UK countryside Rapunzel tower is 'fabulous' but 'bonkers' says owner who is selling up

This enchanting Gothic tower in Kent is said to have been built in the 1830s by a local man who wanted to spy on his estranged wife after she ran off with a local farmer.

When he found it wasn’t quite tall enough to keep an eye on her, he added the 12 metre-high lantern bit at the top, making the 53 metre Hadlow Tower the tallest folly in the United Kingdom.

It is also said to be one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the country, and has a Grade I heritage listing.

But that is not the tower’s only claim to fame. It has had its share of infamy. Between 1999 and 2011 the tower was hired out for all types of events, and is believed to have been used for sex parties – swinger socials as they were known.

Now it’s a different story. The fairytale tower was thoroughly restored in 2013, and belongs to a family that has spent the past year living there, but now wishes to sell.

“It is a fabulous, bonkers property,” says the owner. “My wife and I bought the tower about a year ago. We were attracted by the novelty factor, but it has been a phenomenal place to live and my children love playing hide and seek inside.

“When you drive up to Hadlow Tower it can’t help but put a smile on your face. In the summer it is marvellous. and in the winter it is mysterious.

“It’s a unique place to live, and from the top there is nothing blocking your view so you can look out as far as the eye can see. I fell in love with Hadlow Tower at first sight and we are selling it with a heavy heart.”

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The owner also says being guardian of a listed building is a real honour. “I see this as a huge positive. All listed buildings are protected by law, and the owner is obligated to maintain it: the tower is no different.

“To make it easy for the new owner, there is an architect drafted schedule of what needs doing and when (e.g. clear gutters every year, check lighting conductors every two years etc).”

The first five floors in the 324 square-metre tower provide the living accommodation for the family. Listing agent James Mackenzie of Strutt & Parker says there is the potential to create an additional living space on the sixth floor. The seventh and eighth floors give access to a parapet-walkway, which affords “the finest 360-degree views in Kent”

Of course, there are two turret staircases winding their way up to the top. There is also a fully serviced lift to the principal accommodation, which includes a castle drawing room, four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a media room.

Mackenzie says the tower restoration won the prestigious Angel Award for its quality of craftsmanship. 

A castle ruin that also stood on the site was demolished in the 1950s, but several outbuildings remain, including the coach house, stables and servants’ quarters.

Hadlow Tower sits in a picturesque landscape, with an ornamental boating lake and a croquet lawn in 1.16 hectares of communal grounds. In addition, there’s private garden of 0.22 hectares

Offers are invited in excess of £2 million ($3.56 million).

This story was first published by Stuff.co.nz