Fairytale folly: 'Rapunzel-style tower' in Kent — built by a merchant to spy on his ex-wife — is for sale for £2million

The 175ft-high folly in the Kent village of Hadlow underwent a multimillion-pound restoration five years ago and is now a four-bedroom family home.
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Jess Denham12 September 2018

A real-life fairytale tower built hundreds of years ago by a wealthy landowner plotting to spy on his estranged wife has been listed for sale in the pretty village of Hadlow in Kent.

Standing at 175ft, Hadlow Tower measures six feet higher than Nelson’s Column, and is thought to be the tallest folly in the UK. It has now been converted into a dramatic four-bedroom family home and will be sold to a buyer willing to offer more than £2million.

ROOM WITH A VIEW
The tower is all that remains of a grand Romantic Gothic castle built by merchant Walter May in the late 18th century.

The 'Rapunzel-style tower' was not erected until the mid-19th century when May’s son, Walter Barton May, inherited the estate.

Folklore has it that May built the tower to keep an eye on his spouse after she left him for a local farmer. When he found it was not tall enough to see her, he added the 40ft lantern giving him an even higher vantage point, during which time she undoubtedly ran for the hills.

The May family are buried in the family tomb in the graveyard of St Mary’s church next-door.

A TALE WITH A HAPPY ENDING
After being used as a look-out during the Second World War, the castle became derelict and was set for demolition. British painter Bernard Hailstone stepped in and saved the tower, but it fell into disrepair over the next few decades.

In 1998, the World Monument Fund deemed Hadlow Tower important enough to be included in its list of the Top 100 most endangered historic buildings in the world, but it was only when local campaigners and the Vivat Trust joined forces that its three-year £4.5million restoration, funded by English Heritage and The National Heritage Lottery Fund. began, completing in 2013.

Back to its former glory: the tower's £4.5m restoration won an English Heritage prize

A METICULOUS CONVERSION
The Grade I-listed tower’s exterior was given a loving facelift by specialist craftsmen who meticulously removed and replaced every fine detail of the intricate stonework and stained-glass Gothic windows, winning Historic England’s prestigious Angel Award for their efforts.

The interiors were fully transformed, ready to entice a modern buyer looking for a contemporary but unusual four-bedroom home brimming with character and history.

Every floor has impressively high ceilings and can be accessed by two spiral turret staircases or a fully-functioning lift.

Historical and modern: climb the turret staircases or take the lift up the tower

The Rapunzel-style master bedroom on the top floor has a mezzanine en-suite bathroom and dressing room and there is a wood-burning stove in the cosy drawing room.

On the sixth floor the home's 3,500sq ft of living space, while the seventh and eighth floors provide access to the parapet-walkway and roof terrace with its breath-taking 360-degree views across the countryside. White doves nest up here and a peregrine falcon also returns every year.

Light it up: the wood-burning stove brings warmth to the drawing room

Current owners the Tym family have been renting out the property as a successful holiday let, as well as opening it to the public on certain days in recognition of the role it plays in a village that is extremely proud of it. They are now selling for private reasons.

Christian, who bought Hadlow Tower a year ago with his wife Becca and their four sons, describes it as a "fabulous, bonkers property" that he "fell in love with at first sight".

"The tower puts a smile on my face every time I drive up to it, or rather every time I first see it from several miles away as you approach," he says. "It is the perfect blend of beautiful, historical architecture and a modern home inside."

Fit for Rapunzel: the glam master bedroom leads up to the roof terrace

Though initially attracted by the novelty factor, the tower has become "a phenomenal, unique place to live" for the family.

"My four boys love playing hide and seek inside!" says Christian. "In the summer it is marvellous and in the winter it is mysterious. We are selling it with a heavy heart. I hope it goes to anyone who will live in it and enjoy it."

Hadlow Tower is set in just over three acres of land, including half an acre of private garden and communal castle grounds with a croquet lawn and ornamental boating lake.

Buyers with a family wedding on the horizon will be interested to know that the owner also has a key allowing direct access to the church.

Croquet on the lawn: the three-acre grounds also include a boating lake

Mainline stations are close by in both Tonbridge and Sevenoaks, with direct trains to London’s Cannon Street and Charing Cross taking half an hour or less. Driving into the City would take 80 minutes.

James Mackenzie, head of the National Country House Department at Strutt & Parker, who are marketing Hadlow Tower, says there have been “dozens” of enquiries since tower hit the market at the start of June. Call 020 7318 5190 for more details.