Continuing "What's on your doorstep"

This folly is only 6.7 miles from where I live and I have never been to see it until today. I am really enjoying my theme which is to explore everything I can within a 10 miles radius and this old place fits in nicely.

Arguably the oldest folly in England, the tower has various claims for construction dates, ranging from the 15th to 17th centuries.

There is a legend that the tower was built by "Lord de Freston" in the 15th century for his daughter Ellen, so she could study a different subject on a different floor six days of the week: the first floor was dedicated to reception, the second to tapestry working, the third to music, the fourth to painting, the fifth to literature, and the sixth to astronomy, complete with instruments for taking observations. This was written about in a novel by Reverend Richard Cobbold entitled Freston Tower and so should not be taken as fact. There is much evidence against this legend, in fact, (documents referring to the construction of the tower within the twelve years preceding 1569) and it is likely that the tower was constructed by Edmond Latymer as a lookout over Freston Reach of the River Orwell. There are further descriptions suggesting a construction date of 1655.