Conygar Tower is a Grade II listed 18th-century folly tower located in Dunster, Somerset, England. It was built in 1775 on a hill overlooking the village of Dunster, on the opposite hillside from Dunster Castle.
Description
The tower is a circular, three-storey structure built of local red sandstone, standing approximately 18 metres (59 ft) high. It has a diameter of 7.9 metres (26 ft) with walls approximately 0.8 metres (2.6 ft) thick. The tower is hollow, with no evidence that it ever had internal floors or a roof. The top of the walls are crenellated. Each of the three storeys has four pointed-arched window openings, which decrease in size as the tower ascends, with two-stage buttresses between them.
History
The tower was commissioned by Henry Fownes Luttrell (later 2nd Earl of Carhampton), the lord of the manor at Dunster Castle, and designed by the artist Richard Phelps. It was built as a landscape folly to enhance the view from Dunster Castle. Construction took place in the summer of 1775. The total cost of building the tower was £76 11s ½d, with an additional £4 2s 6d spent on cider for the workmen and £2 5s for a completion entertainment.
The tower was designated as a Grade II listed building on 22 May 1969. In 1997, a survey by The Crown Estate identified cracks in the walls, which were subsequently repaired in 2000.
Etymology
The name "Conygar" derives from two medieval words: "cony" (or "coney"), meaning rabbit, and "garth," meaning garden or enclosure. This indicates that the site was historically a warren where rabbits were bred for food.
Location and access
Conygar Tower is situated on Conygar Hill within the parish of Dunster, West Somerset, at grid reference SS 9917 4410. It is located on land managed by The Crown Estate and is accessible via public footpaths through Conygar Wood. The site is a popular walking destination, with a circular trail of approximately 1.8 km (1.1 miles) from Dunster village.
