Prospect tower 230m south of King's School

Reasons for Designation

The term prospect tower is used to describe a structure erected, usually by a wealthy landowner, in a prominent and elevated position which commanded an uninterrupted view of the surrounding landscape. They are usually square, but can be circular or octagonal in plan and generally constructed from local building stone, with one or more floor-levels. Many of these towers have been inhabited at some time which is evidenced from the remains of fireplaces. Some examples have been subsequently adapted for alternative, usually utilitarian, purposes including dovecotes and hunting stands. Despite being roofless and with part of the gable above the south wall missing, the prospect tower 230m south of King's School survives well. It is an unusual example of its class, having almost certainly been converted to a prospect tower from an earlier building of probable late 15th to early 16th century date which had monastic associations. It is a well known and highly visible landmark of Bruton and the surrounding area in its prominent position on Lusty Hill.

Details

The monument includes a prospect tower, prominently situated on the summit of Lusty Hill, an isolated hill with commanding views over the surrounding countryside, on the south side of Bruton. The building, which is Listed Grade II*, is considered to date from the late 15th century to the early 16th century and may originally have served a monastic purpose as part of the holdings of the abbey at Bruton. By the 17th century, however, it appears to have been converted for use as a prospect tower, probably by the Berkeley family who built a mansion in the grounds of the abbey following its dissolution in 1539. Landowners erected prospect towers, usually isolated buildings with commanding views, as a demonstration of their wealth and holdings. Constructed from local rubble-stone with Doulting stone dressings in three stories, the tower is 6sq m in plan with a mud and rubble floor. It has surviving gable ends with finials on three sides and part of the gable survives on the fourth, south side. The tower had window openings at the middle level of each of the four faces and an arched doorway on the south west-facing wall. The tower was modified in the 17th century with the addition of the present moulded cambered arched doorway in the north east-facing wall, two-light chamfered mullion window openings at the two levels above it, and one- or two-light window openings at each level of the other three faces. The original doorway, and four of the window openings, including two of the originals, have since been blocked. The style of architecture of the original build of the tower suggests a date of construction in the late 15th or early 16th century at a time when the land was held by the Priory of Bruton (later to become the Abbey of Bruton) and it is possible that the tower was built in 1511 at the time of the priory gaining the status of an abbey. The probable existence of a tower building already on the site may have prompted the conversion into a prospect tower during the 17th century at what is rather an early date for such a venture. It had been considered by some commentators in the past that the tower was a dovecote constructed to house the priory pigeons, but close examination of the building's fabric and form has demonstrated that the nesting boxes found within are a later addition to a structure which has none of the characteristics of a purpose-built dovecote, suggesting that it was put to this use only after it had ceased to function as a prospect tower. This probably took place before 1780, when rows of nesting boxes were constructed from coarse stone blocks, and stone slates were installed in the upper levels of the tower. The remains of a fireplace inside the tower, together with the presence of a chimney, which is shown on an 18th century illustration of the tower, suggests that it was inhabited at some time. In addition, the tower has sometimes been suggested to be a folly, but its early date of construction and its variety of usage argue against this interpretation.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

33720

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Couzens, P, Bruton in Selwood, (1968), 40-41
Hansell, P, Hansell, J, Doves and Dovecotes, (1988), 118,124

End of official list entry

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