Alfred’s Tower: A Monument to Alfred the Great

Location: Alfred’s Tower stands on the Stourhead Estate in south-west England, near Brewham in Somerset and right on the border with Wiltshire. The tower rises on Kingsettle Hill amid a rural, wooded landscape and offers sweeping views across Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset.

Accessibility: A small car park is located near Alfred’s Tower, so the structure can be reached after a short walk. Alternatively, the approximately 8.8-kilometre Alfred’s Tower Walk leads from the visitor information point at Stourhead through the estate to the tower and back. The interior of the tower is open only seasonally and on selected days.

History of the estate: The Stourhead Estate belonged to the Stourton family for many centuries, and their manor house had stood above the valley of the River Stour since the Middle Ages. After a brief period of ownership by the Meres family, London banker Henry Hoare I purchased the estate in 1717 and had the old manor house demolished shortly afterwards. From the early 1720s, a new Palladian country house was built to designs by architect Colen Campbell. Henry Hoare II subsequently continued to develop Stourhead and, from the 1740s, created the famous landscape garden with its artificial lake. Over several generations, the Hoare family transformed the estate into one of England’s best-known country estates. In 1946, Sir Henry Hugh Arthur Hoare gave Stourhead to the National Trust, which continues to preserve the estate and keep it open to visitors today.

Stourhead House: Over time, Stourhead House developed into an impressive family residence with extensive collections of art and books. In 1792, two large side wings were added to the house, containing a library and a picture gallery. A major fire destroyed large parts of the main house in 1902. The library and picture gallery, however, were largely spared, allowing much of the collections to be saved. During the subsequent reconstruction, the house was restored in keeping with its historic appearance. Today, visitors can explore the historic rooms and collections of Stourhead House.

Landscape garden: From the early 1740s, Henry Hoare II had an extensive landscape garden laid out around an artificial lake. It was inspired by Italian landscapes, classical literature and the paintings of artists such as Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin. Numerous garden buildings were created around the lake. These include the Temple of Flora, dedicated to the Roman goddess Flora, the Pantheon, inspired by ancient temples, and the Temple of Apollo, which stands on elevated ground. The garden also features an artificial grotto with statues and pools, the five-arched Palladian Bridge, and structures such as the Rock Arch and the historic Bristol Cross. Paths, trees, water and architecture were carefully arranged so that new, deliberately framed views appear throughout the walk. Henry’s grandson, Sir Richard Colt Hoare, later developed the garden further and had around 90,000 trees planted over 13 years. Today, Stourhead is one of England’s best-known landscape gardens.

Alfred’s Tower: Henry Hoare II conceived the idea for Alfred’s Tower in 1762 and commissioned Henry Flitcroft to design it. The tower was conceived as a folly, an intentionally impressive and decorative structure whose significance lay primarily in its symbolism and its role as a striking landmark in the landscape. Construction began towards the end of the 1760s and was completed in 1772. An estimated 1.2 million red bricks were used to build the monumental tower. The cost amounted to around £5,000 to £6,000, an exceptionally high sum for a building project of this kind in the 18th century.

Symbolism: Alfred’s Tower combines the memory of Alfred the Great with the British sense of national identity in the 18th century. At the time, the surrounding area was considered a possible location of the so-called Egbert’s Stone, where Alfred is said to have gathered his army in 878 before the decisive battle against the Vikings. Alfred therefore became the central figure of the monument and gave the tower its name. At the same time, Henry Hoare II referred to two major events of his own era: the accession of George III to the throne in 1760 and Britain’s success in the Seven Years’ War, which ended in 1763. The tower is therefore a patriotic monument linking Alfred, seen as a forerunner of the later unification of England, with a united Great Britain and its political and military successes in the 18th century.

Alfred the Great: Alfred the Great ruled as King of Wessex from 871 to 899 and is regarded as one of the most important rulers of Anglo-Saxon England. During a period of intense Viking attacks, he secured the independence of his kingdom and strengthened its defences by expanding a network of fortified settlements. At the same time, he reformed administration and law and strongly promoted education and literature. A united England did not emerge until after his lifetime, but Alfred laid important foundations that enabled his successors to bring large parts of the country under common rule.

Plane crash: On 10 July 1944, an American transport aircraft collided with the upper section of Alfred’s Tower in dense fog. Among other damage, the viewing gallery on the western section of the tower was destroyed. After the collision, the aircraft crashed, killing the pilot and two other crew members.

Deterioration: After the plane crash, the tower continued to deteriorate. In the 1960s, another section of the upper tower collapsed after masonry bees damaged the brickwork through their nesting activity. A lighter patch in the masonry still marks the subsequent repair today. As late as 1983, the statue of Alfred was also missing its right forearm.

Restoration: In 1986, the National Trust carried out a major restoration of Alfred’s Tower, which also included rebuilding the viewing gallery. A Wessex helicopter attracted particular attention when it lifted a stone element weighing around 300 kilograms to the top of the tower. The statue of Alfred was also restored during the work, and its missing right forearm was replaced.

Architecture: Alfred’s Tower is about 49 metres high and is particularly striking for its unusual triangular ground plan with three round corner towers. Battlements, pointed arches and narrow windows give the brick structure the appearance of a medieval fortress. Behind the monumental façade, however, there is no multi-storey building, as the tower’s central interior is largely hollow. The 205 steps are located inside one of the round corner towers and lead directly up to the viewing platform, which offers sweeping views over the surrounding landscape. Above the entrance, a larger-than-life statue of Alfred the Great stands in a richly decorated niche, depicting him as an armoured ruler. The inscription beneath presents him as a defender of England and an important forerunner of monarchy and liberty.