Beckford's Tower
| Beckford's Tower | |
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| Lansdown Tower | |
Beckford's Tower with part of the surrounding cemetery
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| Location | Lansdown Hill, Bath, Somerset, England |
| Coordinates | 51°24′25″N 2°22′49″W / 51.40694°N 2.38028°WCoordinates: 51°24′25″N 2°22′49″W / 51.40694°N 2.38028°W |
| Height | 154 feet (47 m) |
| Built | 1827 |
| Built for | William Thomas Beckford |
| Restored | 1972 (house), 1997-2000 (tower) |
| Restored by | J. Owen Williams (house), Caroe & Partners, Mann Williams Structural Engineers (tower) |
| Architect | Henry Goodridge |
| Owner | The Beckford Tower Trust (Bath Preservation Trust) |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name: Beckford's Tower, with attached wall and railings | |
| Designated | 11 August 1972 |
| Reference no. | 1394133 |
| Official name: Lansdown Cemetery and Beckford's Tower | |
| Designated | 30 April 1987 |
| Reference no. | 1000563 |
 Location of Beckford's Tower in Somerset
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Beckford's Tower, originally known as Lansdown Tower, is an architectural folly built in neo-classical style on Lansdown Hill, just outside Bath, Somerset, England. The tower and its attached railings are designated as a Grade I listed building. Along with the adjoining Lansdown Cemetery it is Grade II listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England.
The tower was built for William Thomas Beckford, a rich novelist, art collector and critic, to designs by Henry Goodridge and completed in 1827. Beckford used it as a library and a retreat, with the cupola at the top acting as a belvedere providing views over the surrounding countryside. The Italianate building at the base of the tower housed drawing rooms and a library. Extensive grounds between Beckford's house in Lansdown Crescent were landscaped and planted to create Beckford's Ride.
Following Beckford's death in 1844, the tower and lands were donated to Walcot parish and a burial ground created, with the Scarlet Drawing Room being converted into a chapel. In 1931 the house and tower were damaged by a fire and a public appeal was made for funds for its restoration. The cemetery closed in 1992 and the next year the site was bought by the Bath Preservation Trust who have carried out extensive renovation. It is now home to a museum collection displaying furniture originally made for the tower and paintings, prints and objects illustrating Beckford’s life as a writer, collector and patron of the arts.
Beckford's Tower in Lansdown overlooking the city of Bath, was completed in 1827 for wealthy local resident William Beckford, to a design by Bath architect Henry Goodridge. Beckford was an English novelist, an art collector and patron of works of decorative art, a critic, travel writer and sometime politician, reputed at one stage in his life to be the richest commoner in England. In 1822 he sold Fonthill Abbey, and a large part of his art collection, to John Farquhar for £330,000, and moved to Bath, where he bought No. 20 Lansdown Crescent and No. 1 Lansdown Place West, joining them with a one-storey arch thrown across a driveway. In 1836 he also bought Nos. 18 and 19 Lansdown Crescent.
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