Painshill Gothic Tower

Painshill Gothic Tower stands in Painshill Park, which lies next to the village of Cobham, in the county of Surrey in England.

Painshill Park is an English landscape park, designed and created between 1738 and 1773 by the Hon. Charles Hamilton, an Irish aristocrat and British politician, on his estate. He created a park that moved away from geometric formality in garden design to a new naturalistic formula. The park was equipped with several follies and there was a recommended walking route round the park, designed to bring the visitor upon the successive views with best effect.

One of these follies; the square Gothic Tower, with a circular stair tower attached to one corner, was built at the western end of the park, at its highest point. Hamilton sold the estate and park in 1773 due to financial difficulties. It was owned by a succession of private owners until 1948 when it was parceled up and sold. After the sales the follies and park fell into decay. In 1973 the tower was gutted by fire and stood derelict until restoration commenced in the late 1980s. It was officially opened by the Duchess of York in 1989.

At present Painshill Park can be visited for a fee. The Gothic Tower itself houses a pop-up café which is only open during summer. A nice folly in a nice park with several other curious follies; like a Turkish tent, a crystal grotto, a ruined abbey and temples. The tower can also be seen from the A3 road, which runs next to it, bordering the park.

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