Simonsbath Tower is located in a field on the west side of the B3223, a mile to the north of Simonsbath at Great Ashcombe. It is on the eastern side of the field close to the hedge but is all but invisible from the road. It is located on private land but a friend gained permission from the landowner for us to enter the field and take some photos of it. Its grid reference is SS 770 404.
Simonsbath Tower is a circular stone building with a diameter of about 4 metres. It has a Victorian Gothic doorway on the eastern side with a slate doorstep. It stands to a height of 3.2 metres on the eastern side but only 1.1 metres on the western side. It is believed to have been built c1825 by John Knight (who bought the former Royal Forest of Exmoor in 1818) but its original function is unclear. The following have all been suggested as possible purposes for the tower:
- Corn store
- Toll house
- Game larder
- Shooting tower from which deer were killed
- Explosives store
- Lime kiln
- Storehouse for surveying equipment used by engineers working on the proposed Pinkery Canal and inclined plane/railway
- Folly
Doorway of Simonsbath Tower
Doorway of Simonsbath Tower
Simonsbath Tower
Simonsbath Tower
Back of Simonsbath Tower
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