Vandalian Tower
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Vandalian Tower
| status = Ruin
| image = Tower Hill, South Harting, Hampshire 05.jpg
| completion_date = 1774
| architect = Henry Keene
}}
The Vandalian Tower at Harting, West Sussex, England, is an 18th-century folly, built to commemorate the British colony of Vandalia, a short-lived colony that disappeared with the spread of America.{{Cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/vandalian-tower|title=Vandalian Tower|website=Atlas Obscura|language=en|access-date=2019-08-11}} It sits on the summit of Tower Hill.
Today the ruin is owned by the descendants of the Fetherstonhaugh family who bought the neighbouring estate of Uppark, now owned by the National Trust. It was listed as a scheduled monument in 1976.{{NHLE|num=1005807|desc=The Vandalian Tower, Up Park, Harting |access-date=2019-08-11}}
History
The tower was built in 1774, designed by English architect Henry Keene for Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, to celebrate the founding of the colony of Vandalia.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZVnAAAAMAAJ&q=vandalian+tower|title=Sussex Depicted: Views and Descriptions, 1600-1800, Volume 85|last=Forrant|first=John Howard|year=2001|isbn=9780854450510}} The tower was quickly abandoned, possibly out of embarrassment of the failure of Vandalia.
In the late 18th century, Emma Hamilton is said to have frequently watched, from the tower, for Lord Nelson's ship arriving. This led to it being referred to by locals as “Lady Hamilton’s Folly,”{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/monumentalfollie0000bart|url-access=registration|quote=vandalian tower.|title=Monumental follies: an exposition on the eccentric edifices of Britain|last=Barton|first=Stuart|date=1972-06-05|publisher=Lyle Publications|language=en}} The tower was partly destroyed by fire in 1842 and the ruins were stabilised in 1982.
Gallery
File:Tower Hill, South Harting, Hampshire 01.jpg
File:Tower Hill, South Harting, Hampshire 02.jpg
References
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Category:Folly buildings in England
Category:Buildings and structures in West Sussex