There's something marvellously bonkers about the Victorian folly. This deliciously eccentric 19th century craze saw everything from giant pineapples to faux-classical ruined temples constructed for the purposes of everything from showing off to providing employment for local artisans.
At Hadlow Tower in the village of Hadlow, near Tonbridge, construction was for a very different reason: jealousy. That's the story which flew around the village, at any rate, when local landowner and merchant Walter May had this beautiful tower built shortly after his wife had left him for another man.
May's father (also called Walter) built Hadlow Castle in the late 18th century – a chunk of which was sold last year – but the tower itself wasn't built until 1838, apparently so that he could keep tabs on his wife and the nearby farmer she'd taken up with.
May still wasn't happy: it turned out that it wasn't quite tall enough for his purposes, so he had the 40ft lantern added to the top.
It's the lantern which took the tower's height up to 175ft, roughly 6ft more than Nelson's Column – which was actually built slightly later. But while Nelson's Column has that prime Central London location going for it, Hadlow Tower has something very different: just under 3,500sq ft of living space, including four bedrooms, and lovely grounds in a beautiful part of the world that's an easy commute to London.
The home is laid out over eight floors – we've reproduced Strutt & Parker's floorplan below – and very sensibly, the main accommodation is spread across the lower tiers.
There are four bedrooms in all, the pick of which is the fourth floor master bedroom with walk-in wardwrobe, direct access to the roof terrace on the ancillary tower, and its own private bathroom above.
In addition the tower has a drawing room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room and media room which is on the ground floor. If you're worried about climbing that many stairs to get to bed after watching a film in the evening, fear not: there's a lift connecting that home cinema to the master bedroom.
That lift only goes as far as the fourth floor, so if you wish to get any further up the tower you'll have to use the beautiful, modern spiral staircase. Do so, and you'll come across the 6th-floor gallery: a glorious space that's probably the grandest home office in Britain.
The quality of the finish in the tower will be obvious from the images on this page. After years of lying semi-derelict after the war, the Vivat Trust bought the place in 2010 and spent millions refurbishing the place with a series of grants from National Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage.
Sadly, the Vivat Trust went into liquidation shortly after the £4.5 million project was finished – which is how the current owner, Christian Tym, bought it for just £425,000. Having lived in the place with his family – and occasionally renting it out as a holiday let – he is now selling up for £2m.
As you might expect of a place that has had so much restoration funding, there are covenants attached for this local landmark – most notably that it has to be open to the public 28 days a year. It sounds onerous on the face of it but probably isn't – apparently (and slightly surprisingly) the vendors tell us that nobody has actually come along on one of open days since they owned it.
As well as the tower itself, the purchase price includes just over half an acre of private garden plus access to the 3.45 acres of communal grounds shared with other properties which form part of the Hadlow Castle. Those grounds include a croquet lawn and a boating lake.
A miniature castle in Kent that sits alongside a magnificent folly tower
In the shadow of one of Victorian England's most famous follies lies a beautiful family home in Kent that is
The former home of ‘the fastest brush alive’ comes to the market
Royal portraitist Bernard Hailstone once enjoyed this handsome house.
-
'The watch is Head Boy of men’s accessorising': Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey and Tom Chamberlin's Summer Season style secretsWhen it comes to dressing for the Season, accessories will transform an outfit. Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey and Tom Chamberlin, both stylish summer-party veterans, offer some sage advice.
-
Lewis Hamilton, Claude Monet and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 29, 2025Tuesday's Quiz of the Day looks back at Lewis Hamilton's first win and ponders on the meaning of greige.
-
About time: The fastest and slowest moving housing markets revealedNew research by Zoopla has shown where it's easy to sell and where it will take quite a while to find a buyer.
-
A wisteria clad hall built by one of the founders of the Bank of EnglandCome for the history of Old Hall. Stay for the interesting interiors.
-
A gorgeous Scottish cottage with contemporary interiors on the bonny banks of the River TayCarnliath on the edge of Strathtay is a delightful family home set in sensational scenery.
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producersStormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in KentNorth Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streetsThis six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
-
A tale of everyday life as lived on Britain's most expensive streetWinnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like? Lotte Brundle went to find out.
