Paxton's Tower is a

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

erected in honour of

Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

. It is situated on the top of a hill near

Llanarthney Llanarthney (; ) is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales. It is situated on the B4300 road, 12 km (7.5 miles) east of Carmarthen and 10 km (6 miles) west of Llandeilo. The community had a population at the 2001 ...

in the

River Tywi The River Towy (, ; also known as the River Tywi) is one of the longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales. Its total length is . It is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing. Route The Towy rises within of the source of the River Teifi ...

valley in

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It is a visitor attraction that can be combined with a visit to the nearby

National Botanic Garden of Wales The National Botanic Garden of Wales () is a botanical garden located in Llanarthney in the River Tywi valley, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The garden is both a visitor attraction and a centre for botanical research and conservation, and features t ...

. Its high location provides views over the Botanic Gardens and the Tywi valley. The tower, a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

, is under the care of the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

. The surrounding parkland is registered at Grade II* on the

Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales The Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales is a heritage register of significant historic parks and gardens in Wales. It is maintained by Cadw, the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and ...

History

The tower was built by Sir William Paxton (1745–1824), a Scottish-born and London-raised merchant and banker, whose forefathers were from

Auchencrow Auchencrow () is a small village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, by the Lammermuir range of hills, and near Reston. Etymology Around 1210, the village was referred to as Aldenegraue. It had become Aldencraw by the end of the 13th ...

by Paxton, Berwickshire. Paxton made his first fortune while with the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

in Calcutta with Charles Cockerell, brother of the architect. He purchased the Middleton Hall estate c 1790. The tower was built c 1806–1809.Jones Paxton may have been inspired to build the tower by Nelson's death at

Trafalgar Trafalgar most often refers to: * The Battle of Trafalgar (1805), fought near Cape Trafalgar, Spain * Trafalgar Square, a public space and tourist attraction in London, England Trafalgar may also refer to: Places * Cape Trafalgar, a headland in ...

. Whilst in the office of mayor of

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

, he may have met Nelson in person. Marble tablets dedicating the tower to Nelson were located above the entrances to the tower. Middleton Hall was designed by the architect,

Samuel Pepys Cockerell Samuel Pepys Cockerell (15 February 1753 – 12 July 1827) was an English architect. He was a son of John Cockerell, of Bishop's Hull, Somerset, and the elder brother of Sir Charles Cockerell, 1st Baronet, for whom he designed the house he is ...

(1754–1827) and was destroyed by fire in 1931.

Construction

The tower is 36 feet high. The lower part of the tower is triangular in shape with a turret at each corner. On the first floor there is a banqueting room. Coloured glass from one of the windows can now be seen in the Carmarthen Museum at

Abergwili Abergwili () is a village and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, near the confluence of the rivers River Towy, Towy and River Gwili, Gwili, close to the town of Carmarthen. It is also an Abergwili (electoral ward), electoral ...

. On the second floor there is a hexagonal prospect room surrounded by roof terraces. The windows to the prospect room are now bricked up. There is currently public access to the first floor banqueting room via stairs in one of the corner turrets.

''Pi''

A piece of land at the nearby

, named Paxton's View because of its views of the tower, features the sculpture ''Pi'' by Rawleigh Clay, which consists of a large metal hoop mounted by a twisted wooden structure. The hoop is designed so that it "frames" the view of Paxton's Tower, and as such has been described as a "viewing circle" for the tower.

References

* Jones, D. Middleton Hall. * Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: William Paxton

External links

Article via History System
- Delyth Jones
Paxton's Tower photo gallery
- PhotoHound
Article about Paxton's Tower
- National Trust
"Welsh History Month: Paxton's Tower, the grand neo-classical mansion in Carmarthenshire"
- Wales Online {{coord, 51.85183, N, 4.1198, W, region:GB_type:landmark_scale:5000, display=title Folly buildings in Wales National Trust properties in Wales Tourist attractions in Carmarthenshire Towers completed in 1809 Grade II* listed buildings in Carmarthenshire Folly towers in the United Kingdom Registered historic parks and gardens in Carmarthenshire