Beckford's Tower and Museum

Om museet

Beckford’s Tower was built in 1826 and 1827 on Lansdown Hill for William Beckford (1760–1844), a writer, collector and one of the richest men in Britain. The architect was Henry Edmund Goodridge. Beckford had moved to Bath after selling Fonthill Abbey, and he used the tower as a private retreat and as a place to display his books, furniture and works of art. He travelled to it from his home in Lansdown Crescent along a ride that formed part of a wider landscape of gardens and a grotto.

Beckford inherited a fortune from sugar plantations in Jamaica and from the labour of people enslaved there. The museum, in the rooms of the tower, tells his story from several points of view, including his collecting, his writing and the architecture of Georgian Bath, and it is open about the source of his wealth and about abuse in his own life. Visitors are warned that the displays deal with enslavement, exploitation and abuse.

The tower is a Grade I listed building with an Italianate style that is very different from the neoclassical terraces of central Bath. A flight of steps leads to the museum on the first floor, and 154 steps lead to the Belvedere at the top, which has views across Bath and Somerset. The site also includes Beckford’s Ride, a Victorian cemetery and a hidden grotto tunnel. The tower is run by the Bath Preservation Trust, which also looks after No.1 Royal Crescent and the Herschel Museum of Astronomy.

Højdepunkter

• Italianate tower of 1826–27 designed by Henry Edmund Goodridge
• Museum on William Beckford, his collections and the slave-trade wealth behind them
• 154 steps to the Belvedere with views over Bath and Somerset
• Landscape with Beckford’s Ride, a Victorian cemetery and a grotto tunnel
• Extra 45-minute tour up into the golden lantern

Permanente udstillinger

• Beckford’s Tower museum – A museum on the first floor of the tower about William Beckford, his collections, the tower and the slave-trade wealth that paid for them.
• Landscape, cemetery and grotto – Beckford’s Ride, a Victorian cemetery and a hidden grotto tunnel around the tower.

Grundlagt

1827

Ejer

Beckford Tower Trust (Bath Preservation Trust)

Entrépriser & rabatter

Every ticket doubles as an annual pass for repeat visits. Entry is free for members of Bath Preservation Trust and of the Beckford Society. Tickets can be bought online or at the door.

Tilgængelighed

• Kørestolsvenlig: findes ikke
• Elevator: findes ikke
• Handicaptoilet
• Handicapparkering
• Servicehunde tilladt
• Taktile tilbud
• Rundvisninger på tegnsprog: ingen oplysninger
• Letlæste tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Synstolkning: ingen oplysninger

The tower's access page counts 38 steps to the museum entrance on the first floor and 127 steps to the Belvedere, while the visit page quotes 154 steps in total to the Belvedere; as a Grade I listed building the tower cannot have a lift. Visitors who cannot climb can use a step-free space in the Tower Vault with digital binoculars showing a 360-degree tour of the museum and tower, and a camera and tablet can be borrowed to share the views. A level path runs the length of the site from both car parks. An accessible toilet, opened with a radar key, is at the Grotto car park, and two Blue Badge spaces can be booked in advance. There are a large print guide, subtitled films, a tactile book with braille, five tactile models, sensory packs for adults, a social story and a sensory map. Two portable stools can be borrowed. Assistance dogs are welcome inside; other dogs are allowed only in the landscape and cemetery.

Børn og familie

Velegnet til børn og familier

• Familieomvisninger & workshops

Children are welcome and under 18s enter free with an adult. The museum explores difficult subjects, so it gives age guidance to help families decide what is suitable, and it runs family activities and events during the year. Pushchairs can be left in the open loggia at the foot of the tower, at the owner’s risk, because of the stairs.

Transport & parkering

The tower is on Lansdown Road north of the city centre, about a 45-minute walk uphill from the centre of Bath. Visitors are encouraged to share cars or come on foot, by bicycle or by public transport.

Service & spisesteder

Toilets are available on site, including an accessible toilet at the Grotto car park. Cycle racks are at the Grotto entrance.

Arrangementer & udlejning

• Lokaler til leje
• Private fester
• Bryllupper / vielser

Op til 300 personer.

Wedding ceremonies for up to 35 people at the tower, and outdoor events for up to 300 people in the landscape, including the Grotto paddock.

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