Stourton in Wiltshire

King Alfred's Tower stands high on a ridge, which over looks the village of Stourton in the 2,650-acre Stourhead Estate.The tower is a folly: it is a building that arguably serves no purpose. Nevertheless its size and beauty make it an imposing addition to the landscape, and the views from the top are breathtaking. The project to build the tower was conceived in 1762 by the banker Henry Hoare II (1705-1785), owner of Stourhead and creator of its famous garden, known to his family as 'the Magnificent'. The tower was intended to commemorate the end of the Seven Years War against France and the accession of King George III, and supposedly stands near the location of 'Egbert's stone' where it is believed that Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, rallied the Saxons in May 878 before the important Battle of Ethandun (now Edington, south-east of Trowbridge) where the Danish army was defeated The tower is a good place to begin a circular walk of about 6 miles down to Gasper and back through Stourhead Gardens.

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