 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | 3 flights of steps and gateway south east of Luttrell's Tower |
Designated | 10 Jun 1987 |
Reference no. | 1178697 |
Luttrell's Tower is a three-storey stuccoed yellow brick folly south of Southampton, Hampshire, England, near the village of Calshot. It has a six-storey circular stair turret extending above the rest. It stands on the shore of the Solent, close to the grounds of Eaglehurst House. It is owned by the Landmark Trust.
The tower was built circa 1780 for Temple Simon Luttrell [1] by Thomas Sandby, who was a founder member and first Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy. [2] Temple Luttrell was a Member of Parliament who was allegedly involved in smuggling on the south coast (though no firm evidence of this exists). [2] The tower's lookout, extending above the height of the main building, would have afforded a commanding view of the activities of the customs men in the area, both out to sea and inland. [2] A tunnel running from an entrance just above the beach straight into the cellar of the tower would have made transferring contraband from the Isle of Wight a low risk operation. It is possible that the tunnel predates the tower. [3] Once the goods were on the mainland, the proximity of Southampton would have made distribution expeditious. In the early 19th century the tower was sold to Richard Lambart, 7th Earl of Cavan. [3] The earl set up tents around the base of the tower and lived in it for a while. [3] Finding the tower too small he later built Eaglehurst House slightly further inland. [3] Documentation in the tower suggests there may have been tunnels from the base of the tower into the cellars of Eaglehurst House; if so they are now blocked up.
Marconi used the tower for his wireless experiments of 1912. [2] He rented Eaglehurst House and the tower between 1911 and 1916, and used the top of the tower for his transmissions. [4] His youngest daughter, Gioia, was christened at Fawley Church in 1916. [5] Steps down to the beach were added in 1927 to a design by Clough Williams-Ellis. [6]
During World War 2 the tower was taken over by the military who fitted steel shutters over the windows. [7] After the war the tower along with the house was purchased by Valder Gates who had the wartime damage the buildings had suffered repaired. [7]
The tower became a Grade: II* Listed building on 8 October 1959. [1] Since 1968 it has been owned by the Landmark Trust, a charity that rescues and restores historical buildings. It is now let as a holiday home. [2]
Hythe is a town in Hampshire, England. It is located by the shore of Southampton Water, and has a ferry service connecting it to Southampton. Hythe has a shopping area, a pier, and a marina for yachts.
Calshot Spit is a one-mile long sand and shingle bank, near the village of Calshot, located on the southern bank of the open end of Southampton Water, on the south coast of England.
Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point, where the estuaries of the River Test and River Itchen meet. Along its salt marsh-fringed western shores lie the New Forest villages of Dibden, Hythe and Fawley, and the Fawley Refinery. On the slightly steeper eastern shore are the Southampton suburb of Weston, the villages of Netley and Hamble-le-Rice, and the Royal Victoria Country Park. To the south, Southampton Water enters the Solent between Calshot Spit and Hill Head.
Marchwood is a village and civil parish located in Hampshire, England. It lies between Totton and Hythe on the western shore of Southampton Water and directly east of the New Forest. The population of the village in the 2011 census was 6,141.
Calshot Castle is an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII on the Calshot Spit, Hampshire, England, between 1539 and 1540. It formed part of the King's Device programme to protect against invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire and defend Southampton Water as it met the Solent. The castle had a keep at its centre, surrounded by a curtain wall and a moat. Initially heavily armed, it had a garrison of 16 men and as many as 36 artillery guns. The castle continued in use for many years, surviving the English Civil War intact and being extensively modernised in the 1770s. During the 19th century, Calshot Castle was used by the coastguard as a base for combating smuggling. In 1894, however, fresh fears of a French invasion led to it being brought back into use as an artillery fort: a large coastal battery was constructed alongside the older castle and a boom built across Southampton Water, controlled from the castle.
Fawley is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It is situated in the New Forest on the western shore of the Solent, approximately 7 miles south of Southampton. Fawley is also the site of Fawley Refinery, operated by ExxonMobil, which is the largest facility of its kind in the United Kingdom. The decommissioned Fawley Power Station is also located less than a mile to the south east of the village.
Romsey was a seat of the House of Commons of the UK Parliament 1983–2010 which accordingly elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It is virtually tantamount to its replacement Romsey and Southampton North which takes in two typical-size local government wards of the United Kingdom named after and approximate to the Bassett and Swaythling parts of Southampton.
New Forest East is a constituency in Hampshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its creation in 1997 by Julian Lewis of the Conservative Party.
Ocean Village is a mixed-use marina, residential, business and leisure development on the mouth of the River Itchen in Southampton, on the south coast of England. Originally the site of Southampton's first working docks, the "Outer Dock" which opened in 1842, the area was redeveloped in 1986 and became the leisure marina it is today. After experiencing a period of stalled development with the late-2000s recession, Ocean Village underwent another series of major, multimillion-pound redevelopment projects. Current recreational facilities include a cinema, cafes, wine bars and restaurants.
Northam is a suburb of Southampton in Hampshire. On the West bank of the River Itchen, it shares borders with St Mary's, Bitterne and Bevois Valley. Beside the border with St Mary's is the Chapel area, which has been home to some recent apartment building developments in Northam. The A3024 road runs through the suburb and crosses the Northam Bridge, which links Northam with Bitterne via Bitterne Manor. Although St Mary's Stadium takes its name from the neighbouring St Mary's, the stadium itself is in Northam, and home to Southampton F.C.
Fawley Power Station was an oil-fired power station located on the western side of Southampton Water, between the villages of Fawley and Calshot in Hampshire, England. Its 198-metre (650 ft) chimney was a prominent landmark, but it was not, as is sometimes claimed, the highest point in Hampshire.
The Fawley branch line, also known as the Waterside line, is a standard-gauge railway line to Fawley, in the English county of Hampshire. It is on the opposite side of Southampton Water from the city of Southampton itself, in an area known as Waterside. For 40 years a passenger service operated, but this was withdrawn except for the occasional enthusiasts' railtour. The line serves the freight needs of Marchwood Military Port, having also served the same function for Fawley Refinery until 2016.
Ashlett is a small settlement in Hampshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Fawley. It is at the end of Ashlett Creek, a tidal inlet of Southampton Water. Ashlett is known for having a well-preserved tidal mill, which is next to a free slipway and landing stage. Although the creek is only accessible at high tide, the historic mill and free landing stage make it a popular destination for dinghy sailors from around Southampton Water.
Fawley Refinery is an oil refinery located at Fawley, Hampshire, England. The refinery is owned by Esso Petroleum Company Limited, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, which acquired the site in 1925. Situated on Southampton Water, it was rebuilt and extended in 1951 and is now the largest oil refinery in the United Kingdom, and one of the most complex refineries in Europe. With a capacity of 270,000 barrels (43,000 m3) per day, Fawley provides 20 per cent of the UK's refinery capacity. Over 2,500 people are employed at the site.
The Port of Southampton is a passenger and cargo port in the central part of the south coast of England. The modern era in the history of the Port of Southampton began when the first dock was inaugurated in 1843. After the Port of Felixstowe, Southampton is the second largest container terminal in UK, with a handled traffic of 1.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). It also handles cruise ships, roll-on roll-off, dry bulk, and liquid bulk.
Marchwood railway station was an intermediate station on the Totton, Hythe and Fawley Light Railway, which was built along the coast of Southampton Water to connect Totton and Fawley and to provide a freight link from the South West Main Line to Fawley Refinery. It was 86 miles 10 chains measured from London Waterloo.
Fawley Tunnel, or Fawley transmission tunnel, is a 3-metre (9.8 ft) diameter, 2-mile (3.2 km) long tunnel under Southampton Water between Fawley Power Station and Chilling near Warsash. It carries the cables of two 400kV circuits of the National Grid.
Marchwood Power Station is an 898.1 MW gas-fired power station in Marchwood, near Southampton, England. It is situated beside estuary of the River Test where it meets Southampton Water, opposite the Port of Southampton. It is built on the site of an oil-fired power station, demolished in the 1990s. The station is operated by the Marchwood Power Limited Independent Team.
Hardley Halt was a railway station on the Fawley branch line.
Hythe to Calshot Marshes is a 591.8-hectare (1,462-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches along the west bank of Southampton Water between Calshot and Marchwood in Hampshire. It is part of Solent and Southampton Water Ramsar site and Special Protection Area, and of Solent Maritime Special Area of Conservation. Calshot Marshes is a Local Nature Reserve and Hythe Spartina Marsh is a nature reserve managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.