The Tower, Chinthurst Hill, Wonersh, Surrey

In 1938 readers of the Surrey Advertiser were baffled by an announcement that the Earl of Inchcape was seeking permission to build a ‘Martello Tower’ on his Chinthurst Hill estate. Following up on a notice published the previous week, the paper felt the need to explain to its readers what a Martello Tower was. The article described the purpose of the defensive towers that had appeared during the Napoleonic wars, and the writer then concluded that ‘it seems improbable that Lord Inchcape’s proposed tower will be exactly similar to the coastal originals’.

Kenneth Mackay, 2nd Earl of Inchcape (1887-1939) was a barrister by training, and chaired many companies including the Westminster Bank and the P&O shipping company, as featured in this cartoon from Punch in 1927:

In 1937 he bought the Chinthurst Hill Estate, with a house designed by Edwin Lutyens in the 1890s and a Gertrude Jekyll garden. The selling agent described the estate as sitting in ‘probably the finest position in Surrey’. Inchcape intended it as his retirement home – he also had a London property in Grosvenor Square and the Glenapp Castle estate in Scotland.

Lord Inchcape died suddenly in 1939, aged only 51, so he didn’t have much time to enjoy his new tower. Very few accounts of its early history can be found, but in one of the accounts of Lord Inchcape’s death it is described as ‘commanding views of some of Surrey’s prettiest scenery’. An article in the Daily Express was more sinister in tone, noting that the gardens featured ‘bomb-proof’ shelters and that the tower was ‘gas-proof’ with blinds that ‘close tightly at the touch of a button’. This report suggests that Inchcape’s ‘Martello Tower’, with war looming, was indeed defensive, but this information is not repeated elsewhere, and attempts to discover more, including the name of the architect, have drawn a complete blank.

The Chinthurst Hill Estate left Inchcape family ownership in the early 1950s, with the tower then described as a ‘lookout’. In 1961 some outlying parts of the estate were offered for sale by auction in twelve lots, and there were fears that Chinthurst Hill would fall into the hands of developers. Surrey County Council, with strong local support, bought sixteen acres of the hillside as a public amenity, and the purchase included the ‘stone tower known as THE FOLLY’ which gave ‘panoramic views’. The three-storey tower was described as being in a ‘neglected condition’ and in 1964 funds were allocated to restore the tower and create a car park.

Sadly the restored tower, seen above, remained a target for vandals and quickly deteriorated. In 1986 the tower was given a grade II listing by English Heritage: at that date it was roofless and the windows were boarded up. Sadly this is how it remains today.

The tower is however still a fascinating feature at the end of an invigorating uphill hike, or a ramble on a gentler circular stroll. When the Flâneuse visited very recently the walk was cushioned by a carpet of sweet chestnut husks, and it wasn’t just the tower that glowed in the sun.

Public access to Chinthurst Hill is managed by Surrey County Council and the conservation of the woodland by Surrey Wildlife Trust. There’s more information on parking and walks here.

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