Tower takes a step back to escape the sea
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A historic tower immortalised by the novelists PD James and Thomas Hardy reopened yesterday after it was rebuilt brick by brick to stop it falling in to the sea. Clavell Tower was perched perilously close to a cliff edge at Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset, and was at risk of a watery grave because of coastal erosion.
An 18-month project costing £898,000 saw the tower dismantled by specialists, with each of the 16,272 stones numbered and recorded. The four-storey ruin was then rebuilt 82ft inland using the original material.
The final stone was replaced in February and the Landmark Trust will reopen the monument at 10am tomorrow. Its spokesman, Peter Pearce, said: "The tower's future is secure and it can now resume its role as sentinel on this stretch of coastline."
Clavell Tower was built by the Rev John Richards in 1830 as an observatory and folly. It was used by coastguards for 100 years but fell into disuse after it was gutted by fire in the 1930s. It was the inspiration for PD James's novel The Black Tower. Thomas Hardy courted his first love Eliza Nicholl there and used an illustration of the building in his Wessex Poems.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments