Bishops Tower

Bishops Tower is a folly tower dating to approximately 1843, built at the expense of the Reverend E. Copleston, Bishop of Llandaff and Dean of St. Paul’s. It was constructed from local stone rubble, with rusticated grey-coloured limestone quoins and ashlar detailing, faced with brick. The tower is Italianate in style and rises six storeys high, with a southeast-facing viewing platform. A semi-hexagonal newel stair turret projects from the southwest side up to the third floor level, and all the rooms are heated by a rear lateral stack. The front elevation features a single casement with glazing bars on both the ground and first floor levels. A dripcourse runs around the building at second floor level, above which is a large round-headed double arch with imposts and a keystone. This window has Y-tracery glazing bars and is supported by a stone balcony on shaped brackets. A similar window is located on the northeast side. Above this are narrow round-headed lancets on the other walls. The top of the tower is machicolated, supported by shaped corbels. A balcony with ornate wrought iron railings surrounds the top, and a small square block, open on all sides, sits above, also with imposts and keystones. This block, too, has a machicolated top with an ornate wrought iron parapet and is surmounted by a wrought iron weathervane. The interior is simply finished. The tower was erected partly to provide local employment, and it is also believed that Bishop Copleston intended to use it to view his diocese of Llandaff across the Bristol Channel. The bishop was responsible for significant new building in Offwell during the 1840s.