Reconstructed Roman Watchtower

This is a reconstructed Roman watchtower built in 1905 for Sir George Armytage. It serves as a summerhouse and viewing platform. The structure is made of coursed stone with quoining, and the top floor was originally designed with applied timbers and render to mimic timber framing, topped with a slate roof.

The watchtower has a square plan and consists of a single cell with an external staircase leading to the first floor on the southern side. At the time of inspection, the tower was mostly hidden by vegetation. It stands three storeys high and features a low-pitched pyramidal roof that once had a wide overhang to protect the external second-floor walkway that surrounded the tower. However, much of the roof covering and some of the timber structure have decayed, leaving only fragmentary remains of the supports for the walkway. The central, nearly square windows on each side of the second floor have been bricked up, along with the doorway to the walkway. The first floor has an open doorway and two round-arched windows, while the ground floor doorway, which features a timber lintel, bears the date MCMV. The external staircase is made of stone and does not have a handrail.

Inside, only fragmentary remains of the first and second floors are visible, and the walls appear to be unplastered. The tower is part of a scheduled monument known as Castle Hill univallate defended settlement, Kirklees Park.