The Tower at Clyne Gardens

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As a child I loved visiting Clyne Gardens, it seemed a lot more overgrown then and it was exciting to suddenly come across this little tower.It was built by Algernon Vivian "The Admiral" as a lookout to the sea and also to look down on his Rhododendron collection. Unfortunately the trees, mostly collected in Asia, enjoyed the conditions in their new environment so much that they grew way past their usual height and dwarfed the tower and the view to the sea.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Dear Barry, What a fascinating folly. I think that it is magical to be able to get up above a garden and have a 'bird's eye view'. It is perhaps rather a pity that the rhododendrons have grown up so that the sea is no longer visible. I should love to know more about 'The Admiral'.

You have diverted me from my cocoa and I must now force myself not to do research into the early hours!
March 11, 2010 at 2:15 PM
Anonymous said…
What an adorable tower. I think it is a great idea to be able to get up high and look down at your garden, you can really see the design instead of all the "pretty flowers". I think I shall get up on my roof at Kilbourne Grove and see how it looks, once all the snow is gone, and before the trees leaf out, probably a two day window, lol.
March 11, 2010 at 3:08 PM
James David said…
Seemed to be a little funny though to see a short spiral staircase in the midst of very tall trees.
March 11, 2010 at 5:49 PM
Barry Parker said…
Dear Edith,
Given its nautical associations, this little tower looks strangely land-locked, in fact it's only a few hundred yards to the sea. I haven't seen much written about 'The Admiral', but I'll see what I can uncover.

Deborah,
You're right looking down from a height does help you see the wood for the trees. I'm lucky to have a deck on the flat roof off the third floor of my house, and it's proven to be a great vantage point.

Hi James,
Perhaps they should have allowed the tower to grow along with the trees?
March 12, 2010 at 9:06 AM
Anonymous said…
Just discovering your blog. It looks like the garden has the sort of problem I have all the time, not having allowed for the proportion of things as they grow! But in this case at least it leads to an intriguing scene.
March 13, 2010 at 2:07 PM
Barry Parker said…
Thanks for your comment. Yes, this is losing proportion on a grand scale. but who was to know that these trees would behave different;y when moved to a more temperate environment.
March 13, 2010 at 5:43 PM
kate smudges said…
The Admiral must have missed being out on the sea ~ I wonder what he'd think now if he saw how his trees had grown. What a magical place this must be! I'd love to see more photos of it.
March 14, 2010 at 10:54 AM
gardenbre said…
I think the tower & the church on this site might like to meet one another ... http://tinyurl.com/yzae6w2
March 14, 2010 at 3:10 PM
Barry Parker said…
Hi Kate,
In fact the sea is only a 3 minute walk from the tower. I have a link to more information about Clyne in my post. Hope you find it interesting.

Hi Brenda,
Match-making again!
March 14, 2010 at 5:55 PM
Stone Art's Blog said…
Looks enchanting, can imagine it being fantastic for a kid to explore.
March 19, 2010 at 4:17 AM
Barry Parker said…
Hi Stone Art, Thanks for your comment. this was a magical place to visit as a child ( still is in adulthood come to think of it).
Apparently the original stonemason built the tower higher than was specified and was ordered to lower it by several feet. The irony was that the Rhododendrons grew higher than usual and dwarfed the tower.
March 19, 2010 at 6:11 AM
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