The Restoration of Prospect Tower, by Chris Smith

​

When the family purchased the property in 1997, the structure was in a poor state of repair. The building is listed Grade II, and its condition was a matter of concern for English Heritage and East Lindsey District Council. The original plan was to consolidate the structure and make it weatherproof, and this was done with the help of a Local Authority Historic Buildings Grant.

​

Subsequent works included the reinstatement of the lantern top, lead roof and railed viewing platform, and the reconstruction of floors and staircases.

​

All works have been carried out by Arthur Wood and Sons of Alford under the guidance of Conservation Architect David Glew of Lincoln. The Smith family are grateful for the input of all parties concerned.

 

History

Mystery and speculation surround the history of the tower and its builder. We know that the building was there in 1817, as there is a structure marked on an early Ordnance Survey map as a ‘Gazebo’. This term is defined as a ‘lookout tower or raised summerhouse, usually in a park or garden’, which certainly describes the tower. 

We also know that the owner of the land and the occupant of Saltfleetby House in the early eighteenth century was “Squire” Thomas Oldham, a wealthy local farmer. But why did he build this ornate, unusual and expensive structure, and who was the architect?

 

The Builder

Many historical documents mention the tower. C19th gazetteers and directories describe the structure as being “an observatory, or prospect tower, commanding extensive views of both sea and land”.

The earliest reference is in a Louth schoolboy’s Latin essay of c.1818, in which he writes: - “whose is that house and the nearby little tower (called a gazebo)? - well worth noticing. Whose are those ships you can espy far out to sea? They belong to the man whose horses, large flocks of sheep and fat cattle are all grazing on the lush countryside.”

The man referred to was Thomas Oldham. Did this local man of substance build the tower for mere practical purposes? The village diarist William Paddison, writing some hundred years ago, argues that the gazebo was built in order that Oldham could watch over his workers in the surrounding fields, but if this was the only reason, why build such an elaborate structure? Perhaps to commemorate a happy family event: Thomas married in 1808, and had a son in 1809. Or maybe a less happy occasion: his wife died in 1809, and his son in 1817.

​

The Architect

It remains a mystery as to the identity of the man who designed the tower. Here an illustrious, though tenuous connection emerges. Pevsner and Harris speculate in the Lincolnshire volume of the ‘Buildings of England’ series that it could be the tower designed by Sir Jeffry Wyatville in Lincolnshire. Certainly the date of 1812 fits, and the architect was engaged around that time in work for Lord Brownlow at Belton House. The link between the tower and the man responsible for re-modelling Windsor Castle remains to be proved. One thing is for certain; both the designer and Thomas Oldham were fond of round windows - there are four in the tower, and no less than eleven in the adjoining coach house and stables.

​

Some Early Users of the Tower

Mention has been already made of Thomas Oldham. The village diarist William Paddison observes:-

“that it was used by him as a watch tower, and, with his field glass, he could see all over his farm…the ladies also who worked in gangs on the farm were not flattered by his new method of observation so they tried to elude it by hanging their gowns on the top of their spittle staffs. These staffs, which were dressed like old women, they stuck in the open ground, while themselves were chattering together behind a drainbank”.

This amusing story serves to illustrate the structure’s most likely purpose, but village folklore lends another, more sinister reason for the presence of the tower - smuggling. A tale is told of a secret passage from the New Inn at Saltfleet to Saltfleetby House. In view of the number of dykes and amount of water, this seems very unlikely, but another story of finding the horse tired out in the morning from pulling the cart loaded with contraband has more than a ring of truth. Was the tower used as a lookout for the dreaded Excisemen?

Captain Maitland, Royal Navy Inspector of Coastguard, occupied the house in the 1850’s, and so use of the tower for illegal activities would certainly have been curtailed.

​

The Tower in the Twentieth Century

William Paddison purchased the house in 1905 on the retirement of the Reverend Watson, Rector of St Peter’s Church, but was not happy living the life of ‘a gentleman’. His 67th birthday in February 1906 was “a most uncomfortable day”, and he mentions, “How I longed to hide away among the trees in Gazebo land”. 

One local resident remembers seeing walnuts drying on the floor, and playing in the tower in the 1920’s with children ‘from London’ who were staying at the house.

Apparently a gale of 1938 blew off the wooden octagonal top, and the poor tower was left open to the elements. The army occupied the house during the early years of World War II, and stripped the tower of its internal mahogany panelling, floors and staircases to use as firewood on the cookhouse stove. To add insult to injury, the tower was used for target practice. The bullet holes can still be seen today.